Documentaries to watch -- Anthony
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- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.Nazi propaganda film, and quite possibly the single most important piece of propaganda filmmaking in history
- StarsMichael PetersonDavid RudolfRon GueretteThe high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.Amazing miniseries on a murder-mystery. Hard to find but you may be able to look it up on youtube.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsBruce BaldenJacqueline BassettSymon BasterfieldDirector Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children after a seven-year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.Watch the entire series: 7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up and 49 Up. On Roger Ebert's list of top ten movies of all time.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRobert McNamaraJohn F. KennedyFidel CastroThe story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.My favorite political documentary. If you like it, check out "Why We Fight" (2005) and "No End In Sight" (2007)
- DirectorWilliam BakerStarsKylie MinogueWilliam BakerJason BeitelAn intimate documentary following international pop star Kylie Minogue on her return to the stage for her Showgirl Homecoming Tour, following her battle against breast cancer."I cannot hear what you say, for the thunder that you are." My favorite Herzog documentary.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsMichel BouquetReinhard HeydrichHeinrich HimmlerThe history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.This one is really disturbing. Filmed in 1955 at post-war Auschwitz.
- DirectorRobert J. FlahertyStarsAllakariallakAlice NevalingaCunayouIn this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.A must see--this is where documentary filmmaking began.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.The movie most people know Werner Herzog for. And with good reason.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsEdward AsnerPat BenatarJerry BrownA collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.Zeke and I watched this like 20 times freshman year. Philip Glass ties the amazing footage together with what I personally think is one of the best soundtracks you'll ever hear. When you watch it the second time, get high first. Also, it's produced by Francis Ford Coppola I'm pretty sure.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".Dramatic, funny, great characters. And the guy tightrope-walks between the world trade centers, which is probably the most badass thing you can do with your life.
- DirectorNikolaus GeyrhalterStarsClaus Hansen PetzArkadiusz RydellekBarbara HinzOUR DAILY BREAD is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part. A pure, meticulous and high-end film experience that enables the audience to form their own ideas.Some of the best cinematography ever. EVER.
- DirectorTony KayeStarsNoam ChomskyBill BairdFlip BenhamA graphic documentary on both sides of the abortion debate.Disturbing and unbiased look at the abortion argument
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.The Bourne Identity meets Free Willy.
- DirectorLouise OsmondJerry RothwellStarsTilda SwintonDonald CrowhurstTed HyndsA documentary about the disastrous 1968 round-the-world yacht race.This begins as a documentary about a sailboat race around the world but turns into an unsettling look at the effects of extreme solitude on the human mind.
- DirectorJean-Xavier de LestradeStarsAnn FinnellPatrick McGuinnessJames WilliamsOscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.A murder-mystery, with an in-depth look into the legal process and those that corrupt it.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.A visceral and well-done documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge and the countless people who have thrown themselves off of it. It's pretty creepy.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.A great way to view people around the planet, and contrast their lifestyles with our own.
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsTimothy 'Speed' LevitchTimothy "Speed" Levitch, an eccentric New York City tour bus guide, takes tourists around the island of Manhattan and shares an archive of beautifully distorted information about the city.The guy in this is really interesting.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.A more recent political documentary about the financial crisis, and the greed that fueled it.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsLucille BillingsleyZella GrahamCal HarbertsA documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there.About a pet cemetery and the people who have animals buried there. This is also on Roger Ebert's top ten list as well.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.This one is a bit more light-hearted than the rest but has some of the best characters. And the best part about documentaries is that all the characters are real.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRandall AdamsDavid HarrisGus RoseA film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.This was one of the first documentaries to use reenactments to portray the events being described. I don't love it but it is widely considered to be among the most important modern documentaries so you should watch it. If you like this style, watch "Touching the Void" (2003)
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogScott RowlandStefan PashovFilm-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.Not Herzog's best, but still pretty damn good.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsThe Dalai LamaLama Lhundup WoeserTakna Jigme SangpoWheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.You'll like this one. The Dalai Lama interview is great. Something about the Dalai Lama...everything he says is so loaded with meaning.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsRobert CrumbAline Kominsky-CrumbCharles CrumbAn intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.Zeke showed me this one. I think you'll be able to tell.
- DirectorRob EpsteinStarsHarvey FiersteinHarvey MilkAnne KronenbergA documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.If you liked "Milk" you'll like this more.
- DirectorAndrew JareckiStarsArnold FriedmanJesse FriedmanDavid FriedmanDocumentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.You should read the backstory on how this film came to be after you watch it. The best part about filming these types of investigative documentaries as a director is probably the fact that you cannot predict what will happen next.
- DirectorNathaniel KahnStarsEdmund BaconEdwina Pattison DanielsBalkrishna DoshiDirector Nathaniel Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.
- DirectorHiroshi TeshigaharaStarsIsidro Puig BoadaAntoni GaudíSeiji MiyaguchiThe work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí, as seen by Japanese New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsRebecca MooreJanet ShularTim CarterFeaturing never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.I went through a phase where I found cults and obscure religious sects to be fascinating. This documents one of the weirdest and most heartbreaking examples of one man's influence over a large group of trusting followers and his abuse of this power.
- DirectorKeith FultonLouis PepeStarsTerry GilliamJohnny DeppJeff BridgesTerry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.Great look at the troubles of a filmmaker and overcoming-or succumbing to the obstacles one faces on the battlefield.
- DirectorDong-won KimNorth Korean spies return to their homeland.Watched this in my History of South Korean Cinema class. You won't be able to find it, but try.
- DirectorOrson WellesGary GraverOja KodarStarsOrson WellesOja KodarFrançois ReichenbachA documentary about fraud and fakery.Orson Welles does documentaries.
- DirectorAl ReinertStarsJim LovellKen MattinglyRussell SchweickartAn in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.
- DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid BagbyA filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.