Sometimes we all want to watch a decent documentary. I've seen hundreds, but what is your favourite one?

For me, Grizzly Man was the best documentary. About Timothy Treadwell a conservationist who puts his life at risk saving grizzly bears from hunters.

Top Gear, well now Grand Tour.

The world at war, today a lot of documentaries are unwatchable due to over use of music, even when the narrator is speaking 

Woodstock

 

 

Sometimes we all want to watch a decent documentary. I've seen hundreds, but what is your favourite one?

For me, Grizzly Man was the best documentary. About Timothy Treadwell a conservationist who puts his life at risk saving grizzly bears from hunters.

 

He didn't just put his own life at risk, but his girlfriends as well. They were both killed and eaten by grizzlies on October 2003. The guy pushed his luck a little too far.

This is Spinal Tap, though of course it was really a rockumentary.

Excellent choice for a thread Wilson, I thoroughly enjoyed the Louis Theroux documentaries, he really has a way to get people to open up and reveal more about themselves than they realize.

The Banged up Abroad series was gripping too because so often it was just ordinary people who got greedy and then before they knew it  they were trundling towards customs officials with a load of coke or whatever strapped to their waists and it was too late to back out.

As mentioned The World at War was fantastic- great footage and Lawrence Olivier's voice was perfect for the gravity of the situation.

 

Not sure if it qualifies as a documentary - but Alex Haley's "Roots" was unforgettable.

"The Civil War"

My favorite is a mini series by Ken Burn's that traced the course of the U.S. Civil War from the abolitionist movement through all the major battles to the death of President Lincoln and the beginnings of Reconstruction. 

14 hours ago, giddyup said:

Sometimes we all want to watch a decent documentary. I've seen hundreds, but what is your favourite one?

For me, Grizzly Man was the best documentary. About Timothy Treadwell a conservationist who puts his life at risk saving grizzly bears from hunters.

 

He didn't just put his own life at risk, but his girlfriends as well. They were both killed and eaten by grizzlies on October 2003. The guy pushed his luck a little too far.

 

I lived in Alaska for 40 years. Most Alaskans knew it was just a matter of time before Mr. Treadwell was killed by bears. I have no doubt Mr. Treadwell believed what he was doing was a good thing but in reality he habituated bears to humans which ends badly for people & bears. He stated he was there to protect the bears from poachers not hunters, he did harass hunters. I do know the area and have never known of any bears being poached there. In my opinion Mr. Treadwell had little common sense with the end result of getting his girlfriend Amie and himself killed along with two bears that were killed while retrieving the bodies. There was a horrific audio recording made during the bear attack, a transcript can be found online. In the audio you can hear why pitching a tent next to a bear trail and trying to pet them like a house pet is not a wise idea. Wild Alaskan brown's can top out at 1500 pounds and may kill you for no reason while they're having a good day let alone when protecting cubs, they have a tooth ache, or waking up with a hard to get rid of plug in the ass after hibernating all winter. I have had numerous run in with bears in the wilds of Alaska with a goal of doing the right thing and not feeding the bears. Again, in my opinion Mr. Treadwell had little common sense, not someone to be looked up to as wise a conservationist, he was warned many times yet he convinced his girlfriend it was safe place to be and led her to a horrific death along with himself and two bears.

May Mr. Treadwell and Ms. Huguenard rest in peace.

15 hours ago, champers said:

This is Spinal Tap, though of course it was really a rockumentary.

I've just got one question champers mate. Have you ever been to Stonehenge?

7 hours ago, mca said:

I've just got one question champers mate. Have you ever been to Stonehenge?

Yes I have; awesome, man. On a scale of 1 to 10 it was 11. Now I'm in Pattaya I have a cucumber sewn into me keks to impress the ladies.

 

OMG, there are so many!

 

For example:

 

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/grey-gardens-1976

On 11/26/2016 at 0:15 AM, chickenslegs said:

Not sure if it qualifies as a documentary - but Alex Haley's "Roots" was unforgettable.

 

 

It was fiction, he could never trace his family back to Africa, people fell for it though.

