The Construction of Social Meanings in Historical Documentary Film: A Study of "Mr. Prime Minister" and "Mossadegh, Oil, Coup"

This essay examines historical documentary film as a narrative medium that interprets rather than simply reflects historical reality. While both history and documentary film are bound to factual matters, they remain dependent on storytelling. The author argues that how documentary filmmakers construct and present meaning is more significant than the historical information they display, since these constructions shape viewers' historical understanding and consequently their cultural and political judgments. The study applies semiotic analysis to two documentaries, "Agha-ye Nakhostwazir" and "Mossadegh, Oil and Coup," to reveal the strategies filmmakers use in constructing meanings from historical subjects.