Favorite Documentaries
By no means an exhaustive list, as there are many documentaries not in the IMDb database. This is just a selection skewed heavily toward Big Cats, Science, and Music.
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- DirectorGeorge CaseyStarsJames Earl JonesThe Serengeti is a huge area of grassland in Tanzania, Africa. Once a year, in the time of drought, about two million herd animals like antelopes travel north to feed and mate before moving south again, when plants there begin to blossom.The equation of life on the Serengeti is simple. Herbivores eat plants. Carnivores eat herbivores.
- StarsSigourney WeaverDavid AttenboroughNikolay DrozdovA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
- StarsMichael PalinThe Dalai LamaMichael Palin travels the Himalaya mountain region.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsMick JaggerKeith RichardsMick TaylorWhen three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.
- 1965– 1h9.2 (234)TV EpisodeStarsPowers BootheNational Geographic goes to Botswana to examine the struggle for survival between lions and hyenas.
- DirectorLixin FanStarsChanghua ZhangYang ZhangSuqin ChenA couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.
- DirectorGisela KaufmannStarsJean Geary BoalRoger HanlonLance LewmanMarine biologists examine an animal that looks alien enough to be from another planet. Through their studies the scientist learn how cuttlefish make their skin flash like a neon sign, the secrets of their mating behavior and if they are poisonous. But they have barely scratched the surface to understand their intelligence.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsDavid ByrneBernie WorrellAlex WeirConsidered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time, the live performance was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and features Talking Heads' most memorable songs.
- DirectorTed DemmeStarsDenis LearyChris PhillipsAdam RothTicked off comic Denis Leary talks honestly about subjects ranging from smoking, red meat, drugs, his family, rehab, and yes, cancer.If you smoke or eat meat you will enjoy Denis Leary's intimidating sense of humor.
- DirectorBeverly JoubertDereck JoubertStarsJeremy IronsLegademaThe life of one small leopard from a cub right until the brink of adulthood, as she emerges as a huntress in Botswana's Mombo region of the Okavango Delta.
- StarsFergal KeaneWild Africa is a nature documentary series exploring the natural history of the African continent. The series comprises six episodes. Each concentrates on a particular environment. The producers use aerial photography and wildlife footage to show how natural phenomena such as seasonal changes influence the patterns of life.
- StarsBernard HillAn in-depth look at some of China's most impressive natural sites such as the ancient Han kingdom, the Mongol steppes, the Silk Road and the Tibetan Plateau.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsDarlene LoveMerry ClaytonLisa FischerBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
- DirectorYves MontmayeurStarsOlivier AssayasFruit ChanChristopher DoyleDocumentary filmmaker Yves Montmayeur follows Doyle during a year of projects that include collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan on Lady in the Water. Featuring interviews with Gus Van Sant, Olivier Assayas and Wong Kar-Wai.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobbie RobertsonMuddy WatersNeil YoungA film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.
- DirectorBeverly JoubertDereck JoubertStarsJeremy IronsA documentary on a pride of lions and their buffalo prey trapped on an island in the Okavango delta.
- StarsPaul MertonPaul Merton takes a six-week tour of China, exploring many areas and aspects of the country's culture.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMichael RuppertA documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
- CreatorAnn DruyanCarl SaganSteven SoterStarsCarl SaganJaromír HanzlíkJonathan FahnAstronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.
- DirectorDerek BurbidgeStarsWall of VoodooStan RidgwayMarc MorelandLive performances from dozens of leading early-1980s musical acts - rock, punk, ska, reggae - it's all here.
- DirectorMichael WadleighStarsJoan BaezRichie HavensRoger DaltreyOscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.
- DirectorJeff MoralesStarsJeremy IronsMike SecherKim WolhuterTake an ultimate look at the deadly game of survival through the minds and eyes of Africa's 5 mega-Predators.
- DirectorDuncan BridgemanJamie CattoStarsAsha BhosleWhirimako BlackTim BoothJamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman travelled for 7 months through all 5 continents, and recorded in over 50 locations to create the most inspiring film and album they could imagine. Their mission was not only to gather insights on the huge universal themes of life from the most inspiring and illuminating people they could find, but also to seek out the cream of the world's musicians and compose immense multi-layered music with them.
- DirectorXan CassavetesStarsJerry HarveyChuck RossTimothy RyersonThe story of Z Channel, one of the first U.S. pay cable stations and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974 in LA, their eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.
- StarsJacob BronowskiJoss AcklandRoy DotriceAn account of man's development through his scientific and technological achievements.
- DirectorFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon BrandoDocumentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
- DirectorJoshua OppenheimerAnonymousChristine CynnStarsAnwar CongoHerman KotoSyamsul ArifinA documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
- On the northern bank of the Sand River in the Mala-Mala Game Reserve in South Africa, seven magnificent creatures reside in an area the size of Manhattan Island. Tracking them for 24 hours reveals a never-ending daily drama.
- DirectorBeverly JoubertDereck JoubertSee firsthand the numerous changes that have led to dramatic decline of the lion population, and what needs to be done in order to ensure their survival. Live through some of the most extreme cat sequences ever captured on film. See a lion pride bring down a large buffalo, a blood feud erupt when scavenging hyenas move in on the kill and catch a glimpse of leopards who creep from the bushes to hunt and retreat into the trees before falling prey to larger killers. Beyond the blood and gore lies a stark reality: Big cats kill to live and live to kill.