Best Documentary?

[scottsdad]

I have been re-watching The World At War, the documentary made in the early 70's about World War 2. It got me thinking - what is the best documentary ever made?

I would vote for this. Made 30 years after the war, they were able to interview very relevant people (generals, ministers, Hitler's interpreter, Karl Doenitz (who took over from Hitler)). Laurence Olivier's narration is just sublime. Any WWII documentary made now would be interviewing historians and wouldn't get the real feel and flavour of what the was was actually like. 

Any other shouts?

[Ray Patterson]

Diego Maradona is a brilliant documentary with a fantastic soundtrack, so glad I got to see it on the Big Screen.

[Sergeant Wilson]

10 hours ago, scottsdad said:

I have been re-watching The World At War, the documentary made in the early 70's about World War 2.

I'd always wondered what that was about.

[MuckleMoo]

I have been re-watching The World At War, the documentary made in the early 70's about World War 2. It got me thinking - what is the best documentary ever made?
I would vote for this. Made 30 years after the war, they were able to interview very relevant people (generals, ministers, Hitler's interpreter, Karl Doenitz (who took over from Hitler)). Laurence Olivier's narration is just sublime. Any WWII documentary made now would be interviewing historians and wouldn't get the real feel and flavour of what the was was actually like. 
Any other shouts?

I know you're wanting some feedback but you might as well close the thread! World At War is as good as it gets

[Flybhoy]

Although not a fan of motor sport in the slightest...in fact if anything I find it tedious and nauseating to watch, I always switch it over if on TV, the documentary film simply titled 'Senna' is one of the finest biographical pieces of film I have ever watched, aside from the story of his love/hate relationship and intense rivalry with Alain Prost, the second part which deals specifically with the tragic weekend at San Marino in 1994 and the frankly appalling attitude to driver safety then by the governing bodies is quite jaw dropping.  As is the poignant way his death is told by those in an around him, particularly the emphasis on how, 99% of the time that accident he would have walked away from relatively unharmed but for the freak way the steering column detatched and the angle it struck him. A mesmerising watch which I can't recommend highly enough to anyone who hasn't seen it even if, like me your attitude to F1 is somewhere between 'pish' and 'meh'.

[scottsdad]

Senna was excellent. Towards the end the documentary showed his final lap from the camera on board his car. No music, just the lap. And because I know what was coming, my heart was absolutely pounding!

[saint dave]

Always recommend Ken Burns Civil War and Vietnam war docs , although this other stuff is very good too.

I loved The Battered b*****ds Of Baseball , about Kurt Russell's dad taking over a minor league baseball team and held open trials for it...think Major League but true , really good I thought. 

The Two Escobar's is also good and an older one Hearts and Minds about the Vietnam war. 

[Fullerene]

22 hours ago, Flybhoy said:

Although not a fan of motor sport in the slightest...in fact if anything I find it tedious and nauseating to watch, I always switch it over if on TV, the documentary film simply titled 'Senna' is one of the finest biographical pieces of film I have ever watched, aside from the story of his love/hate relationship and intense rivalry with Alain Prost, the second part which deals specifically with the tragic weekend at San Marino in 1994 and the frankly appalling attitude to driver safety then by the governing bodies is quite jaw dropping.  As is the poignant way his death is told by those in an around him, particularly the emphasis on how, 99% of the time that accident he would have walked away from relatively unharmed but for the freak way the steering column detatched and the angle it struck him. A mesmerising watch which I can't recommend highly enough to anyone who hasn't seen it even if, like me your attitude to F1 is somewhere between 'pish' and 'meh'.

If anything, his accident really changed their attitude to safety.  Still they had people like Stirling Moss who would argue afterwards that they had made it too safe and the Russian Roulette aspect of the sport just added to the excitement.

[Flybhoy]

There are a few documentaries kicking around about the Hillsborough disaster but by far the most informative and most moving is the ESPN 30 for 30 one that was on the BBC a few years ago, as someone with family ties down in Liverpool (my brother in law escaped from the pens that day, his mate didn't) and has read a lot about that day and watched a lot of stuff online about it, I thought I was pretty clued up on the timeline of events surrounding the disaster but, even I was stunned by a few of the revelations on this programme.  In particular the opening ten minutes or so explaining how David Duckenfield came to be in charge as match commander that day, his first major football match after the usual police chief Brian Mole, who had policed big games at that stadium for years was transferred to a different force due to the indiscipline of a few junior officers who played a sick prank on a colleague, a prank he knew nothing about and had no connection to but, he was made scapegoat and was transferred and the inexperienced Duckenfield appointed match commander a week or so before the game... a man so clued up about football he referred to the match as "Liverpool v Nottinghamshire" in a press conference. His hapless command and lack of knowledge about football and the dynamics of crowds was the beginning of the catastrophe. 

