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Documentary recommendations

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  • Deleted user 20 December 2005 10:52:23
    I've got meself on a bit of a docu fix recently..I've got, or am in the process of getting, all the major ones..the list follows:

    Michael Palin Collection
    Walking with Dinosaurs/Beasts/Monsters
    Life Of series
    Blue Planet
    Human Body
    Planets
    Space
    Aliens of the Deep

    Mainly natural history stuff, but I'm interested in any, really. I'm finding a good documentary to be better than a film at the moment. But I request, nay, demand recommendations, rarities and unknowns to add to the list. Amazon somehow sent me a couple of the Eyewitness DVDs without me asking for them or charging, but they look like they're specifically for kids.
  • Hicksy 20 Dec 2005 10:55:00 2,585 posts
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    March of the Penguins?

    US release already check Play USA
  • Fozzie_bear 20 Dec 2005 10:57:19 15,152 posts
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    The problem i had with Walking With Dinosaurs is it pretends that the animals are real. You just sit there thinking "How do you KNOW that? You're just guessing aren't you?". Without any explanation it just comes across as a cheap excuse to have some animated dinosaurs running about. Worthless as a documentary. The Making of programme though was superb. It filled in all the bits which were missing in the series. Shame that the BBC has such a low opinion of it's audience that it didn't dare include any science or explanation in the the main series. A real missed opportunity i thought.

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  • El_MUERkO 20 Dec 2005 10:57:36 15,970 posts
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    Hoop Dreams - Brilliant

    The Revolution will not be Televised - Bonkers, not watching this should be jailable http://www.chavezthefilm.com/

    Edited by El_MUERkO at 11:19:48 20-12-2005
  • Deleted user 20 December 2005 10:59:15
    Fozzie_bear wrote:
    The problem i had with Walking With Dinosaurs is it pretends that the animals are real. You just sit there thinking "How do you KNOW that? You're just guessing aren't you?". Without any explanation it just comes across as a cheap excuse to have some animated dinosaurs running about. Worthless as a documentary. The Making of programme though was superb. It filled in all the bits which were missing in the series. Shame that the BBC has such a low opinion of it's audience that it didn't dare include any science or explanation in the the main series. A real missed opportunity i thought.
    True, there should be some sort of disclaimer at the beginning saying "THIS IS MOSTLY SPECULATION" or something, but it still makes for good viewing. Especially Monsters. GIANT CENTIPEDE VS SPIDER. It's like King Kong.
  • Machiavel 20 Dec 2005 11:09:01 5,964 posts
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    I second Hoop Dreams - great stuff.
    Bowling for Columbine if you haven't already seen it.
    Missed "The Corporation" yesterday, was it any good?
  • Dant 20 Dec 2005 11:09:13 894 posts
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    I like documentray`s, I prefer them to films.

    I watched the "Excellent adventures" seris on Sky One when that was on, I thought it was very good.
    It had celebs like Dom Jolly, Harry Enfield, and some others I cant remember! Going on journeys around the world. Dom Jolly went into the Syrian Desert to find some caves where he went as a child.
  • Blerk Moderator 20 Dec 2005 11:14:50 47,434 posts
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    I've not seen it, but I liked the sound of this for next week:

    Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
    Channel: ITV4
    Date: Monday 26th December 2005
    Time: 23:20 to 01:00 (starting in 6 days)
    Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes.

    Film documentary exploring the alleged Conservative bias of Rupert Murdoch's FOX News Channel, which promotes itself as 'Fair and Balanced'. Including interviews with former FOX News employees, archive footage, and extracts from some insightful inter-office memos.
    Director: Robert Greenwald

  • Juninho 20 Dec 2005 11:18:08 1,825 posts
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    you cannot beat The World At War.

    amazing

    Edited by Juninho at 11:18:17 20-12-2005
  • Razz 20 Dec 2005 11:20:09 57,332 posts
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    Gremmi wrote:
    Blue Planet
    +1,000,000

    Despite all the controvesty regarding the Deep Sea episode. For me, this was the best Nature Docu ever.

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  • Razz 20 Dec 2005 11:29:45 57,332 posts
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    Akeldama wrote:
    Razz wrote:
    the controvesty regarding the Deep Sea episode
    What was that?
    From what I heard. There was a lot of uproar about the fake astmospheric and "animal" sounds used during the length of the documentary. Personally I thought they added alot, before I was told about it I didn't even notice tbh. It's my favourite episode.

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  • Retroid Moderator 20 Dec 2005 11:31:59 44,116 posts
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    Blerk wrote:
    I've not seen it, but I liked the sound of this for next week:

    Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
    Channel: ITV4
    Date: Monday 26th December 2005
    Time: 23:20 to 01:00 (starting in 6 days)
    Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes.

