# Suggested Documentaries **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349 "2009-01-15T00:17:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/1 "2009-01-15T00:17:14Z")
After watching [**Man On Wire**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/) A wonderful inspirational film full of crime, art, drama, physical feats and french accents. [**Dancing Outlaw**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101655/) Jesco White…??? And [**Capturing the Friedmans**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342172/) What an interesting time to break out the camera for home movies. I found a whole new wonderful world of documentaries. A bit if searching turned these gems up. [**Crumb**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109508/) I think I just turned into a comic book fan. I must read all of Charles and R.Crumbs Comics and need to know more about this interesting family and the Crumb family art work. What secrets were those sisters hiding? Without to much of a diversion can someone suggest some crumb reading for further family insight. and [**American Movie**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181288/) Maybe the most one liners for any Documentary I have ever seen. I think I was inspired in a strange way. I was defiantly entrained. I am now on a documentary kick. Those were some great movies that have really stuck with me. Got any more suggestions for my most recent obsession? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/2 "2009-01-15T01:29:50Z")
Murderball? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/3 "2009-01-15T01:52:56Z")
Hoop Dreams The Thin Blue Line (and everything else Errol Morris has done) Harlan County USA King of Kong When We Were Kings Buena Vista Social Club Cane Toads Winged Migration ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/4 "2009-01-15T03:22:44Z")
Brother’s Keeper Sick: The Life and Death of \, Supermasochist Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control Okie Noodling ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/5 "2009-01-15T03:50:26Z")
Murderball Common Threads: Stories from the AIDS Memorial Quilt Dialogues with Madwomen New Year Baby Vietnam: A Television History Planet Earth Grizzly Man ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/6 "2009-01-15T04:02:13Z")
My favorite documentaries this year: \*Billy the Kid Bra Boys Cats of Mirikitani Darkon Deep Water \* My alltime favorites, roughly in order by preference: [ol][li]_The Celluloid Closet[/li][li]The Gleaners and I[/li][li]Sans Soleil[/li][li]Murderball[/li][li]American Movie[/li][li]Nanook of the North[/li][li]Titicut Follies[/li][li]Harlan County USA[/li][li]Antonio Gaudi[/li][li]Muhammad Ali: The Greatest[/li][li]Paradise Lost[/li][li]Sherman’s March[/li][li]The Sorrow and the Pity[/li][li]Shoah_[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![jessesheeran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jessesheeran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessesheeran)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/7 "2009-01-15T07:26:50Z")
dont miss **scratch** [Scratch (2001 film) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(2001_film)) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/8 "2009-01-15T13:15:15Z")
The Nomi Song Frazetta: Painting with Fire The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood Jr. Flying Saucers Over Hollywood Farewell, Good Brothers ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/9 "2009-01-15T13:32:14Z")
[somewhere between slight hijack and egregious hijack] > [@lissener](#): > > My favorite documentaries this year:_Bra Boys_ Because I think your taste (with one notable exception) is pretty damn fine, and I don’t know any non-Aussies that saw this, I have to ask; what did you make of it? How do you think the Bra Boys came across? Which reality did you end up accepting - poor benighted surfers picked on by authorities or lunatic fuckhead thugs? I only ask out of genuine interest because I know people who surf Maroubra and most people in Sydney have definite fixed opinions about the Bra Boys - mostly diametrically opposed. And the murdered guy deserved to be dead. But, nonetheless what did the movie makers make you believe? [/somewhere between slight hijack and egregious hijack] ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/10 "2009-01-15T13:40:38Z")
The Times of Harvey Milk My Kid Could Paint That This Film Is Not Yet Rated Grey Gardens I also second the recommendations of anything by Errol Morris ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/11 "2009-01-15T13:43:57Z")
Another vote for _Grizzly Man_ _Gimme Shelter_ ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/12 "2009-01-15T13:46:47Z")
King Gimp- won an Oscar for best short subject documentary in 2000. The Smartest Guys in the Room Winged Migration ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/13 "2009-01-15T16:47:13Z")
•[The American Experience: The Lobotomist](http://www.netflix.com/Movie/American_Experience_The_Lobotomist/70091249?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=1272073170_0_0) The story of Dr. Walter Freeman, lobotomy pioneer. Fascinating, and deeply chilling. A good companion piece to the book _The Great and Desperate Cures_, and at the risk of spoilers, a cautionary note about what can happen with honestly good intentions, but a lack of real personal or scientific insight. :eek: •[Trinity and Beyond](http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Trinity_and_Beyond_Atomic_Bomb/20767131?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=1285311644_0_0) A grand old favorite of mine. Beautiful, amazing imagery, and a classic soundtrack. I’ve got an old VHS copy that still helps lull me to sleep, from time to time. •Grizzly Man 'nother vote for this one. What can I say? (_Woo-yip-ooo, yip-wooo…_) •[For all Mankind](http://www.netflix.com/Movie/For_All_Mankind/27645080?