Some truly heartbreaking and anger inducing moments in the film as well, particularly surrounding the grieving families and, in juxtaposition the fucking disgraceful attitudes and behaviour of people like Bernard Ingham, who was Margaret Thatcher's press secretary and the loathsome Paul Middup, police federation rep of South Yorkshire Police. 

The scene of a duty policeman telling of that day him and  his colleagues are being briefed not to put anything in his pocket book (the unwritten rule in policing is EVERYTHING goes in your pocket book) on a day when 96 people were killed was jaw dropping. 

A quite brilliant, if at times uncomfortable watch, highly recommended. 

[Arch Stanton]

Yeah nothing is going to top WAW.

If you're looking at more modern documentaries I like Supersize Me and the Michael Moore trio of Bowling for Columbine, Sicko and Fahrenheit 9/11.

[well fan for life]

Icarus is absolutely outstanding. 

[tommyboy]

On 31/03/2021 at 17:55, saint dave said:

Always recommend Ken Burns Civil War and Vietnam war docs , although this other stuff is very good too.

I loved The Battered b*****ds Of Baseball , about Kurt Russell's dad taking over a minor league baseball team and held open trials for it...think Major League but true , really good I thought. 

The Two Escobar's is also good and an older one Hearts and Minds about the Vietnam war. 

Ken Burns: Here and There. A documentary about the documentary maker is well worth a watch.

[SANTAN]

On 30/03/2021 at 11:15, scottsdad said:

I have been re-watching The World At War, the documentary made in the early 70's about World War 2. It got me thinking - what is the best documentary ever made?

I would vote for this. Made 30 years after the war, they were able to interview very relevant people (generals, ministers, Hitler's interpreter, Karl Doenitz (who took over from Hitler)). Laurence Olivier's narration is just sublime. Any WWII documentary made now would be interviewing historians and wouldn't get the real feel and flavour of what the was was actually like. 

Any other shouts?

Where would this be available to watch? 

I have a terrible memory but one that stuck out that I've seen in the last couple of years was "Once Upon A Time In Iraq" on the BBC, it's a 4 part series about Iraq, speaks to people on every side of the conflict, they choose some fascinating characters and it's just utterly heartbreaking whilst also being fascinating. There's a story from someone that survived a mass execution, that was particularly harrowing and also a very interesting US marine that is actually the closest thing to John Rambo I've ever seen. 

[tongue_tied_danny]

There was a good doc about Evel Knieval on Bbc4 a couple of years ago...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b076nqjb

I love the Ken Burns docs. There's another guy called Errol Morris who makes good docs about various subjects. Mr Death, about a guy who makes execution equipment for the US prison authorities was really good, as was Tabloid, about the woman who kidnapped a Mormon.

Edited April 2, 2021 by tongue_tied_danny

[BigDoddyKane]

King Rocker was good, its quite new I think. The guy its about is quite entertaining, got a good life story and I found myself laughing along with them quite a few times. Hes kinda just blagged it all the time without getting much success but always getting by.

https://kingrockerfilm.com/

 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by BigDoddyKane

[Gaz]

Westside vs The World is excellent, about the batshit mental powerlifting gym Westside Barbell.

[Lofarl]

World at War is sublime.  They should show that to kids in History class.  There, war taught.

 

The fog of war is a good documentary too.  It's about Robert Macnamara looking back on his blood soaked career as the US secretary of defence.  

 

Touching the void.  About two guys who climb a mountain.  One breaks his leg on the way down.  His pal leaves him to die.

[velo army]

TWAW was on telly the other night and it really is quite superb. 

BBC Storyville docs are the tatties as well. The one one the Black Panther party a while ago was incredible.

Mark Thomas' documentary on Coca Cola meant that I haven't bought a coke product since. Excellently done.

[Fullerene]

On 03/04/2021 at 20:02, Lofarl said:

Touching the void.  About two guys who climb a mountain.  One breaks his leg on the way down.  His pal leaves him to die.

Apparently the body doubles for the film are the original climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates.

The documentary inspired the TV series "I shouldn't be alive"  which follows a similar format of people recounting a horrendous ordeal.  There were 58 episodes and you will find some of them in full on YouTube.

[coprolite]

Love the World at War. Life on Earth runs it close for the best series. Recently, Once upon a time in Iraq was a top notch first hand account from multiple perspectives. 

Stand alone films I'd probably go for One Day in September (Israeli athletes held hostage at Munich Olympics), with honourable mentions for The Two Escobars (Columbia, drugs and football) and Free Solo (Climbing without ropes).