Prime Documentaries
by marie_D | created - 17 Feb 2016 | updated - 18 Feb 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997 TV Movie)
TV-G | 240 min | Documentary, Adventure, Biography
The story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Hal Holbrook, Adam Arkin, John Logan Allen, Stephen Ambrose
Votes: 1,413
2. Mark Twain (2001 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 212 min | Documentary, Biography
A biographical film about the acclaimed American humourist and author.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Keith David, Kevin Conway, Philip Bosco, Blythe Danner
Votes: 1,113
3. Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
Her story is well-known - the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddess. But even though she scaled heights ... See full summary »
Directors: Gene Feldman, Suzette Winter | Stars: Lauren Bacall, Scotty Beckett, Eric Blore, Clara Bow
Votes: 336
4. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, Crime
A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood, Dick Clay
Votes: 18,118
5. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000 TV Movie)
Unrated | 130 min | Documentary, Crime
The case of the West Memphis Three, its questionable circumstances and the parties involved are followed up years later.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Damien Wayne Echols, Melissa Byers, Norris Deajon, Tim Sullivan
Votes: 9,633
6. Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)
Not Rated | 121 min | Documentary, Crime
A further followup of the case of the West Memphis Three and the decades long fight to exonerate them that finally gained traction with new DNA evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Gary Gitchell, Todd Moore, Dana Moore, Pam Hobbs
Votes: 10,853
7. 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: 1,810
8. Drive-in Movie Memories (2001)
57 min | Documentary
This film chronicles the drive-in's birth and development, its phenomenal popularity with audiences of all ages, its tragic decline, and its inevitable comeback as a classic form of Americana.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Leonard Maltin, John Bloom, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Jon Bokenkamp
Votes: 228
9. Deliver Us from Evil (2006)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
Documentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.
Director: Amy Berg | Stars: Oliver O'Grady, Thomas Doyle, Adam, Jeff Anderson
Votes: 10,821 | Gross: $30.58M
10. Collapse (II) (2009)
Unrated | 82 min | Documentary
A documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
Director: Chris Smith | Star: Michael Ruppert
Votes: 6,842 | Gross: $0.05M
11. Beyond Belief (2007)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
Susan Retik and Patti Quigley are two ordinary soccer moms living in the affluent suburbs of Boston until tragedy strikes. Rather than turning inwards, grief compels these women to focus on... See full summary »
Director: Beth Murphy | Stars: Susan Retik, Patti Quigley, Tom Fleming, Clementina Cantoni
Votes: 165
12. The Cruise (1998)
PG-13 | 76 min | Documentary
Timothy "Speed" Levitch, an eccentric New York City tour bus guide, takes tourists around the island of Manhattan and shares an archive of beautifully distorted information about the city.
Director: Bennett Miller | Star: Timothy 'Speed' Levitch
Votes: 1,932 | Gross: $0.24M
13. Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
A documentary depicting the life and work of the trappers of Bakhtia, a village in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, where daily life has changed little in over a century.
Directors: Werner Herzog, Dmitry Vasyukov | Stars: Werner Herzog, Gennady Soloviev, Anatoly Blumei, Gennady Tiganov
Votes: 8,922 | Gross: $0.34M
14. In the Land of the Deaf (1992)
Unrated | 99 min | Documentary
With unerring curiousity and sensitivity, director Philbert portrays the difficulties and joys of being deaf, offering vivid portraits of people of all ages coping with and surmounting their challenges.
Director: Nicolas Philibert | Stars: Jean-Claude Poulain, Abou Bakar, Anh Tuan, Betty
Votes: 372
15. Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) (2010)
Not Rated | 116 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
The life and work of the enigmatic folk rock singer-songwriter.
Director: John Scheinfeld | Stars: Gerry Beckley, Lee Blackman, Perry Botkin Jr., Ray Cooper
Votes: 1,868 | Gross: $0.03M
16. GasLand (2010)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary
An exploration of the fracking petroleum extraction industry and the serious environmental consequences involved.
Director: Josh Fox | Stars: Josh Fox, Dick Cheney, Pete Seeger, Richard Nixon
Votes: 11,103 | Gross: $0.03M
17. How to Make Money Selling Drugs (2012)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary, Crime
Ten easy steps show you how to make money from drugs, featuring a series of interviews with drug dealers, prison employees, and lobbyists arguing for tougher drug laws.
Director: Matthew Cooke | Stars: 'Freeway' Ricky Ross, Susan Sarandon, David Simon, 50 Cent
Votes: 6,819 | Gross: $1.50M
18. The Central Park Five (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana
Votes: 7,930 | Gross: $0.27M
19. Every Little Thing (1997)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary. The tranquil woods of the Loire Valley embrace the La Borde psychiatric clinic, an asylum in the truest sense of the word, where patients find sanctuary and repose. Patients ... See full summary »
Director: Nicolas Philibert
Votes: 216
20. Hitler: A Career (1977)
Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, History
This meticulously assembled film dissects the Third Reich with an analytical blade, charting Hitler's improbable rise, his mastery of crowd psychology and his consummate skill in exploiting others' weaknesses.
Directors: Joachim Fest, Christian Herrendoerfer | Stars: Gert Westphal, Stephen Murray, Artur Axmann, General Bergeret
Votes: 3,031
21. More Than a Game (2008)
PG | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
This documentary follows NBA superstar LeBron James and four of his talented teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Ohio and James' journey to fame.
Director: Kristopher Belman | Stars: LeBron James, Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton
Votes: 5,661 | Gross: $0.94M
22. The Ghost Army (2013)
TV-PG | 68 min | Documentary, History
During World War II, a group of American GI's undertook a mission to create a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe. Their secret mission was kept a secret for nearly 50 years after the war's end.
Director: Rick Beyer | Stars: Wesley Clark, Peter Coyote
Votes: 618
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