Get unlimited access to Bruins cup coverage - Just 99¢

The Boston Globe

Arts

Boston.com

Making sense of Ross McElwee and ‘Sherman’s March’

The documentary filmmaker looks back on a classic

By Mark Feeney

 |  Globe Staff  

  February 05, 2012

A hotbed of documentary filmmaking for decades, the Boston area is home to at least three great working documentarians. Frederick Wiseman, still going strong at 82, is the tireless recording angel of institutions large, small, and in between. Errol Morris, who’s part philosopher, part private eye, must be the world’s only practicing forensic epistemologist. But Ross McElwee, the least known of the three, may have made the single most influential documentary among them.

Stay with the story. Get full access to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢

Unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com for only 99¢ for the first 4 weeks. You can cancel at any time.

  • The FULL story all day: Enjoy all of the high-quality, in-depth journalism in the print edition of the Boston Globe — plus breaking news that's updated 24/7.
  • A truly reader-friendly format: It's online news that looks and reads just like the newspaper — uncluttered, uninterrupted.
  • Breakthrough technology: The responsive design automatically adapts content so it always reads perfectly on the digital device of your choice.
Get started today

Free access for home delivery subscribers.

Just need to link your home delivery account; one easy step.

Link my home delivery account

BostonGlobe.comSubscriber Log In

Contact us for help

  • Phone

    888-MY-GLOBE

    Monday-Friday 6:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

    Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 noon

  • Chat

    Start a chat

    Monday-Sunday 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

  • E-mail

    support@bostonglobe.com