War Docos
Innovative German film-maker Leni Riefenstahl's pioneering masterwork epic "Triumph of the Will" (1934) was explicitly propagandistic yet historical in its spectacular yet horrifying documentation of the Nazi Party Congress rally in Nuremberg in 1934. It was a revolutionary film combining superb cinematography and editing of Third Reich propaganda. She also documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the stunning film "Olympia" (1938) - with graceful and beautiful images of 'Aryan' athletes in competition. To respond to the Nazi propaganda, Frank Capra was commissioned by the US War Department to direct seven films in a "Why We Fight" (1943) series of narrated WWII newsreel-style films. The first in the series, "Prelude to War," a look at the events from 1931-1939, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942. These and many other truely great War Documentaries, including the BBC's brilliant "World At War" series, are available by scrolling below.
Right: William Wyler's Academy Award winning "The Memphis Belle"Â
Korengal (2014)
6.8/10
Director: Sebastian Junger
"Korengal" picks up where "Restrepo" left off; the same men, the same valley, the same commanders, but a very different look at the experience of war.... Read more
KZ (2005)
7.3/10
Director: Rex Bloomstein
On the Austrian banks of the river Danube, lies the picturesque town of Mauthausen. Tour guides come to work here every day while nearby, the locals g... Read more
Land Mines: A Love Story (2004)
5/10
Director: Dennis O'Rourke
Controversial filmmaker Dennis O'Rourke ('Cunnamulla', 'The Good Woman of Bangkok') presents another narrative documentary that finds the heart and hu... Read more
Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
7.6/10
Director: Rory Kennedy
Starring: Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger
In the final weeks of the Vietnam War, American servicemen and others begin the difficult mission of evacuating as many friends, family members and So... Read more
Liberation (Simon Wiesenthal Collection) (1994)
7.7/10
Director: Arnold Schwartzman
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Miriam Margolyes, Narrated by, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, J...
From the acclaimed 'Simon Wiesenthal Collection' comes this dramatic documentary detailing the allied campaign to liberate Europe, and Hitler's genoci... Read more
Living with the Enemy (2008)
5.4/10
Director: Karsten Laske
This is the story of the years between the end of World War II and the founding of the two German states: 1945 to 1949, which proved to be a decisive... Read more
Long Tan: The True Story (2006)
8.6/10
In the gathering dusk of 18 August 1966, 108 young, inexperienced Australian and NZ soldiers are separated and surrounded, fighting for their lives, h... Read more
Lost in Libya (2009)
Director: Dan Henry
Starring: Roberto Chiarvetto, Brendan O'Carroll (II), Kuno Gross
Follow three 'history hunters' on a journey through the Sahara Desert in Libya. This mixed group of adventurers share a common interest; that of findi... Read more
Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic (2007)
6.6/10
Director: Christopher Spencer
Starring: John Hannah, Kenneth Cranham
Documentary filmmaker Christopher Spencer uncovers the truth about the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in this docudrama that gets to the heart of the my... Read more
Mein Kampf (1961)
3.6/10
Director: Erwin Leiser
Starring: Claude Stephenson, Narrated by
The origins of Nazi Germany and Hitler's rise to power are covered in this engrossing documentary from Sweden that uses rare German newsreel footage,... Read more