Abstract
The effective implementation of film‐based teaching is hampered by three fallacies. First, that educational film must possess entertainment value. Second, that film is a subsidiary medium suited only to use as an aid or support within the teaching process. Third, that film must display objectivity and balance before it can be accepted as a viable teaching medium. The condemnation of films on the grounds that they fail to satisfy these fallacious criteria is a reflection of immature critical standards. Improved educational use of film demands enhanced awareness of the inherent properties of the medium, in particular the three sources of communication distortion which must be assessed in any form of documentary film criticism. The first is technical manipulation of the subject, deriving both from the syntax established by film editing and from the relationship between picture and commentary. The second is implicit conceptual manipulation related to decisions on film content. The third is the implication of the tone of presentation imposed by the film director. Attention to these points can assist both the film maker and the film user.

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