What`s the best documentary you`ve ever seen?

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Ian Haugland

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Personally I think it must be Michael Moore`s "Bowling for Columbine"

It can be both exciting and funny and it`s great entertainment.
This is a film that leaves you with the feeling of have seeing something important

And great clipping to
 
1. Capturing the Friedmans
2. Paradise Lost
3. Harlan County USA
4. Murderball
5. Grey Gardens
 
I don't know if you've seen it in US but I've seen this great documentary called ''Baraka''. It talks about the world from its creation showing the parts of the world that are untouched by humans and they are representing ancient times, all the way to our modern age, showing crowded traffic and advanced technology. The film doesn't have any narration to it, it is up to you to understand it. It shows point of view from many civilizations, comparing the African tribes way of life to ie. modern American. It has much time lapse work, with moving camera. When I saw it I wished I had some better camera to go and shoot something like that. I strongly recommend it.
 
Sorry I know you wanted best but I find it hard to choose between these
1 Hearts of darkness
2 Touching the void
3 Grizzly man
4 Glastonbury
5 Woodstock
5 One Day In September
6 Buena Vista Social Club
7 Lost In La Mancha
8 When We Were Kings
9 Etre et Avoir
10 Czech Dream
11 Baraka
 
Not exactly one nor necesarily the best, but some are interesting, some are informative, and some are entertaining.

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Riding Giants
Super Size Me
Grizzly Man
Unprecedented
Sherman's March
The Corporation
Devil's Playground
 
The 3 best that have not been mentioned: (For those who are political junkies or not.)

A Perfect Candidate -Oliver North and Chuck Robb go bare knuckle and ultimatley show they both have feet of clay

The War Room - Clinton v. Bush in 92, campaigns were never run the same after this for better or worse, Carville gives a speech to his minions at the end that will give even the most die hard conservative chills.

Street Fight - The battle for Newark, New Jersey. I was moved to donate money to Corey Booker until I realized Sharpe James would not run again. Hard not to be cynical after watching this one.
 
I just rewatched "My Best Friend," Werner Herzog's tribute to Klaus Kinski's after Kinski's death. Great. I also rewatched Les Blank's "Burden of Dreams," on the making of Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo." These are among the best I've seen. They get better with each viewing.
 
Seven Up series, hands down.

If you like Baraka then you have to check out the Koyaanisqatsi trilogy. As much as I dislike Phillip Glass, these movies are beyond perfect.

Cheers
 

The Kid Stays In the Picture

Just a great looking film. Lots of Motion Graphics. Visually one of the best documentary films I have ever seen.


Riding Giants

This film not only showed the waves it made you feel like you were on them.
I loved Dogtown which I saw first but after seeing this film, Riding Giants became my favorite for a long time.


Dogtown Z-boys

Another great Stacey Peralta documentary that really sets itself apart from traditional documentary storytelling, like those that can be seen on the History channel and PBS. This documentary is exciting and fun to watch. With fast paced editing and great storytelling this film is one of the best documentaries out there.


Rize

Interesting is not a good enough word to describe it. A very entertaining look into a world that many didn't even know existed. A world of Clowns and Krumping. You don't have to understand the dances they do or even like the way it looks. This film is still compelling and after you get over the initial shock that it is a real documentary you can enjoy the story that is being told.


Tupac Ressurection

Awesome editing. Narrated by a deceased man this film really stood out as a great documentary, and was even Oscar Nominated. Tupac Ressurection was a truly capatavating and compelling film.



Bowling for Columbine

Great story. I would never have seen any of the other documentary films mentioned above if it wasn't for this one. It was the first documentary I ever saw that wasn't created for Senior Citizens like the documentaries on PBS and the History Channel. This film alone redefined how I saw documentary films.
 
Docs I love not yet mentioned:

Why We Fight (should be out on DVD soon if not now)
Murder on a Sunday Morning
Scared Straight! (looks like an after-school special if you see the dvd cover, but it's great)
Ring of Fire: the Emile Griffith Story
Don't Look Back (agreed on Pennebaker, he and Hedgus set the standard)
Spellbound
Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room
 
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There is no way I could choose a "best," as there are so many. Maybe I could make a list of "100 best" but short of that, here’s the list of 10 contenders in chronological order:

* The Man with the Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929)
* Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, 1967)
* Titicut Follies (Frederick Wiseman, 1967)
* Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Les Blank, 1979)
* Notebook on Cities and Clothes (Wim Wenders, 1989)
* Dialogues with Madwomen (Allie Light and Irving Saraf, 1993)
* When We Were Kings (Leon Gast, 1996)
* Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders, 1999)
* A Kalahari Family (John Marshall, 2002)
* Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002)

I've written some program notes on each of the films in my blog in the post titled, "Ten Documentary Films," if you're curious about any of them.
 
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