Heavily Agree…Crumb is one of those rare opportunities to see a rather secretive talent laid bare for the world. Robert is both telling and hilarious as a guy who can’t really explain why people like him but nontheless seems ok/frightened/angered with it at the same time.
The scenes of Robert riding the women and enjoying it is a gut buster. Like it or not, his humor lies in his own morals or lack there of
But there is also tender parts. His sad older brother, a wellspring of talent himself who lost it to mental illness.
Recommended even for those that dont like comic books
The Filth and the Fury- A interesting look into the dead horse we call the Sex Pistols. I was quite moved by the sniveling little shit John Lydon’s emotional interview. Alot better than having to sit through Sid and Nancy.
You gotta check out Marjoe. Before Marjoe Gortner became a B movie actor, he was a child evangelical Pentacostal preacher.
Actually, he was a con-man. He had a film crew follow him around as he worked his magic, and when out of view of his audience, he told the real tricks of the evangelist trade.
I agree with RealityChuck about “Marlene.” Great film! Also everyone who mentioned “Atomic Cafe.”
Also: “Hollywood” (1979), Kevin Brownlow and David Gill’s 12-part documentary on the history of American silent films. It was shot in the mid- to late-1970s, when at least a few of the protagonists were still alive to be interviewed. Riveting!
One Day in September is a great docu. sorry I missed the thread. What a fuck up the Germans made. The final montage with Deep Purlpe in the backround is one of the most moving celuloid moments I’ve even seen.
Crumb is also really good. What honesty.
My favourite is Civil War by Burns. It just brought it to life for me. It may be a victim of it’s own success however as the style has been copied a lot.
Can’t forget “Harvest of Shame.” It did what a good social documentary should: called attention to a problem while being riveting and simple enough that this little kid could follow it without being simplistic.
**3. Crumb. Fascinating beyond words. **
I’ll agree with this too. The scary thing is that Robert Crumb is actually the most normal person in his family.
I’ll also add seconds for microcosmos , American Movie, and hoop dreams.
I’m still looking forward to seeing Genghis Blues (I love the soundtrack) and Startup.com.
I’ll second the nomination of Gates of Heaven by Errol Morris. Quite possibly the best documentary ever made.
I’m also pleased I’m the first to mention Hands on a Hardbody. It’s about a contest in Texas where people stand around a truck; the last person to remove his or her hand from the vehicle wins it. A remarkable, thought-provoking, and very funny film.
And Southern Comfort, about a “family” of transsexuals in the American South, was easily the best documentary I saw in 2001. Naturally, the Academy somehow neglected to nominate it for an Oscar.
Gates of Heaven is probably his best work, but I also have a real soft spot for Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control.
Nearly everything else mentioned in this thread is a fine film (haven’t seen Ghengis Blues), but Morris is the master of the modern documentary. None better and none with a more original vision.
I wanna see Ghengis Blues in the worst way. Been to Tibet many times and that throat chording stuff is mesmerizing.
Isaac Stern’s From Mao to Mozart is a really interesting and positive movie. Shows Isaac Stern in China and giving performances in China, filmed around 1979. This was when China first started opening up to the West and is quite an uplifting film.
Hinton’s Gate of Heavenly Peace is a must see for anyone that wants to learn more than what CNN provided on Tiananmen.
Berkeley in the Sixties was real cool too.
Imax’s Everest and another Nepal/Everest documentary made in the early 1990’s that featured Tenzin Norgay and Edmund Hillary (can’t remember the name)