A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary.
Characteristics Stylistically, it has certain similarities to Italian Neorealism, such as the use of location shooting and employing non-actors in secondary roles. However, the viewer is not intended to mistake a semidocumentary for a real documentary; the fictional elements are too prominent.
Background One of the first films of this kind was Henry Hathaway's The House on 92nd Street (1945).30 Overlooked Noir Films That Are Worth Watching — Taste of Cinema
In the late 1940s, semidocumentary films were often associated with film noir thrillers, sharing a commitment to on-location shooting, gritty realism, and understated performances.
Decline In the 1960s and 1970s, the semidocumentary style declined in feature films. The standard documentary had blurred the difference between itself and fiction so much that there was viewer confusion regarding what they were seeing.
Notable semidocumentary examples
The House on 92nd Street (1945)Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic MoviesDVD Talk review of Kiss Me Deadly: The Criterion Collection The Killers (1946) 13 Rue Madeleine (1946)Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic Movies T-Men (1947) Boomerang (1947) Brute Force (1947) Kiss of Death (1947) The Naked City (1948)Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic Movies Call Northside 777 (1948) Canon City (1948) He Walked by Night (1948) The Street with No Name (1948) Bodyguard (1948) The Asphalt Jungle (1950)20 best film noirs: From Double Indemnity to Shadow of a Doubt|The Independent Armored Car Robbery (1950) Mystery Street (1950) Night and the City (1950)Film Noir: The Semi-Documentaries - by Michael E. Grost Highway 301 (1950) Panic in the Streets (1950) Side Street (1950) The Racket (1951) On Dangerous Ground (1952) Walk East on Beacon (1952) The Hitch-Hiker (1953) Dragnet (1954) The Phenix City Story (1955) Man on a String (1960) The Cool World (1963)Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles|Library of Congress The Insect Woman (1963)Butterflies, beetles, and postwar Japan: semi-documentary in the 1960s: Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema: Vol.9, No 1 A Hard Day's Night (1964)A Hard Day's Night movie review (1964)|Roger Ebert The Endless Summer (1966)Film History of the 1960s The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)The St. Valentine's Day Massacre review (1967)|Roger Ebert Night Flight from Moscow (1973)
Notable directors associated with semidocumentary Richard Fleischer Louis de Rochemont Gordon DouglasNOIR CITY 8: LUST & LARCENY! - ScreenAnarchy Henry Hathaway10 great New York noirs|BFI
See also Docudrama Film gris Cinema verite
References