r/Documentaries • u/AutoModerator • 29d ago
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u/m_nels 29d ago edited 29d ago
The new Cold War documentary on Netflix is FANTASTIC. For folks into sports check out āOf Miracleās and Menā about the greatest upset in sports history.
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u/Mrsparkles7100 29d ago
Another good sports documentary is Battered Bastards of Baseball. Is on Netflix as well.
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u/Ready_Interview_5468 28d ago
Which Cold War doc is this?
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u/brighterbleu 28d ago
I very much agree! I never thought i'd be so invested in learning more about the cold war.
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u/shannick1 28d ago
Twenty Feet from Stardom
Itās about background singers. Itās so interesting if youāre into the music/entertainment industry. I love hearing people talk about their careers and showing their skills and learning about their lives.
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u/Dull_Upstairs4999 29d ago
Been watching the NatGeo docco āTsunami: A Race Against Timeā about the 2004 tsunami that hit the Indian/Eastern Pacfic Ocean region. Holy crap what a tearjerker. Told from survivorsā perspectives. Cannot fathom the horror and devastation of being involved, but got a decent glimpse thru these poor soulsā stories.
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u/Low_Expression7337 25d ago
I recommend also "Endurance" from NatGeo, damn it, is an amazing story!!
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u/stantheman1976 29d ago
Vietnam in HD
Shows a good account of what was actually happening from people involved.
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u/Toshiba1point0 29d ago
Blackfish- never capture what you cant control: everything you need to know about captured orcas.
Hired Gun: Everything you didnt know about the freelance music world
This Film Not Yet Rated: Everything you need to know about how movies are rated and how it affects their distribution
The Seven Five: The story of convicted NYPD officer Michael Dowd rise and fall in the 80s.
Who Killed the Electric Car?: a thorough examination of car manufacturers in the 90s.
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u/singularityindetroit 29d ago
A thin blue lineā¦best Iāve ever seen.
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u/InspectorFadGadget 29d ago
Also, the Documentary Now episode that parodies this is required watching after seeing it.
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u/neoengel 29d ago
Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
From wiki:
Cocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben, and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine dealer Jon Roberts, described by prosecutors as "The Medellin Cartel's American representative". The film chronicles his role in the Miami drug war (the resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida, in the 1970s and 1980s). The producers of Cocaine Cowboys use interviews with law enforcement, journalists, lawyers, former drug smugglers, and gang members to provide a first-hand perspective of the Miami drug war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_Cowboys_(2006_film)
This documentary is amazing, and there's also an excellent Reloaded version, about 30 minutes longer and maybe sharing around 10 minutes of previously shown content.
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u/sometimes_interested 29d ago edited 29d ago
Squaring the Circle - The Story of Hipgnosis 2023
It's a doco about Hipgnosis, the Visual Design company that created most of the iconic record album cover art of the 1970's. There's a whole segment on how they created the burning man effect on Pink Floyd's 'Wish you were here'. Spoiler alert, it wasn't an effect. They literally set a stuntman alight and just took photos of him standing there, burning.
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u/neuro_space_explorer 29d ago
Hands on a hardbody!
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u/InspectorFadGadget 29d ago
A great one. For anyone who likes this one, Sherman's March (1986) is an awesome similarly character-driven, sharply funny documentary by a single guy doing it all guerilla style. It's all over the place, and I don't even know how to summarize it, but it's one of my favorite documentaries I've ever seen, and I rarely ever see it mentioned anywhere.
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u/fastates 29d ago
I hadn't seen this, thanks so much. I think you may like "Demon Lover Diary" if it's on YouTube--. Looks like a similar aesthetic. Cheers!
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u/OePea 24d ago
That was a hard doc to track down! Definitely got a little concerned when I saw it is a 2 hour 37 minute movie, and numerous parts had me questioning if it would pay off. And it sure does.. What a strange, dare I say Post-modern film, strangely blending narrative(it's kinda like he's cast himself in his own little The Bachelor miniseries) and some very startling candid moments. You'll be falling asleep at one moment and the next you'll be feeling slimy for watching footage of a woman in a bikini that the film maker and his manic older lady friend are creeping on in his car(parked). I think he put it best when he was watching a couple good ol' boys carrying a rhinocerous down to a pond and said, "I never really understood what it was all about." Thanks for the recommendation.
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u/InspectorFadGadget 24d ago
Really glad you liked it, it's unlike anything else really. Almost has vintage Nathan Fielder vibes
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u/oookiltem 29d ago
The lost children on Netflix. Such a good documentary about a remarkable story. Highly recommend.
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u/somewhereelse4 29d ago
I'm not a true crime person but this is unbelievably good. Metallica did the soundtrack. Warning: very graphic
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
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u/MikeHfuhruhurr 29d ago
All I Can Say. It's all home video footage taken by Shannon Hoon during Blind Melon's rise and up to his death.
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u/K_Clementine 29d ago
āSprintā on Netflix. Tells the backstory of Olympic level sprinting. Behind the scenes of the Paris Olympics and lead up. Focuses on American and Jamaican sprint athletes.
