Documentaries w Good Cinematography
by ChrisLawes | created - 02 Aug 2013 | updated - 29 Sep 2013 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Grey Gardens (1975)
PG | 95 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
Directors: Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Muffie Meyer | Stars: Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, Brooks Hyers
Votes: 15,272 | Gross: $0.03M
2. Crumb (1994)
R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb
Votes: 21,588 | Gross: $3.17M
3. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson
Votes: 25,913 | Gross: $1.21M
4. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 58,666 | Gross: $2.96M
5. Kassim the Dream (2008)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary
This is the story of World Champion Boxer, Kassim "The Dream" Ouma - born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at the age of 6. When the rebels took over... See full summary »
Director: Kief Davidson | Stars: Yann Gael, Kassim Ouma
Votes: 139
6. Baraka (1992)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
Director: Ron Fricke | Star: Patrick Disanto
Votes: 40,973 | Gross: $1.33M
7. The Betrayal (2008)
96 min | Documentary
The epic story of a family forced to emigrate from Laos after the chaos of the secret air war waged by the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Kuras has spent the last 23 years chronicling the ... See full summary »
Directors: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath | Star: Thavisouk Phrasavath
Votes: 456
8. Iraq in Fragments (2006)
Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary, War
Stories from modern day Iraq as told by Iraqis living in a time of war, occupation and ethnic tension.
Director: James Longley | Stars: Marmar Alhilali, Mohammed Haithem, Suleiman Mahmoud, Mohamed Qasim Sainakh
Votes: 1,546 | Gross: $0.20M
9. Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle (2006)
90 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Football match Real Madrid vs. Villareal, April 23, 2005, from the perspective of soccer superstar Zinedine Zidane.
Directors: Douglas Gordon, Philippe Parreno | Stars: David Beckham, Zinédine Zidane
Votes: 3,099
10. Waiting for Superman (2010)
PG | 111 min | Documentary
An examination of the current state of education in America today.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Charles Adams, Jonathan Alter, Robert Balfanz, Harriet Ball
Votes: 11,635 | Gross: $6.41M
11. The September Issue (2009)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
Director: R.J. Cutler | Stars: Anna Wintour, Thakoon Panichgul, André Leon Talley, Grace Coddington
Votes: 7,996 | Gross: $3.82M
12. Lake of Fire (2006)
Unrated | 152 min | Documentary
A graphic documentary on both sides of the abortion debate.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Noam Chomsky, Bill Baird, Flip Benham, Dallas Blanchard
Votes: 2,735 | Gross: $0.02M
13. Dark Days (2000)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
Director: Marc Singer | Star: Marc Singer
Votes: 7,176 | Gross: $0.43M
14. Armadillo (2010)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, War
Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.
Director: Janus Metz
Votes: 10,330 | Gross: $0.01M
15. Flamenco Flamenco (2010)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Music
A look at the history and traditions of flamenco music and dance through the live performance of a wide variety of pieces.
Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Sara Baras, José Miguel Carmona, Montse Cortés, Paco de Lucía
Votes: 487 | Gross: $0.06M
16. The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)
G | 86 min | Documentary, Sport
This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain.
Director: Bruce Nyznik | Stars: Yûichirô Miura, Shintaro Ishihara, Taisuke Fujishima, Yukihiko Kato
Votes: 754
17. Workingman's Death (2005)
Not Rated | 122 min | Documentary
A documentary on the extremes to which workers will go to earn a living.
Director: Michael Glawogger
Votes: 1,813
18. Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2003)
82 min | Documentary
Searching for The Wrong-Eyed Jesus is a captivating and compelling road trip through the creative spirit of the the Southern U.S. Director Andrew Douglas's film follows "Alt Country" singer... See full summary »
Director: Andrew Douglas | Stars: Harry Crews, Johnny Dowd, David Eugene Edwards, The Handsome Family
Votes: 1,180 | Gross: $0.08M
19. Touch the Sound: A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie (2004)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
A documentary which explores the connections among sound, rhythm, time, and the body by following percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who is nearly deaf.
Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer | Stars: Evelyn Glennie, Fred Frith, Roxane Butterfly, Horacio 'Negro' Hernández
Votes: 680 | Gross: $0.18M
20. Zoo (2007)
Unrated | 75 min | Documentary
A look at the life of an Enumclaw, Washington man who died as a result of an unusual encounter with a horse.
Director: Robinson Devor | Stars: Coyote, Jenny Edwards, John Edwards, John Paulsen
Votes: 2,982 | Gross: $0.07M
21. My Architect (2003)
116 min | Documentary, Biography
Director Nathaniel Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.
Director: Nathaniel Kahn | Stars: Edmund Bacon, Edwina Pattison Daniels, Balkrishna Doshi, Frank Gehry
Votes: 3,320 | Gross: $2.75M
22. Don't Look Back (1967)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary covering Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England, which includes appearances by Joan Baez and Donovan.
Director: D.A. Pennebaker | Stars: Bob Dylan, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth, Joan Baez
Votes: 10,009
23. Last Train Home (2009)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Drama
A 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.
Director: Lixin Fan | Stars: Changhua Zhang, Yang Zhang, Suqin Chen, Qin Zhang
Votes: 3,715 | Gross: $0.29M
24. A Shift in Perception (2006)
16 min | Documentary, Short
Enter the worlds of Leander, Edna and Rhonda- three vision-impaired women whose conversation draws from memory and stirs the senses. Together they lead the audience gently through their daily lives, dreams, fears and observations.
Director: Dan Monceaux | Stars: Leander Maynard, Rhonda Sullivan
Votes: 8
25. Visions of Light (1992)
92 min | Documentary, History
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).
Directors: Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy, Stuart Samuels | Stars: Conrad L. Hall, John Bailey, Vilmos Zsigmond, Charles Lang
Votes: 3,334 | Gross: $0.80M
26. Chulas Fronteras (1976)
58 min | Documentary, Music
"Chulas Fronteras" examines the origins and social significance of the traditional Tejano (or 'Tex-Mex') music that developed along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Director: Les Blank | Stars: Ramiro Cavazos, Los Alegres De Teran, Los Pinguinos del Norte, Rumel Fuentes
Votes: 182 | Gross: $0.01M
27. The White Diamond (2004)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
Engineers attempt daring journey above Guyanese rainforest canopy with airship prototype. Adventure fraught with risks, as previous expedition ended tragically. This is a unique story of exploring uncharted jungle from the air.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Graham Dorrington, Dieter Plage, Adrian de Schryver
Votes: 4,952
28. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
G | 99 min | Documentary
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Scott Rowland, Stefan Pashov, Doug MacAyeal
Votes: 19,248 | Gross: $0.94M
29. Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
R | 116 min | Documentary, Crime, War
Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Megan Ambuhl Graner, Javal Davis, Ken Davis, Anthony Diaz
Votes: 4,112 | Gross: $0.23M
30. Whores' Glory (2011)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary
An examination of the lives, needs, troubles, and hopes of prostitutes in Thailand, Bangladesh, and Mexico.
Director: Michael Glawogger | Stars: Emma, Ning, Toh, Wat
Votes: 5,118 | Gross: $0.03M
31. Chronicle of a Summer (1961)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the everyday lives of ordinary Parisians, done in the style of cinéma vérité.
Directors: Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch | Stars: Angelo, Nadine Ballot, Catherine, Céline
Votes: 3,583
32. Samsara (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Director: Ron Fricke | Stars: Balinese Tari Legong Dancers, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi, Putu Dinda Pratika
Votes: 38,025 | Gross: $2.67M
33. Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Backup 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.
Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill
Votes: 13,950 | Gross: $4.95M
34. 1 Giant Leap (2002)
76 min | Documentary, Music
Jamie 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 ... See full summary »
Directors: Duncan Bridgeman, Jamie Catto | Stars: Asha Bhosle, Whirimako Black, Tim Booth, Duncan Bridgeman
Votes: 406
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