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=574890564_0_0) A great collection of rarely seen footage from the lunar missions, with narration taken from interviews with the astronauts and mission control. (One of the most memorable parts, to me personally, was one of the astronauts recounting a dream he had while sleeping in the LM, on the lunar surface. Wow.) •[Triumph of the Will](http://www.netflix.com/Search?lnkce=iwsceOf&v1=triumph+of+the+will&search_submit.x=0&search_submit.y=0&lnkce=acsNoEnhRt) Okay, bear with me…it’s a valuable historical record of a point in history, and frankly a classic example of the development of filmmaking (much like _Birth of a Nation_—a jaw-droppingly horrifying message, but with an undeniably impressive execution). Plus, you can see how it basically set up all the supervillain imagery Hollywood’s used in the last 50+ years, as well as most of the stock footage on the History Channel. 😉 •[Mr. Death](http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Mr._Death_The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Fred_A._Leuchter_Jr./60000457?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=572138010_0_0) About the guy [mentioned here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1209/who-makes-electric-chairs-and-other-equipment-for-executions)—the execution technician/equipment supplier who was hired to disprove the Holocaust at a revisionist’s trial. Needless to say, there were more than a few flaws in his analytical approach. Scary, but more than a little sad. ---
**Author:** ![Buford\_was\_no\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Buford\_was\_no\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buford_was_no_angel)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/14 "2009-01-15T17:15:14Z")
_Gates of Heaven_ ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/15 "2009-01-15T17:48:41Z")
Grey Gardens Hands on a Hard Body Louisiana Story Man of Aran Paradise Lost 1 & 2 Just a few of my favorites–I have an extensive library of docs, (which are still in boxes post move). There’s one I can’t quite recall the title, but it’s about William Eggleston the photographer. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/16 "2009-01-15T19:16:05Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > [**Crumb**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109508/) > I think I just turned into a comic book fan. I must read all of Charles and R.Crumbs Comics and need to know more about this interesting family and the Crumb family art work. What secrets were those sisters hiding? Without to much of a diversion can someone suggest some crumb reading for further family insight. There is a collection called [“Crumb Family Comics”](http://www.lastgasp.com/d/7953/) that features work by all the Crumbs featured in the film - Robert and his wife Aline, brothers Charles and Max, and kids Jesse and Sophie. The two Crumb sisters have wanted nothing to do with the media. Robert had never, to my knowledge, drawn the older sister, Carol, until his most recent New Yorker piece about a Crumb family reunion in Wisconson. She’s wanted to avoid any publicity and live a quiet life. Robert had a very stormy relationship with his younger sister Sandra. She married his best friend Marty Pahls, divorcing his a short while later and eventually becoming a separatist lesbian and attempted to sue Robert for “reparations” for his “crimes against women”. > [@](#): > > **American Movie** > Maybe the most one liners for any Documentary I have ever seen. > I think I was inspired in a strange way. I was defiantly entrained. I was so lucky to see this film in the way I did. It played the Chicago International Film Festival and Mark and Mike were there. But while we were watching, we had no idea if it was a real documentary about a real person, or a brilliant, _Spinal Tap_ style spoof of a documentary. And, until we went to the lobby and met Mark and bought a copy of Coven we couldn’t be absolutely sure. By the way, thanks to you and Ranchoth. There is no point in posting a _list_ of documentaries if you don’t say anything about them. I loved **Murderball** , but just knowing that it was a film about wheelchair rugby wouldn’t get anyone to watch it. You have to let them know that this film is funny, exciting and moving. It’s also really eye-opening when these young athletes are talking about the same thing that preoccupies the mind of all young men and how a wheelchair can be a great pick-up technique (“Within five minutes, they always ask if everything below your waist is paralyzed…”). This is the sort of film that people who think that all documentaries are dull should see. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/17 "2009-01-15T19:24:21Z")
Some that I enjoyed: Jesus Camp Word Wars (competitive Scrabble doc) Wordplay (Crossword doc) State of Mind (follows gymnasts in North Korea) ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/18 "2009-01-15T20:05:02Z")
Two that haven’t been mentioned yet: Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision Daughter from Danang Ed ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/19 "2009-01-15T21:08:38Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Two that haven’t been mentioned yet: > > Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision I’ve never seen that film because of the incestuous politics of the Academy Awards Documentary committee. Is it, in your opinion, a better film than both **Hoop Dreams** and **Crumb**? It doesn’t have to be to be worth watching, but those two films are truly great films, and were beaten by this one. Never having seen it, I realize it’s unfair to judge it solely on that criteria, but I have to say - there are probably a dozen, untainted 1995 documentaries I want to see more - **[The Celluloid Closet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112651/)**, **[Frank and Ollie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113104/)**, **[Jupiter’s Wife](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110217/)**, etc. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349/20 "2009-01-15T21:22:11Z")
Pumping Iron starring a young Arnold is very good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggested-documentaries/481349.md?page=2)