Not a movie but a TV series - "All Our Yesterdays". Still remember one scene in particular, where some trapped guys come out of a building, one at a time, spinning around and firing sub-machine guns till they're cut down. After that I'd put the Belgian mockumentary "Man Bites Dog" .

As someone already mentioned, anything by Louie Theroux.

The best fake documentary is the Trailer Park Boys - no socially redeeming value, but FUNNY.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

 

In 2001, 28-year-old Dr. Andrew Bagby is found dead in a park in Pennsylvania. He had been shot by his ex-girlfriend, who then fled to Canada, where she was able to walk free on bail, pregnant with Andrew's child. Andrew's enraged parents campaign to gain custody of the child and convict their son's killer. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne pairs this story with home movies and interviews with those who knew Andrew, hoping to give his best friend's son an opportunity to discover who his dad was.

Sienna directed by Asif Kapadia, and Cobain: Montage Of Heck directed by Brett Morgen.

Many good docs aren't released as feature films you can view in the cinema.

 

Two more:

 

Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life & Times of Tim Hetherington, and

Jim: The James Foley Story.

 

 

 

Favorite mockumentary  = " What We Do in the Shadows".

 
I lived in Alaska for 40 years. Most Alaskans knew it was just a matter of time before Mr. Treadwell was killed by bears. I have no doubt Mr. Treadwell believed what he was doing was a good thing but in reality he habituated bears to humans which ends badly for people & bears. He stated he was there to protect the bears from poachers not hunters, he did harass hunters. I do know the area and have never known of any bears being poached there. In my opinion Mr. Treadwell had little common sense with the end result of getting his girlfriend Amie and himself killed along with two bears that were killed while retrieving the bodies. There was a horrific audio recording made during the bear attack, a transcript can be found online. In the audio you can hear why pitching a tent next to a bear trail and trying to pet them like a house pet is not a wise idea. Wild Alaskan brown's can top out at 1500 pounds and may kill you for no reason while they're having a good day let alone when protecting cubs, they have a tooth ache, or waking up with a hard to get rid of plug in the ass after hibernating all winter. I have had numerous run in with bears in the wilds of Alaska with a goal of doing the right thing and not feeding the bears. Again, in my opinion Mr. Treadwell had little common sense, not someone to be looked up to as wise a conservationist, he was warned many times yet he convinced his girlfriend it was safe place to be and led her to a horrific death along with himself and two bears.
May Mr. Treadwell and Ms. Huguenard rest in peace.

His girl showed incredible courage when he begged her to hit the bear with something and she did! I doubt I could have done that

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One i am producing,starring me,"a singular man", it has varied scenes such as me herding sheep in Australia,and crucially my breakthrough,when i realised that i had a lot in common with ,the humble mushroom,or indeed flower,that i was a part of this world ,not it's master,the sheep scene's have now been cut,i was only rounding them up,but there were lewd comments,it's a voyage of self discovery,if nothing else,and actually it is nothing else,out this year,i think if i can pay my parking fines off.

His girl showed incredible courage when he begged her to hit the bear with something and she did! I doubt I could have done that

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She didn't hit the bear with anything.
http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/Tim_Treadwell.html

Another film I viewed recently.  WEINER.  This is about Anthony Weiner and his campaign after he was dismissed/resigned from the US House of Representatives. If you don't know who he is do a google and read about him. That will make the film much more impactful and fascinating.

On 12/19/2016 at 6:53 PM, marko kok prong said:

One i am producing,starring me,"a singular man", it has varied scenes such as me herding sheep in Australia,and crucially my breakthrough,when i realised that i had a lot in common with ,the humble mushroom,or indeed flower,that i was a part of this world ,not it's master,the sheep scene's have now been cut,i was only rounding them up,but there were lewd comments,it's a voyage of self discovery,if nothing else,and actually it is nothing else,out this year,i think if i can pay my parking fines off.

You pay fines for parking your sheep?

Jaco


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Won't you be my neighbor? A Fred Rogers Documentary

 

On 12/19/2016 at 8:16 PM, Wilsonandson said:

She didn't hit the bear with anything.
http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/Tim_Treadwell.html

The guy was an idiot who was totally responsible for both their deaths. Didn't treat a wild animal with the respect it deserved.

The Vietnam War (2017)...one of the best ever...