Top Documentary Movies

As picked by our users. Don't see your favorite? Register to vote!

1. Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994)
2. Chagrin et la piti�, Le (1969)
3. No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)
4. My Flesh and Blood (2003)
5. Nuit et brouillard (1955)
6. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
7. Promises (2001)
8. Hearts and Minds (1974)
9. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
10. Nema-ye Nazdik (1990)

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Recent Threads on the Documentary Message Board

Luminaries of the Genre

• Errol Morris
• Michael Moore
• Robert Epstein
• Barbara Kopple
• Ken Burns
• Sally Dundas
• Godfrey Reggio
• Joe Berlinger
• Albert Maysles
• Nick Broomfield

IMDb Recommends...

Manufacturing Consent is a documentary based on the book of the same name authored by renowned anti-establishment intellectuals Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky. The film primarily follows Chomsky, through speeches, debates, and quiet moments in his office; though it is full of quick-cuts, graphics, and humorous newsreel clips, it is about ideas. Be warned: it will bore the pants of anyone looking for car chases or starry romance. However, anyone interested in what Chomsky calls "intellectual self defense" will be fascinated. Chomsky's analysis of the media is (briefly and crudely) as follows: media serve the market. The small and shrinking number of large corporations that own media outlets are in the business of delivering audiences to advertisers. Media are their tools. The prime goal is to comfort, divert attention, and stoke material desire--not to educate or ennoble. This is not a conspiracy, Chomsky insists, just the inevitable consequence of a particular economic and social structure. The film offers numerous examples, such as the comparative news coverage of human rights violations in Cambodia and East Timor. Agree or disagree, this film will leave you thinking. (more)