EN
This study defines authorial documentary film from the viewpoint of both domestic and foreign film theory. The author notices significant intergeneric differences especially between live action and documentary film. In historical survey he compares basic characteristics and definitions which have appeared in different developmental stages of film studies. Besides theorists, they have been influenced often also by filmmakers. Their development has been significantly affected also by the technical possibilities and restrictions of the time. Critical theory features a division of films according to objectivity (authenticity) and subjectivity (authorship). This division is present in the functional definition of subgroups, which are taken into account in defining documentary film: a relationship of the medium to reality, the analysis of directorial and authorial approaches, formal and stylistic procedures, the specification of genres, dramaturgical and narratological concepts of a work, and the role of a protagonist in a documentary. The authorial documentary film cannot be understood only as the director’s personal contribution to the film, but an important role is also played by collective authorship or the influence of the whole production crew on the recreation of facts stemming from reality.