My father, Michael Rabiger, who died aged 86, was a pioneering educator, documentarian and author; his influence shaped generations of documentary film-makers around the world. Those who had the good fortune to take his classes encountered a rare teacher – someone with both intellectual rigour and a profound understanding of the human condition.
Born in Seer Green, Buckinghamshire, to Paul G Rabiger, a Paris “street urchin” who went on to become a make-up artist at Pinewood Studios, and Greta (nee Bird), descended from a long line of bricklayers and chimney sweeps, Michael would describe himself, with a chuckle, as “the only middle-class boy in the village”.
Leaving Maidenhead county boys’ grammar school (now Desborough college) with few qualifications, he began sweeping floors at Pinewood at 17, and soon learned how to edit and then direct documentary films. He oversaw the popular BBC series Yesterday’s Witness, and made several documentaries about subjects such as the Battle of Cable Street, first world war conscientious objectors, Dr Spock and Krishnamurti.
In 1972, following the breakdown of his first marriage to our mother, Sigrid (nee Granville), an artist whom he had married in 1965, and at a time of economic instability in Britain, he struggled to find work. Learning of an opening at the emerging film department at Columbia College Chicago, he applied, was hired, and moved to the US to begin a new chapter as a full-time teacher – a career that lasted for more than 30 years. By 1978, he had met and married Nancy Mattei, a contemporary dancer and occupational therapist, and his gifts as a teacher quickly became evident.
A practical man, he published a bestselling textbook, Directing the Documentary (1989). Known as “the bible” internationally, its eighth edition is about to be published; it has been translated into 10 languages. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics (1989) and Developing Story Ideas (2000) have also been widely translated and remain in wide use.
Perhaps his most enduring personal project was a manuscript that he worked on for decades on the role of trauma in the life and work of his literary hero, Thomas Hardy. He combined annual visits to us in London with research, taking us to rural Dorset for two weeks each summer until we were in our teens.
He is survived by Nancy, his three children, Paul, Joanna and me, and five grandchildren.
