Socio-cultural features of early ingenious documentary films (a study of a trio of selected documentaries)

Abstract

The documentary realistically presents reality, embodying contemporary society, culture, people's lives, the natural environment, and local identities. The beginning of local documentary filmmaking is often traced back to the 1935 film Song of Ceylon. In this study, we explore whether early documentaries exhibit socio-cultural characteristics. The purpose of this research is to examine the contribution of documentary films in portraying social and cultural characteristics. To do so, we conducted a content analysis of three selected documentaries: Song of Ceylon by Basil Wright, Hill Capital by Giulio Petroni and Nelumgama by Ralph Keene. In our analysis of social characteristics, we identified social patterns and methods used in these documentaries, specifically how they represented aspects of livelihood, education, transportation, communication, entertainment, politics, and administration in the early 20th century. In our investigation of cultural characteristics, we explored faiths and beliefs, religion and values, customs and rituals, art and language, clothing and food patterns, and lifestyles depicted in these films. As a result, it becomes evident that early documentary filmmakers emphasized portraying contemporary society, culture, village life, and natural beauty. These filmmakers prioritized showcasing the cultural characteristics of rural people and used documentary films to explain the gradual development of social characteristics. Through art influenced by religion and the representation of Sri Lankan culture through clothing and local lifestyles, these documentaries aimed to quantitatively present the local identity and capture the contemporary social nature of the time.