ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on whether documentary film can be used as a valid medium for recording and representing history. Accordingly, it explores differences between filmed and written history, as suggested by Hayden White. In addition, it considers the six modes of representation in historical documentaries, as theorized by Bill Nichols, and the ideas of Robert A. Rosenstone and others about the use of reconstruction as a way of representing the past. As a specific example, the chapter examines the making of Taiwan: A People’s History, a landmark historical documentary television series, including its form, content, and historical reconstruction, as well as the reaction of Taiwanese audiences to the use of reconstruction in historical documentary.
