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194 III. COMPOSITION
completely belonging to it*— factual films concentrate on actual physical existence. Of course this does not exclude staging and re-enacting, should the need arise, or the occasional use of charts and diagrams. Although both documentary and the newsreel reflect the real world, they differ in their approach to it. The latter shows, in a brief and neutral manner, current events of allegedly general interest, whereas documentaries elaborate on natural material for a variety of purposes, with the result that they may range from detached pictorial reports to glowing social messages.2 These two genres date as far back as the childhood days of the medium; and they conform in varying degrees to what Mesguich once said about the cinema, meaning Lumiere's: "Its lens opens on the world/'**
Yet in the case of the film of fact it opens only on part of the world. Newsreels as well as documentaries feature not so much the individual and his inner conflicts as the world he lives in. In Rotha's words, documentary "depends on the individual's interest in the world around him." Anxious to drive home this point, Rotha continues: "If there are human beings, they are secondary to the main theme. Their private passions and petulances are of little interest."3 This is of tremendous importance, the implication being that factual films do not explore all aspects of physical reality; they omit, for instance, those contingent on "private passions," as related by an intrigue. "Special modes of reality" seem to lie outside their possibilities. The consequences of this limitation in range will become apparent at the end of the chapter.
Scope oi investigation
The newsreel does not pose problems that would invite comment within these contexts. It meets the minimum requirements of the cinematic approach as a matter of course, with the realistic tendency prevailing over the tendency toward form construction.! Actually, pronounced formative efforts would even interfere with the recording job assigned to the genre. Newsreel shots are all the more true to type if they retain the character of straightforward snapshots, testifying to on-the-spot improvisation rather than a concern for rounded-out composition. This is naturally not meant to minimize the significance of discerning selectivity in the shooting and editing of newsreel material.4
Nor need the instructional film be considered. Its objective is to transmit useful knowledge and special skills, and there is no definite correlation between cinematic treatment and the attainment of this goal.
* See p. 29. **Seep. 31. t Cf. p. 38.