Favourite Documentaries?

jackhammer · 01-02-2010, 04:51 PM

There have been a few top quality doc's posted in the film thread, so a thread dedicated to them is needed I think. They can be feature length documentaries or even DVD making of doc's. As long as they are 30 mins+ is the only criteria. Something to start the ball rolling:

Haiti is generally regarded as one of the most dangerous places on Earth to live and this doc concentrates on 2 brothers living on opposite sides of the law. One brother is desperate to escape Haiti and uses his own music to speak to the world outside and the other deeply embroiled in the countries violence and gang power.

What seems like an obvious choice to plump for, is not always an easy decision to choose sides for with a way of life that is the norm and not the exception and fatalism an accepted way of life.

Not always an easy watch but enthralling and fascinating nonetheless.

Inuzuka Skysword · 01-02-2010, 05:03 PM

Human, All Too Human was a documentary series done by BBC on Nietzsche, Sartre, and Heidegger. Each one had their own episode. Each episode consisted on the lives of each philosopher and a general overview of their ideas. I was more interested in their lives.

That one you posted int he Krautrock thread was pretty good too. I had always listened to a bit of Krautrock and never got into an actual phase. Now I have tons of it.

jackhammer · 01-02-2010, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inuzuka Skysword

That one you posted int he Krautrock thread was pretty good too. I had always listened to a bit of Krautrock and never got into an actual phase. Now I have tons of it.

That was damn fine.

Linkage here for anyone wanting to check it out again:

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Astronomer · 01-02-2010, 05:35 PM

This is really cliche but I love any documentary by/with David Attenborough. I love nature and animals, and find everything he researches just fascinating. Plus the cinematography is always amazing - I always wonder how they get those tiny cameras in places like echidna's pouches and snake's nests!

right-track · 01-02-2010, 05:38 PM

Best docu I've seen for years was Baghdad ER. (I think that's what it was called)

jackhammer · 01-02-2010, 05:43 PM

If you are lucky enough to live in the U.K and didn't get a chance to watch this before then this series of docs was superb:

Catastrophe - Channel 4

I'm not particularly clued up when it comes to science but it's informative without ever being academical. I have seen the series 3 times now.

This also bowled me over:

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | How long is a piece of string?

Urban Hat€monger ? · 01-02-2010, 05:45 PM

Watched all 26 odd episodes of this a while back

Originally aired on the BBC in the mid 60s & narrated by Sir Ralph Richardson it's bascially just archive footage & telling you what happened, and all the better for it.
It makes a nice refreshing change to watch something that educates you and doesn't treat you like a moron.

SATCHMO · 01-02-2010, 05:47 PM

THe one documentary that I wholeheartedly encourage every MBer to watch:

adidasss · 01-02-2010, 06:44 PM

Great thread! I've been getting a little tired of fiction films lately so I've downloaded a whole bunch of docs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I've heard about this one a long time ago but never got around to seeing it. Thanks for reminding me...(:

As for my favorite documentary:

An amazing story from one of my favorite documentary (try as I might I never really could get into most of his fiction films, Stroszek being the exception) filmmakers about an amazing human being, a German fighter pilot who survived a Vietnamese POW camp. Herzog later made it into a feature film (Rescue dawn) with Christian Bale which I felt was very underwhelming. So if you haven't seen that one, I strongly suggest you go for the documentary instead, it's infinitely more powerful to hear this story being told first hand by the man who went through it all and lived to tell the tale.

jackhammer · 01-02-2010, 07:04 PM

Well your last few post in the film thread prompted me to make this thread TBH.

01-02-2010, 04:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Favourite Documentaries? There have been a few top quality doc's posted in the film thread, so a thread dedicated to them is needed I think. They can be feature length documentaries or even DVD making of doc's. As long as they are 30 mins+ is the only criteria. Something to start the ball rolling: Haiti is generally regarded as one of the most dangerous places on Earth to live and this doc concentrates on 2 brothers living on opposite sides of the law. One brother is desperate to escape Haiti and uses his own music to speak to the world outside and the other deeply embroiled in the countries violence and gang power. What seems like an obvious choice to plump for, is not always an easy decision to choose sides for with a way of life that is the norm and not the exception and fatalism an accepted way of life. Not always an easy watch but enthralling and fascinating nonetheless. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

01-02-2010, 05:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
Astronomer we are stardust Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,894	This is really cliche but I love any documentary by/with David Attenborough. I love nature and animals, and find everything he researches just fascinating. Plus the cinematography is always amazing - I always wonder how they get those tiny cameras in places like echidna's pouches and snake's nests! __________________

01-02-2010, 05:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	If you are lucky enough to live in the U.K and didn't get a chance to watch this before then this series of docs was superb: Catastrophe - Channel 4 I'm not particularly clued up when it comes to science but it's informative without ever being academical. I have seen the series 3 times now. This also bowled me over: BBC NEWS \| Science & Environment \| How long is a piece of string? __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

01-02-2010, 05:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	Watched all 26 odd episodes of this a while back Originally aired on the BBC in the mid 60s & narrated by Sir Ralph Richardson it's bascially just archive footage & telling you what happened, and all the better for it. It makes a nice refreshing change to watch something that educates you and doesn't treat you like a moron. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

01-02-2010, 07:04 PM	#10 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Well your last few post in the film thread prompted me to make this thread TBH. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

01-02-2010, 05:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
Inuzuka Skysword Existential Egoist Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,468	Human, All Too Human was a documentary series done by BBC on Nietzsche, Sartre, and Heidegger. Each one had their own episode. Each episode consisted on the lives of each philosopher and a general overview of their ideas. I was more interested in their lives. That one you posted int he Krautrock thread was pretty good too. I had always listened to a bit of Krautrock and never got into an actual phase. Now I have tons of it.

01-02-2010, 05:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
right-track Atchin' Akai Join Date: May 2005 Location: Unamerica Posts: 8,723	Best docu I've seen for years was Baghdad ER. (I think that's what it was called)

01-02-2010, 05:47 PM	#8 (permalink)
SATCHMO Al Dente Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 4,708	THe one documentary that I wholeheartedly encourage every MBer to watch: