No.332
ITT: GOAT Documentaries
No.354
I have to admit I am a huge herzog fanboy though so I am biased.
No.356
>>354Herzog's the fucking best, got the BFI boxset recently, got some lovely hidden gems. Seen The Great Ecstasy of the Wood Carver Steiner?
No.358
>>354I'm a fan of his movies —the last one I watched was Where the Green Ants Dream: incredibly dope and heartwarming flick—, even though I have yet to watch his documentaries. I am usually a sucker for documentaries. What could be a nice one for starters?
No.360
>>358if you're into the rest of his films and can enjoy them then any of his documentaries would be fine I think.
I've only personally seen his old documentaries from the 70s, but they're all fairly short so might be a good place to start.
No.365
>>356You have no idea how much I envy you. I haven't seen those yet, sadly. I will now though. Once i have enough money again to buy them. Fuck.
>>358Maybe Encounters at the End of the World. Another favorite of mine. It's a little more digestible that some of the "heavier" documentaries he's done.
A secret tip would be Cave of Forgotten Dreams although it's "unfinished". I'm not gonna get into the details of why because that's a long fucking story but you can read up on it.
No.367
>>365it's a damn good box set, mostly his older stuff which I absolutely love.
they're probably floating about online somewhere, it's been out for a month or so.
Not really seen any of his more recent things, which ones would you say are best?
No.370
>>367Pretty much the ones I've listed.
Into the Abyss is also fantastic and The Act of Killing although he was only a producer for it. The later one is one of those movies you -have- to see. It's absolutely, for a lack of a better term, magnificent.
No.373
>>370Fair enough, already seen The Act of Killing, that's a really really great documentary, the parallels between the visit to the murder site at the beginning of the film and at the end are incredible.
No.375
>>373If you enjoyed it I would also recommend Africa Addio if you can ignore the hardcore racism. If someone were to edit and remove the narration it could be an interesting, although narrow perspective, portrait of Africa in the 60s. Would require some research though since some of it might have been staged. Fascinating story if you read up on it.
No.377
>>375I'll try and check it out at some point, it does look pretty full on racist but kind of interesting too.
No.378
>>377It's one of those things only movie buffs watch out of curiosity but I think it's worth it. Even if only to learn how to not make a racist documentary, lel.
No.379
>>378lol, sounds interesting, although probably won't get round to watching it for a while.
No.386
>>332Interesting perspective on France during WWII
No.399
Fire in the night is the goddamn best
No.404
fucking love this one, so all encompassing.
No.442
No.444
>>442this sounded interesting, is it actually that good?
No.452
>>444It's pretty good not holy shit you are the treating thing ever but it's good if you go in not expecting much 2 it
No.453
>>452I seriously felt the documentary was entertaining enough to see
No.459
La Soufrière is an intense 30 minute documentary by Werner Herzog in which he travels around an island evacuated because of a possible volcanic blast and interviews a few people who stayed behind to die.
No.527
>>442Didn't enjoy it that much to be honest. It's interesting but I felt the subject didn't need a full length documentary. The whole movie can be summed up very easily and to me it dragged on forever.
No.530
>>404Is this really a documentary? Don't get me wrong it's ace. This and Koyaanisqatsi are the two Ron Fricke films I've seen. What are the others like, I only know of Baraka.
No.534
Jazz by Ken Burns
No.625
>>459Is that one of his early things? Not seen that specific one but seen some of his similar documentary shorts and they've all been really damn interesting.
No.627
>>530I think they're generally referred to as non-verbal documentaries, opnly seen it and Baraka, which I thought was far inferior. The Qatsi films form a trilogy too and Ron Fricke and some other guys have made a few more. Some guy called Carlos Casas has uploaded a few similar things which he's made to Vimeo as well, shorter things but sill worth a watch.
No.984
>>365you should really see The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner. it's maybe Herzog's greatest.
No.1031
Kevin Brownlow's Hollywood series is a little under the radar, but worth checking out. It's all about the development of the American silent film industry in Los Angeles, with plenty of interviews with (now deceased) actors and directors of the time. The episodes include many notable scenes so you can choose interesting titles to watch later.
Brownlow also did a series on Euro silents, but I haven't seen any of that yet.
