Your Favorite Documentaries

[Chas]

The Celluloid Closet. Wonderful stuff ~ "why would a guy want to marry a guy?" ~ "security!"

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"Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got" ~ Brigitte Berman's wonderful 1985 Portrait of the Big Band genius is crying out for a dvd release.

"Waco: Rules Of Engagement" - An Eye opener, to be sure. Now, I don't care for religious cults, but these people were targeted. Woah.

 

[swinggal]

Anything by David Attenborough

The World at War - BBC

The Peoples Century - BBC (epic, went for about 25 eps)

Jazz - Ken Burns

 

[AmateisGal]

Ken Burns' The War and The Civil War. Both amazing.

I recently watched a documentary that followed the life of a female leopard called The Eye of the Leopard that was absolutely fascinating. It was narrated by Jeremy Irons and was more like a movie than anything. Kept you glued to your seat.

 

[Stearmen]

PV-1 Ventura

The Last Flight of Bomber 31, it aired on our PBS stations several years ago. It's about a forgotten part of WWII, after the Americans and Canadians kicked the Japanese out of the Aleutians, there were a large number of USAAF and Navy pilots with nothing to do. They could have sat out the war with only the severe weather to fight, but they devised a plan to attack the Japanese held Kuril islands. This documentary is about a Navy Lockheed PV-1 Ventura that was found in eastern Siberia, with the remains of most of the crew. Ironically, another PV-1 was found in the next valley during the excavation, turns out her crew was rescued by Russians and eventual repatriated! The crew faced a long flight to and from the Kuril islands, not to mention some of the worst weather over freezing water with little modern navigation aids and with no fighter escorts. Their strategy did work, they tied down a large number of Japanese troops aircraft and antiaircraft defences to guard against a posable Northern invasion! I am a little biased, since I flew copilot on a PV-2 Harpoon, the replacement for the PV-1! Still a must for any WWII buff, expecially if you like the more obscure theaters of operations!

 

[Rock31]

The Bridge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_%282006_film%29

Man on Wire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_On_Wire

American Movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Movie

The Fog of War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fog_of_War

 

[skyvue]

Ric (Ken's brother) Burns' American Experience doc about Coney Island is a great favorite of mine. It's available for rental on Netflix and is affordably enough priced on DVD that I have purchased several copies to give as gifts over the years.

I highly recommend it.

 

[melanie]

Anything about history, no matter what period, I love history, and I did want to be an historian for such a long long time.

I recently watched Time Warp Wives on youtube and thought it was fab.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

B-29: Frozen In Time

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2303b29.html

What a surprise ending to this one!!

-dixon cannon

 

[Paisley]

A few years ago, I saw a PBS documentary on meth. Suddenly, a lot of things were explained about someone I used to know.

On a happier note, National Geographic produced a docudrama called The Story of the Weeping Camel. After a difficult birth, a camel rejects her calf. The Mongolian family who owns the herd sends for an expert to get the mother to take care of her calf.

 

[Atomic Age]

Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip By Ken Burns, about the first man to drive from San Fransisco to New York in a car, in 1903. Tom Hanks reads Horatio Nelson's letters to his wife and Keith David provides his usual wonderful velvety voice to the narration. It is a VERY funny documentary and story. 107 min well spent.

Another favorite is Visions of Light about the art and craft of cinematography.

Doug

 

[The Wolf]

Theremin ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108323/ ) turned out to be much more interesting than i expected.
Highly recommend it.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Atomic Age]

Theremin ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108323/ ) turned out to be much more interesting than i expected.
Highly recommend it.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

Oh yes this is an excellent documentary too, and a very strange story.

Doug

 

[WH1]

When We Were Kings, about the Ali/Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. A phenomenal film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_Were_Kings

 

[Happy Jack]

The Civil War- Ken Burns

 

[LocktownDog]

Ken Burns' Jazz.

Art 21: Art In The 21st Century

 

[Tomasso]

There are lots of great documentaries but here are a few....

Baseball

Irish in America

Chicago - City of the Century

The Century: America's Time

 

[LizzieMaine]

"The World Of Tomorrow"

 

[Doctor Strange]

Visions of Light - an outstanding doc on the art of cinematography.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105764/

 

[Dixon Cannon]

"The World Of Tomorrow"

I remember this one!! Jason Robards telling his story of his visit to the New York Worlds Fair - excellent! Wasn't there a nudie exhibit that he and his father visited? Why do I remember that part??!!!

-dixon cannon

 

[Dixon Cannon]

The Longest Hatred

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229537/

Here's one we all need to view on a regular basis.

-dixon cannon