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Rhetorical Devices In The Imposter

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The Imposter: Rhetorical Analysis “Rhetoric, it seems, is a producer of persuasion for belief not instruction not in the matter of right and wrong.” - Plato. In the mysterious documentary “The Imposter”, director Bart Layton reveals the story of the French criminal Frederich Bourdin (“The Chameleon”) who impersonates Nicholas Barclay, a Texas boy who disappeared at the age of 13 in 1944. Layton is known for tackling controversial subject matter and for “challenging documentary convention with a unique visual flair”, and lived up to his reputation in this film. He uses many unique rhetorical devices throughout the documentary, but mainly appeals to viewers using Ethos and Logos. In the beginning of the film, Layton depicts Bourdin …show more content…

Now everyone immediately did not believe a word he had said because he had been found out and would say anything to get a lighter sentence or even immunity, but when investigators started looking into the case, more and more evidence started piling up against Nicholas’ mother. Investigators asked her to take a poly-test, and she failed it. Everything fell into place in that moment, all the evidence that was put forth finally clicked in my head. The director does, however, know how to end a film spectacularly well and leaves the viewer with no definitive verdict, leaving everything up to the viewer. The appeals of Ethos and Logos are examples of the many unique interests the director uses in the film The Imposter. The Imposter is a film that unveils the stunning truth about Nicholas Barclays mystery and at last recounts the story in alternate viewpoints between the different individuals who took part in this mystery. Director Layton gives the Viewers the chance in understanding the mistake the family and FBI made in believing Frederic Bourdin was Nicholas Barclay. He allows the audience to experience both emotional and logical persuasion the documentary expresses to understand the

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