Educational DVDs

Cafe Society
1

I’ve recently joined the Netflix community, and find myself faced with the possibility of watching endless DVDs I’d never have found at the local library or video store. One of the first things on my list was the (so far) excellent Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy. This has helped me realize that Netflix won’t just be good for my budget, but could be good for my education as well.

So I ask you: what are the most educational DVDs out there? I imagine most educational DVDs would be documentaries, but it’s conceivable that there are “educational” feature films out there as well. I’m familiar with many of the big names in the Genre: “Cosmos,” most of Ken Burns’ stuff, “The World at War,” “Eyes on the Prize,” etc. How about some others? I’m particularly interested in DVDs that discuss subjects other than history, since historical documentaries are pretty easy to find – though if you have any ones I shouldn’t miss, feel free to name them.

2

Though not as good (and “pure”) as the original, Connections 2 and Connections 3 are available.

3

[minor hijack]

You can actually view the entire “Commanding Heights” show on the PBS website for free: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/hi/story/index.html

You have to watch it in a little window that pops up, and it’s broken up into chapters. But it’s free! (It’s also a terrific show. PBS somehow, magically, made economics entertaining.)