TOP 10 DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL TIME!!!

July 26, 2002

I have two simple standards for judging documentaries. First, someone must have seen it. And second, you must be able to still see it, assuming that you live near a very, very large video store. Or are willing to deal with Amazon. Or know the guy who made it. So following those criteria, here are my picks for the Top 10 Documentaries of All Time!!

	10.	Beyond The Mat (1999): Okay, so maybe this does reflect a personal weakness. I admit it -- I was raised by my doctor father, who watched professional wrestling every Wednesday night, and I still watch it. And like it -- God forgive me. If you have any interest in seeing what the real world of professional wrestling is like, this documentary of three present and former wrestling stars -- Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Mick Foley and Terry Funk -- is the movie for you.	DVD
			VHS
	9.	Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (1995): The obligatory atomic bomb movie, but one that is not as much a polemic for or against nukes as a straightforward examination of what living in a nuclear world means.	DVD
			VHS
	8.	Man With the Movie Camera (1929): This is one of the first instances of experimental cinema. It portrays a day in the life of the Soviet Union, a documentary of the filming of the documentary, and of the watching the film. What you don't see is whatever the cameraman is filming! Silent, but silence is golden.	DVD
			VHS
	7.	Hoop Dreams(1994): An absolutely grand documentary. The film traces the dreams of NBA stardom of two inner city boys through high school and into college. A marvelous movie.
			VHS
	6.	When We Were Kings (1996): Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle. Exemplifies why Ali was The Greatest. Actually won an Academy Award© for Best Documentary.	DVD
			VHS
	5.	Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music (1970): Still the best rock 'n roll documentary ever made, because it actually deals with the mass of humanity that made Woodstock what it was. As the chronicling of a social phenomena and as a depiction of the varied music, it is unsurpassed. Also won an Academy Award© for Best Documentary.	DVD
			VHS
	4.	Shoah (1985): First, a note of warning -- this is a looooooooooooooong movie (566 minutes)! But it's well worth sitting through. This film is about the Holocaust, but does not use any archival footage. Instead, the director, Claude Lanzmann, interviews survivors, witnesses, and ex-Nazis to present a highly effective portrayal of past and present anti-Semitism.
			VHS
	3.	The Thin Blue Line (1988): This Errol Morris film explores the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas. The director's point of view on the innocence of the drifter sent to prison for the murder is clear. And by the end of the film, you'll probably agree with him. Probably the most cinematic documentary on the list.
			VHS
	2.	Triumph Of The Will (1934): This is probably the greatest propaganda film ever made. Leni Riefenstahl's film of the NSDAP party rally held in Nuremberg in 1934 is masterful, and gives a better incite than almost anything else as to why and how Hitler rose to power. Not for everyone, and the subject matter is abhorrent, but it truly is a masterwork of the documentary art.	DVD
			VHS
	1.	Gates of Heaven (1978): This simple movie about pet cemeteries in California and the people who have buried there pets there is simply unforgettable. It doesn't sound like much, but it's an absorbing look at people, their pets, and their grief.
			VHS

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