No.1039
No.1047
No.1091
>>354Have you seen Herzog's 3 part documentary on the death penalty in the US?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Death_Row No.1100
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>>1031This right here is one of the best documentaries if you like old movies during the golden age of cinema the companion series about europe is also great to watch
No.1104
>>1100Story of film is also good if you want a overview of every single decade of cinema as well
the accent may take a bit to get used 2 but it's worth watching
No.1105
>>1100Wish i had the original file so i could add a few other interesting documentaries
No.1106
a more recent doc but fucking brilliant
No.1108
I endorse this list
No.1109
>>1106I heard about this film on /tv/ how good is it and what is it about again?
seems interesting from the cover
No.1110
>>1108That feel when you get reminded of the time when /tv/ was capable of coming up with lists this good.
No.1111
>>1110people can still do so if they want just gotta put some effort into it I made at least 2 list the film history documentary one and the one about Cinéma du look one
No.1113
>>1111>>1110posting titles along with 3x3s would be a start, but infographs are a lot of effort, I bet we could make some really good ones collectively
No.1115
>>1109about the death of over 500 thousand people in 1960s indonesia
interviews with the executioners who reflect back on it and even recreate their executions on film, very powerful stuff.
No.1116
>>1113Sounds like a plan.
No.1119
>>1116>get better tasteI've had this watchlisted for a while. I should get down to it
No.1121
>>1116it would be handy if some photoshop-savvy anon could make a template and put it on mega so we could edit it and reuse it for any list
No.1123
>>1115ah sounds interesting enough I'll take a look at it once I get the hard drive space for it
No.1283
Karamay, it's on youtube.
No.1473
a masterclass in the art of storytelling
No.1690
>>375>>378It's bad to depict the decolonisation as it actually happened (das rayciss).
Germany, are you this brainshwashed ?
No.1691
>>1690It's difficult to be certain about the accuracy of the film (look into it). If you believe it to be true prove it. Otherwise I will continue seeing it as a curiosity and anyone seeing it should take it with a bucket of salt.
No.2139
Some essential Wim Wenders.
Disclaimer, Pina is a highly visual film which I saw when it was playing in cinemas. Not sure if it will do anything for you, watching it on a TV.
No.2141
>>1100>>1108Good damn I'm going to have start up a /film/ folder. Really glad this board is taking off
https://thepiratebay.se/torrent/3391643/Hearts.and.Minds.%281974%29.Won.Oscar.for.Best.DocumentaryAnd this documentary really shows both sides of the Vietnam war, worth a watch if only for the musical number at the beginning. I'm probably going to redownload it soon to cut out that part as a Wemb that can be posted here and on /pol/
No.2143
The cinematographer for
Hearts and Minds, Richard Pearce, was also involved in a great documentary short called
Interviews with Mai Lai Veterans.
The short was directed by Joseph Strick and filmed by both Pearce and Haskell Wexler. It won the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject in 1971.
It's an extra on the DVD for Strick's 1960 pseudo-doc
The Savage Eye, but someone posted it to youtube in parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klx4TB33BRUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDAd8i7dAWshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joxHIT0rsr0 No.2451
No.2469
Perhaps an obvious choice but I love this doc.
No.2509
This one.
No.2682
this is excellent along with the sequel covering hair metal.
i never saw part iii.
in a similar vein the gg allin doc "hated" is something you probably have to watch at some point. how do penises get that small.
No.2688
>>1123Not that anon, but if you have Netflix it should be up there as well, both the theatrical version and the director's cut. I only saw the theatrical version but would definitely recommend checking it out.
No.2780
surprised to only see this mentioned once. one of the absolute most beautiful films ever made
No.2995
>>332Just made a pizza, start eating. OOoo! An episode of The World at War is coming up in 1 minute on tv.
>it's the holocaust episode>mfw No.2998
I just watched Warrendale from 1967. I enjoy documentaries from this period, as the genre was really hitting it's stride.
Director Allan King is a Canadian version of Frederick Wiseman in many ways, presenting an observational documentary for public television with "neutral" POV. Wiseman is probably more detached and less interested in constructing a single narrative than King.
