David Holzman's Diary

David Holzman's Diary
Directed byJames McBride
Written byJames McBride
Produced byMichael Wadleigh
StarringL. M. Kit Carson
CinematographyMichael Wadleigh
Distributed byNew Yorker Films[1]
Release date
  • 1967 (1967)
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,500[2]

David Holzman's Diary is a 1967 American mockumentary, or work of metacinema, directed by James McBride and starring L. M. Kit Carson. A feature-length film made on a tiny budget over several days, it is a work of experimental fiction presented as an autobiographical documentary. "A self-portrait by a fictional character in a real place—New York's Upper West Side,"[3] the film comments on the title character's personality and life as well as on documentary filmmaking and the medium of cinema more generally. In 1991, David Holzman's Diary was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.[4][5]

  1. ^ Sayre, Nora (1973-12-07). "Screen:' David Holzman Diary' Spoofs Cinema Verite (Published 1973)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  2. ^ Gelmis, Joseph (1970). The Film Director as Superstar. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. p. 5.
  3. ^ Brody, Richard (2 April 2013). "DVD of the Week: 'David Holzman's Diary'". The New Yorker. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. ^ Kehr, Dave (26 September 1991). "U.S. FILM REGISTRY ADDS 25 'SIGNIFICANT' MOVIES". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  5. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-25.