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u/pavlovasupernova 29d ago
The Fog of War and King of King are probably my two favourites.
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u/Flimsy-Ad-2821 27d ago
My all time favorite was 'the last days of Vietnam'. Really great. I was going to say The Fog of War, also amazing.
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u/Realistic-Mall4505 29d ago
Europa: The ocean world in our solar system
A celestial body in our solar system with more water than Earth. The strange and mysterious world of Jupiterās moon Europa, which hides a vast subsurface ocean beneath a thick layer of ice. Itās also considered a promising candidate to harbour life.
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u/breffne 29d ago
https://show.festivaldelcinema.it/documentari/chasing-rainbows-il-mio-duetto-con-jimmy-scott/
this is very good
you can vote on it
not sure how long it is available
enjoy
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u/Kurtanius 29d ago
"On Werner von Braun" by DKiS Aerospace History
Excellent biography on such a talented and controversial genius who brought humanity closer to the stars!
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u/Neelieoh 29d ago
The Battered Bastards of Baseball is a good one that I donāt see mentioned often. Itās available on Netflix. About an independent baseball team playing in the minors, founded by Bing Russell, Kurt Russellās father.
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u/i-eat-guitars 29d ago
Tsunami: The Race Against Time. Produced by National Geographic. Four part series. I saw it free on Hulu.
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u/Spacethyme 29d ago
Closer to the Edge (2011) - motorcycle racing
Into Twin Galaxies (2017) - outdoor adventure
The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young (2014) - ultra running
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u/Happy_Ad2173 28d ago
Colonel Sanders struggle to succeed before he became the Colonel for KFC and how he initially failed hard before it became big
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u/cymmii 28d ago
Hi guys! I'm looking for news-special / documentaries from 60s-90s.
I've been in the binge-worthy mood of watching news specials or documentaries from the 60s-80s. I've been trying to find sites that contain what I'm looking for, but I'm struggling to find places to watch or how to search. I'm looking for that classic, filmed in xyz time period. Not documentaries BASED on the 60s through 90s. Here are some examples I'm referring to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujljDEgxNH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNFAW5a4ezg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRcMhU0bI0
the "wayback archives" only has a handful of these, but if you know any sites or youtube channels that have loads of this - or even if there's a better way to search, please let me know!
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u/TospyKretts 27d ago
Microcosmos
The directors Jerry rigged a microscope to fujifilm camera and recorded insect life for 15 years. You get an inside look on how all sorts of bugs operate, some who have been rarely seen. It's mostly a non-narrative, just bugs and light music in the background. Endlessly fascinating
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u/Low_Expression7337 25d ago
Endurance (2024) from National Geographic. Is possible the best story that I ever heard!
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u/mythic-meadow 25d ago
I canāt believe it took me this long to watch Vernon, Florida! What an absolute delight. Link here.
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u/themainheadcase 17d ago
Can anyone recommend a documentary that deals with the wolf pack hierarchy and social dynamics? That needn't be the main topic, it can just be part of what the documentary deals with.
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u/Weakera 16d ago
Just watched The Loneliest Race, a great doc on the round the globe solo sailing race that takes 9 months to complete.
Incredible! you are with these sailors as they try to overcome storms at sea, mechanical failures, and going crazy from the solitude. They started with 16, only 3 finished, and only 9 have completed this race since its inception in 1968. They do it with 1968 technology, no GPS, no cell phones.
The winner is ..................... very gratifying.
https://www.google.com/search?q=the+llineliest+race&rlz=1C1CHWA_enCA633CA638&oq=the+llineliest+race&aqs=chrome..69i57.4569j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:dfeb42e5,vid:R5HhLaJigr8,st:0
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u/wayofthegenttickle 15d ago
Hello, does anyone know of a decent doc that shows what normal people of this generation in Japan think of WWII?
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u/Lax_waydago 14d ago
The Corporation (2003), highly recommend given all the public discussion about CEOs.
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u/10010101110011011010 6d ago edited 6d ago
The series by Epic History TV youtube channel regarding the Napoleonic wars:
Napoleonic Wars 1804 - 1814 (All Parts)
Available as a playlist or 5-hour video if watched continuously.
A Breakdown of almost all important battles, with great graphics, moving narration.
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u/ShadowOfThePalmtrees 29d ago
River Man (2009) A slovakia guy who swam the hole amazon river.
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u/singularityindetroit 29d ago
Thereās a hole in the Amazon River?? Climate change is bad man! š
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u/LK_LK 29d ago
MAC. https://youtu.be/ODc-RG5CvqU?si=zPYYB3jUJ-fM4g4p
A no interviews, no narration documentary about the life of Mac Miller.
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u/gametapchunky 29d ago
!Remindme tonight about this. I'm alone this Thanksgiving :(
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29d ago
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u/Snowman304 29d ago
The Ballad of Ride the Cyclone
It started as a cabaret performance in Canada and grew into an international phenomenon. I'm not a huge musical theater guy, but it was fascinating
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u/gullibilitysquared 29d ago
A documentary on a worldwide star in action The Stank Monkey Documentary
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u/spunky-chicken10 29d ago
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders.