Documentaries
Documentary Films, strictly speaking, are non-fictional, "slice of life" factual works of art, sometimes known as cinema verite. As films became more narrative-based, documentaries branched out and took many forms, some of which have been termed propagandistic or non-objective.
One of Alice's favourite sections, and due to the sheer size of this collection, we have split ioto a number of sub-sections. See side bars on left for more options. By scrolling below are you will be exposed to whole darn caboodle - all of Alice's documentaries.
Right: Werner Herzog directs "Burden of Dreams"
When a City Falls (2012)
8.7/10
Director: Gerald Smyth
The Canterbury earthquakes, shot in the streets of Christchurch. What happens to half a million New Zealanders the year their lives change forever. Read more
Children Underground (2000)
8.3/10
Director: Edet Belzberg
An Oscar-nominated documentary on the homeless children of post-Cold War Bucharest, Romania, focusing on a year in the lives of five kids living in su... Read more
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens (2007)
7.9/10
Director: Babara Leibovitz
Starring: Annie Leibovitz
This film traces the artistic self-realization of Annie Leibovitz, from childhood through the death of her beloved friend, Susan Sontag, and includes... Read more
The Beatles: Let It Be (1970)
7.8/10
Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mal Evans
This limited edition released by Apple Films offers a filmed account of the Beatles' attempt to recapture their old group spirit during the recording... Read more
Touching the Void (2003)
8/10
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Nicholas Aaron, Richard Hawking, Joe Simpson, Simon Yates
The remarkable true story of mountain climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates is the focus of this harrowing docudrama. In 1985, the fearless pair sets o... Read more
Colin McCahon: I Am (2004)
9.6/10
Director: Paul Swadel
Starring: Voice Of, Sam Neill
Tracing the life of pioneering artist Colin McCahon, examining the New Zealand cultural context that influenced and inspired his work and his artistic... Read more
When We Were Kings (1996)
8/10
Director: Leon Gast
Starring: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's Rumble in the Jungle, the 1974 heavyweight championship fight that suddenly turned Zaire into the temporary sports a... Read more
Jazz (2000)
6.4/10
Director: Ken Burns
Starring: Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Bil...
Inspired by blues and ragtime, it made its way up the Mississippi and spread across America, evolving along the way into a variety of forms. Filmmaker... Read more
Bill Cunningham New York (2010)
7.9/10
Director: Richard Press
New York Times readers could always count on photographer Bill Cunningham to provide vivid glimpses of trending fashions and high-society affairs by k... Read more
The Private Life of Plants (1995)
9/10
Director: Mike Salisbury
Starring: David Attenborough
This acclaimed BBC Tv series takes us on a guided tour through the secret world of plants. David Attenborough hosts the beauty and drama of this stagg... Read more