Warrendale reminded me of Wiseman's Primate and Titicut Follies though. Institutions in these docs have evolved to a point where uniformed observers (like me) would be prone to confusion upon witnessing the strange culture and rituals at hand. Yet everyone onscreen has bought in completely. So you're left wondering if these strange rituals do indeed have some merit.
No.3089
I watched this not too long ago and I quite liked it. I haven't seen many of Herzog's movies but I'd like to see more. His documentaries and original films are pretty great from what I've heard.
No.3090
>We Live in Public
>TV Junkie
>Crumb
>Land of Silence and Darkness
No.3094
YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
>>3089Herzog is definitely a unique and fascinating personality.
> Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe is a short documentary film directed by Les Blank in 1980 which depicts director Werner Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever completed the film Gates of Heaven. No.3194
YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
this is not one of his best docs, but i'll always remember this clip
herzog seems to enjoy this type of stuff in a way, the morbidity of nature
No.3335
>>1100This one is only mentioned in the fine print but it deserves more attention. It's been hard to find for years due to all the clips included without permission. Surprisingly it now has a proper retail release.
No.3340
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Harlan County USA. Great look at a ruthless labor dispute in the mid 1970's.
The coal miner truly had a miserable life. Enduring a lifetime of thankless bodybreaking work, and coming home to the rural Kentucky wimminfolk who were all either fat, ugly or both.
HCUSA would make a nice double bill with John Ford's How Green Was My Valley
No.3572
finally an upgrade to the VHS version of this (posted at karagarga)
i don't know why the director has been dragging his feet on releasing this in any decent format. by now he's 3-4 media obsolescences behind.
No.3573
No.3627
>>3572> 3-4 media obsolescences behind.…kind of like vinyl itself
(although it's a medium I enjoy regardless)
No.3631
>>1473>>2509Great choices.
No.3746
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No.3751
>>3746The only documentarian more overrated than the Maysles hacks is Errol Morris.
May they roll in hell.
No.3783
>>3751easy there son, the corpse is still warm
what are your recommendations instead of those two?
No.3823
Cool documentary on the Apollo missions
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097372/ No.3844
No love for Adam Curtis?
No.3859
>>3844Been meaning to watch Bitter Lake, haven't got around to it
No.4050
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Everyone should see Overnight, the story of the bartender who directed Boondock Saints and then let the fame go straight to his head.
A nice look inside the mid-90s independent scene too.
No.4351
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Since the presidential campaigns are starting up I thought about this documentary on Hilldawg's hubby. Found the whole thing on youtube.
No.4378
>>4351I just watched this. It's a good time capsule of the first (and hopefully last) Bush vs. Clinton contest. But the fact that Carville and George S. are still on TV all the time makes them less interesting characters here.
No.4382
No.4565
Doc Alliance has an interesting batch of documentaries streaming until May 10:
http://dafilms.com/event/207-fragments_usa/
> Fragments of the USA
> Three unique letters that are stirring the global stream of political, economic and cultural events; three letters that have defined the western hemisphere and become the symbol of power and physical strength. However, what are the symbols of contemporary America oscillating between a temple of consumerism, a self-appointed watchdog of democracy and a utopian paradise of dreams come true?
> The selection of six documentary, slightly experimental films explores the stories of diversity found in contemporary American society. American countryside, censorship holes in the inviolable freedom of speech as well as the history of common multicultural coexistence represent mere film fragments of the constantly changing tangle of North American relations.
You can also download them and watch later. I'm going to check out the ones about Youtube censorship and the Mormons.
No.4710
post some of these on >>>/doc/
I'm trying to revive it
No.4714
>>4710
Why do we need a board just for documentaries /film/ and /tv/ can serve the genre fine.
No.4810
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Here an Einstein-obsessed Japanese professor travels across America in search of the man's brain
A real gem
No.4868
No.4870
>>3844
>>4869
lol should i read there thread first. top kek.
at the other posters. try 'all watched over by machines of loving grace'. it's quite the head trip.
No.5101
YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
A Texas radio station contest that awards a Nissan truck to whomever keeps their hands on it the longest…
These contests used to be more popular, but eventually they stopped because of psychological concerns.
No.5123
Instantly became one of my favorite films once I watched it.
I don't even know how to describe it. Bill Greaves just died last year and. What a shame. This is seriously one of the funniest, weirdest experimental documentaries I've seen.
