Obit. (2016)

Writers and editors from the New York Times discuss their unique approach to writing the obituaries of public figures.

Director:

Vanessa Gould

Stars:

Bruce Weber, William McDonald, Margalit Fox

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bruce Weber	...	Himself
William McDonald	...	Himself
Margalit Fox	...	Herself
William Grimes	...	Himself
Jack Kadden	...	Himself
Douglas Martin	...	Himself
Jeff Roth	...	Himself
Daniel Slotnik	...	Himself
Paul Vitello	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Keepnews	...	Himself
Dolores Morrison	...	Herself
Jon Pareles	...	Himself
Earl Wilson	...	Himself

Storyline

How do you put a life into 500 words? Ask the staff obituary writers at the New York Times. OBIT is a first-ever glimpse into the daily rituals, joys and existential angst of the Times obit writers, as they chronicle life after death on the front lines of history.

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Plot Keywords:

obituary | 

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Taglines:

An inside look at life on the New York Times obituaries desk.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Verdens bedste nekrologer

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,185, 28 April 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$304,191, 14 July 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green Fuse Films, Imperfect Films, Mystic Artists Films Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

The Typewriter
Written by Leroy Anderson
Published by Woodbury Music Company (ASCAP)
Published by BMG Gold Songs (ASCAP) in the United States of America and
administered by EMI Mills Music (ASCAP) throughout the rest of the world

User Reviews

Rather Fascinating

This rather fascinating documentary, directed by Vanessa Gould, shows us the inner workings of the obituary department of the New York Times. One might expect this film to be somewhat grim but it proves to be anything but, with even some deadpan (pun intended) humor well placed into the movie.

Ar first, I thought the writers and editors of the department came across as flippant, considering the subject matter of a person's death. However, it became apparent that they have a job to do and are trying to do it in the best way possible, spinning an accurate and interesting narrative for their readers, while trying to sum up someone's life in just so many words, while also under time pressures to meet a print deadline.

There's also lots of wonderful archival film and photos of people and events over the decades, as well as screen shots of various New York Times obits over the years. I thought the doc really gave me a good insight into how the writers of the obits chose those persons that would go into their columns and how the pieces are cobbled together, eventually with a finished product emerging.