Can anyone recommend a good DOCUMENTARY DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Mike_Ped]

I'm lookin for a documentary DVD that was good picture, sound, and is over all interesting to watch. Thanx

Mike

 

[Adam_WM]

Beyond the Mat is great...

 

[Tom De Rosa]

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS

Outstanding in every way.

Content... Check

Video(Anamorphic WS)... Check

Audio(Dolby 2.0)... Check

RAISING THE MAMMOTH is also pretty darn good.

 

[Rob Lutter]

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Amazing doc, great picture and sound.
(only available in the 'New Stanley Kubrick Collection' boxset though)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
also... Walking with Dinosaurs (it is also 16x9 anamorphic on the DVD from what I hear)

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

You are looking for Gimme Shelter. Great film with the kind of transfer and audio you wish most DVDs had. Seriously.

 

[Bill J]

Definately For All Mankind from The Criterion Collection.

 

[Ben Motley]

I'll second Gimme Shelter and For All Mankind, and throw in Haxan. While Haxan's philosophies may be a little outdated, it's still a wonderful film.

And while not yet on dvd, but I can't wait for it, The Endurance was a great film.

 

[bill lopez]

MADONNA:TRUTH OR DARE has a great sound dvd. Really comes to life during the concert scenes.

 

[Mark Dubbelboer]

walking with dinosaurs is also very interesting

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

The problem is that most documentaries use original film from years ago. For example, Triumph of the Will is a most interesting (although gross) documentary film of the 1934 Nazi party conclave. The Synapse copy is as good as you could get but still doesn't possess great image and sound. The DVD of Cosmos by Sagan may be considered a documentary but again the video quality is not that great.

 

[Michael Reuben]

A few more suggestions:
Visions of Light. Essential viewing for anyone interested in the art of film.
Startup.com. A film that was supposed to be about the rise of a dot.com and turned out to be about the fall of a friendship and an era.
Trekkies. For anyone who's ever watched any of the Trek shows.
When We Were Kings. The film that everyone compared to Ali and most preferred.
M.

 

[Patrick Wilmes]

I'll second Startup.Com .

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

We have a review area specializing in documentaries at dOc . It really depends what kind of subject matter you are looking for. Due to their budgets, many documentaries are shot on smaller format film or videotape these days, which means the image isn't what you'd get from a big budget feature. Are you looking for history, human interest, geographical, music?

 

[Reginald Trent]

Ken Burn's "JAZZ"

It's Black Entertainment

American Roots Music

Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus

Celebrating Bird: The Triumph Of Charlie Parker

Charles Mingus: Triumph Of The Underdog

Can't You Hear The Wind Howl? The Life And Music Of Robert Johnson

Allosaurus: A Walking With Dinosaurs Special

Satchmo: Louis Armstrong

 

[Kyle Milligan]

American Movie
Absolutely hilarious. Although sometimes you won't know whether to laugh or not.

 

[Scott Page]

I second "American Movie". It's a riot. It one the audience award at Sundance Film Festival. Great look at real American characters.

Can't believe no one mentioned "Hoop Dreams" yet.

Also, dvdbeaver.com has a list of recommended documentaries you can try. "Roger & Me" got rave reviews

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Some fantastic suggestions here. Let me third Gimme Shelter and second Visions of Light...great stuff!
I'd like to add Mr. Death, a very quirky and haunting documentary about an individual who is off-beat, to say the least. Sadly, this is so far the only Errol Morris film to be out on DVD.
Some other documentaries:
Don't Look Back - Bob Dylan in all his snotty mid-60's glory.
The Celluoid Closet - Very entertaining look at the ever-changing Hollywood viewpoint of gay/lesbian movies and actors.
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies - Simply put, if you love movies, you should check out this massive 5-hour documentary. It's like having Scorsese in your living room dissecting films for your pleasure. It's also a pretty good cinematic history lesson as well.
Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey - Facisnating look at the very distinctive, high-pitched instrument. Worth it for the odd interview with ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson.
And though they aren't out on DVD yet, you might want to look into the following:
Gates of Heaven
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
The Thin Blue Line
Paradise Lost
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control
Shoah
Burden of Dreams

 

[Markus Lidstrom]

This Is: Spinal Tap
Come on , you know you want to...

 

[Gui A]

I'm thinking the extras documentaries that are on Citizen Kane and Brazil: Criterion Collection edition.

 

[Walter Kittel]

In terms of presentation, three favorites of mine are the following IMAX discs...
Africa: The Serengeti
Blue Planet
The Living Sea - very nice DTS track on this title.
One of my favorite nature films has not been released to Region 1 on DVD ( I believe it is available overseas if you have a region free / selectable player. ) Microcosmos is a great looking and consistently entertaining nature film that I regard as a must see for anyone who has an interest in that type of documentary. Well worth the time if you can find a copy, even on ( gasp ) VHS. I'm lucky enough to own it on Laserdisc and it is one of my most cherished discs.
In terms of content a number of fine choices have already been mentioned. I'm a fan of the films of Ken Burns; and would have no qualms recommending them for their content. Particularly...
Jazz
Baseball
Frank Lloyd Wright
As Dennis mentioned many of these titles feature elements that have suffered the ravages of time so if your main goal is presentation quality you may be disappoointed, despite their wonderful content.
- Walter.