No.5199
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I finally watched this after seeing it mentioned regularly on /tv/ a few years ago.
I liked the political angle. But I wonder why the socialist gov't of Chile is reluctant to expose certain deeds of Pinochet? To me it indicates how left vs. right is just a façade after a certain point…
No.5200
>>5199
because pinochet is worshiped by a lot of people, its like margaret thatcher for example
No.5201
>>5200
That's a little surprising to me. But so far I've only heard the anti-Pinochet side of things. Is there anything I can watch to learn more about this?
I figured it was like Obama covering up for Bush (for torture and other shady shit). Leaders supposedly serve the public but their primary allegiance is to the government.
No.5203
>>5201
and who does the government serve?
lol
No.5204
>>5203
Itself mostly. There's not a single govt agency looking to reduce its influence, budget or scope. If you think that's out of altruism rather than self-interest, we'll agree to disagree.
I might feel differently if I saw accountability for wrongdoing. Instead we are told to Look Forward Not Backward™. The only person prosecuted and jailed for CIA torture was a whistleblower.
Chile has its own set of problems but there are certain parallels about the way governments behave.
No.5207
>>5204
i was trying to make a joke that the government serves the leaders (the apparent ones or less visible). the recursive-ness is the source of my lol, but I can easily see how that would be misinterpreted
No.5343
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I was just thinking of this cool cult documentary and I don't think it's been mentioned. Short and sweet.
No.5399
>>5343
This was fucking hilarious, thanks breh
No.5406
>>5343
Prolly one of the greatest mini-docs I've ever seen. Thanks for the post!
No.5514
What's this, no mention of Ulrich Seidl: Monocle Wearer? Have you guys seen his stuff?
Instead of pretending that the camera is an invisible observer (an impossible goal), Seidl intentionally positions his subjects into appealing compositions. Somehow the oddballs he films still reveal intimate elements of their lives.
It's a different style of "documentary" for sure.
No.5726
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The music videos for /mu/ remind me of this novel exploration of the creative process. Lars von Trier has a friendly competition with Jørgen Leth to remake one of Leth's early experimental shorts. Each round consists of one director placing five creative "obstructions" upon the work of the other. It's very interesting to witness how artistic limitations can be used to stimulate creativity.
No.5966
>>3844
Gah I thought I was watching this but it was The Society of the Spectacle instead. Anyone know that one? It's not the best adaptation of a book.
It's someone reading straight from this book ... of social philosophy ... in French ... which you in turn read as subtitles ... in chunks of about 8 words at a time. It's dense and easy to get lost.
No.6138
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what are some documentaries that exaggerate the cultural significance of a fringe group or person? there was a trend of these for a while (maybe it's ongoing)
i'm thinking of
Dogtown and Z Boys
Scott Walker 30 Century Man
Devil and Daniel Johnston
You're Gonna Miss Me
Searching for Sugar Man
i haven;t seen the last two but they probably fit the same formula
No.6532
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)
People recommended this on charts here and I liked it a lot. It's focused on eccentric WWII veteran Kenzo Okuzaki who has a serious grudge against Imperial Japan, the military and Hirohito. The horrors of the war put Okuzaki on a mission for justice at all costs.
I haven't seen other documentaries from Japan (any more recs?) so it was enjoyable to observe how real Japanese interact. The adherence to formality and politeness is not shaken by awkward, antagonizing situations or even direct personal violence.
Okuzaki had vehicles covered in text presumably to spread his message. Can anyone read what it says here?
No.6545
Alone in the Wilderness comes to mind.
No.6548
Making a Murderer is a big deal right now so I'll recommend Soupçons AKA The Staircase
It's a gripping true crime miniseries about a husband accused of murdering his wife, found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Crime or accident?
Start here: https://vimeo.com/122319173
>>6545
That looks great.
Added to my watchlist, thank you
No.6551
>>6138
>Searching for Sugar Man
I liked that, i don't know how much they exaggerated his story in South Africa, what i know is that he was also somewhat popular in Australia and that the guy had toured there, but that wasn't mentioned in the doc, i'd still recommend it though.
No.6574
have any of you seen shoah?
are the 9 hours worth it?