    Film documentary exploring the alleged Conservative bias of Rupert Murdoch's FOX News Channel
    /Alleges the Pope is a little bit Catholic
  • Blerk Moderator 20 Dec 2005 11:39:35 47,434 posts
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    Hey, Rupert has big lawyers! :-)
  • jellyhead 20 Dec 2005 11:40:52 24,248 posts
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    I really liked Franceso Da Mosto's 4 part documentary on Venice and recently the "History of Disbelief" i thought was excellent.
    I'm a bit of a bugger for the Dan Cruickshank and ...(damn forgotten!) who do the "Around the world in 80 treasures" and (this space left blank until my mind comes back to me).
    Also i recommend Carl Sagan's Cosmos series, really cheesy but entertaining, the BBC Space series i found entertaining too.

    This signature intentionally left blank.

  • Twinkle 20 Dec 2005 11:42:18 542 posts
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    These are more docu-dramas than documentaries, but Egypt and Seven Wonders of the Industrial World were good.

    (I've just checked Amazon and it doesn't look like Egypt is out on DVD yet though)
  • Retroid Moderator 20 Dec 2005 11:52:06 44,116 posts
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    /Strokes BBC4
  • souljah 20 Dec 2005 11:53:39 4,698 posts
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    Hyoushi wrote:

    The Power of Nightmares
    Seconded.

    Its available as a stream online...somewhere
  • jellyhead 20 Dec 2005 11:54:07 24,248 posts
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    Nuclear 911 - similar to Trinity but reports on the nuclear weapons accidents that have occurred, they both use declassified reports and footage and interviews with the people who were there.
    Fantastic viewing especially Trinity with it's scarey as hell closing scenes! :)
    check out Nuclear Weapon Archive it has some astonishing footage and info.

    This signature intentionally left blank.

  • Decoded 20 Dec 2005 11:54:13 4,426 posts
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    I enjoyed the BBC's Hiroshima docu-drama. Made me bawl acutally :'(
  • Fozzie_bear 20 Dec 2005 11:55:21 15,152 posts
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    Peter Taylor's terrorism series were superb: The Provos, The Brits, The Loyalists. States of Terror was particularly good too - a look at state sponsored terrorism.

    If you can't track down the progs then the book are equally good.

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  • symmetry 20 Dec 2005 12:03:43 510 posts
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    I'm suprised no one has mentioned Life in the Undergrowth yet.

    And although it's currently being shown on TV, it seems to be available from amazon.
  • sam_spade 20 Dec 2005 12:06:26 15,739 posts
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    souljah wrote:
    Hyoushi wrote:

    The Power of Nightmares
    Seconded.

    Its available as a stream online...somewhere
    On Archive.org as well as the aformentioned World At War.
  • Deleted user 20 December 2005 12:09:14
    symmetry wrote:
    I'm suprised no one has mentioned Life in the Undergrowth yet.

    And although it's currently being shown on TV, it seems to be available from amazon.
    Yeah, got it. It's part of the "Life of" series I mentioned.
  • OllyJ 20 Dec 2005 13:43:37 3,091 posts
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    One of the best Docs I have ever seen is "Paradise Lost"

    It's about these kids dubbed "The West Memphis three" it's a shocking look into bible crazy America and how prejudice has landed three kids on death row and they remain there to this day on hokey evidence, unrelieable witnesses and bodged detective work.

    shocking stuff.
  • Doctor-Necesseter 20 Dec 2005 13:44:55 682 posts
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    Juninho wrote:
    you cannot beat The World At War.

    amazing

    Edited by Juninho at 11:18:17 20-12-2005
    Glad someone recommended this epic. Everybody should be made to watch it.
  • Pike 20 Dec 2005 13:52:21 13,427 posts
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    Rumble in the Jungle, about the Foreman vs Ali fight was pretty damned great.
  • UncleLou Moderator 20 Dec 2005 13:54:01 34,576 posts
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    Pike wrote:
    Rumble in the Jungle, about the Foreman vs Ali fight was pretty damned great.
    Do you mean the original one of 1974, or the more recent documentary "When We Were Kings"?

    If it's the latter I agree, it's absolutely fantastic. Never saw the 1974 docu, I think.
  • Khanivor 20 Dec 2005 14:03:01 38,088 posts
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    Race to the Moon – epic documentary covering just that. Essential viewing even if you’re just slightly interested in space. Guaranteed to have you staring up thoughtfully into the night sky.

    The Fog of War – excellent documentary detailing life lessons of Robert McNamara, defence secretary through much of the Vietnam War.

    Hell in the Pacific – nasty, gritty doc about how bad that theatre was. Not one to watch before going to Japan on holiday
  • Pike 20 Dec 2005 14:12:04 13,427 posts
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    UncleLou wrote:
    Pike wrote:
    Rumble in the Jungle, about the Foreman vs Ali fight was pretty damned great.
    Do you mean the original one of 1974, or the more recent documentary "When We Were Kings"?

    If it's the latter I agree, it's absolutely fantastic. Never saw the 1974 docu, I think.
    You are correct. When We Were Kings is the one. I forgot that that was the real title of the documentary.:)

    Edited by Pike at 14:12:20 20-12-2005
  • Deleted user 29 August 2011 17:58:01
    I would like to recommend the Fry-voiced documentary about whales I am watching on iPlayer. It's 'quite interesting' as it were.

    Also this thread is old.

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