This is it. The end of the lists. Finally! So the other day I posted the best documentaries of the decade as selected by a group of acclaimed documentary filmmakers. Now, we’ve got The Documentary Blog’s own top 50 docs of the decade. I was originally aiming for 25 but I just couldn’t cut it down, so 50 will have to do. Let me stress that this list represents my own personal opinion and nothing more. Hopefully some people can use this as a starting point to check out some great films. Feel free to share your own lists in the comments and let me know what I missed! One thing’s for sure; it has been a great decade for documentaries!
50. Rize (LaChapelle, 2005) — Trailer
49. The Smashing Machine (Hyams, 2002) — Trailer
48. Lost in La Mancha (Fulton & Pepe, 2002) — Trailer
47. Dig! (Timoner, 2004) — Trailer
46. Protagonist (Yu, 2007) — Trailer
45. Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story (Berger & Klores, 2005) — Trailer
44. Bowling for Columbine (Moore, 2002)
43. Rank (Hyams, 2006) — Trailer
42. Our Daily Bread (Geyrhalter, 2005) — Trailer
41. Helvetica (Hustwit, 2007) — Trailer
40. New World Order (Meyer & Neel, 2009) — Trailer
39. Best Worst Movie (Stephenson, 2009) — Trailer
38. The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009) — Trailer
37. Kurt Cobain: About a Son (Schnack, 2006) — Trailer
36. Tyson (Toback, 2008) — Trailer
35. Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Gervasi, 2008) — Trailer
34. When the Levee’s Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (Lee, 2006)
33. Bus 174 (Padilha & Lacerda, 2002)
32. God Grew Tired of Us (Quinn & Walker, 2006) — Trailer
31. The Bridge (Steel, 2006) — Trailer
30. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Kuenne, 2008) — Trailer
29. 9/11 (Hanlon, Klug & Naudet, 2002) — Clip
28. The White Diamond (Herzog, 2004) — Clip
27. Deep Water (Osmond & Rothwell, 2006) — Trailer
26. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (Nelson, 2006) — Trailer
25. Murder on a Sunday Morning (de Lestrade, 2001)
24. Hell House (Ratliff, 2001) — Trailer
23. Dark Days (Singer, 2000) — Trailer
22. Billy the Kid (Venditti, 2007) — Trailer
21. Crazy Love (Klores & Stevens, 2007) — Trailer
20. Young @ Heart (Walker & George, 2007) — Trailer
19. Fog of War (Morris, 2003) — Trailer
18. Zoo (Devor, 2007) — Trailer
17. Stevie (James, 2002) — Trailer
16. Man on Wire (Marsh, 2008) — Trailer
15. Spellbound (Blitz, 2002) — Trailer
14. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Gordon, 2007) — Trailer
13. This American Life (Series) (Glass, 2007) — Trailer
12. Standard Operating Procedure (Morris, 2008) — Trailer
11. Touching the Void (Macdonald, 2003) — Trailer
10. Lake of Fire (Kaye, 2006) — Trailer
9. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (Berlinger & Sinofsky, 2004) — Trailer
8. Encounters at the End of the World (Herzog, 2007) — Trailer
7. Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) (Kohn, 2007) — Trailer
6. The Staircase (de Lestrade, 2004) — Clip
5. Capturing the Friedmans (Jarecki, 2003) — Trailer
4. The English Surgeon (Smith, 2007) — Trailer
3. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (Berlinger & Sinofsky, 2000) — Clip
2. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Feuerzeig, 2005) — Trailer
1. Grizzly Man (Herzog, 2005) — Trailer
Thanks for putting the list together Jay, gonna start ticking them off slowly now, hopefully most are on iTunes.
No 49 Up? Do you even like documentaries?
Nice, finally a list I can take to go through some classics.
#30 would be my #1, but #1 would be my #2. Great list, Jay.
Jim the Movie Freak
These are some great ones! I love when you post lists like these because I always end up finding something I haven’t seen yet. Thanks, Jay!
Matthew my dear: I considered 49 Up but I feel that film works best as a series along with the others, so I will be saving it for my updated ‘best of all time’ type list.
BTW….I miss you. And your Dr.Pepper too.
Nice call on Manda Bala – I’d forgotten about that one.
Missing tv documentaries
Great list, Jay as I agree with you on many choices.
Anyway, three docs are missing and I don’t know if you’ve seen them and if you have not you should do so as I consider both to be outstanding.
First one is MY KID COULD PAINT THAT (2007) which is about a very young girl who creates all those abstract paintings. It has been discussed whether she got some advice or more form her dad and it’s also a film about the value of art plus about the value of documentaries as the filmmaker reflects on his own work during the film. Very entertaining and thought-provoking stuff, Jay. I am sure you like it!
Second one is CHILDREN UNDERGROUND (2001) which depicts life of a group of Romanian street kids. This is very hard to watch and it left my quite depressed. Anyway I think it’s a film one should not miss as you really get an idea how life on the streets could be like (I guess to know it can only be gained if really doing it). The filmmaker shows the whole complexity of this topic as the kids are mostly runaways. Maybe you cannot believe how they can live under the conditions shown in the film but getting deeper into the background of the kids one begins to understand.
Third one being HOME (2009) which focusses on pur planet. Using only shots taken from high above it’s an awesome looking love letter to earth. It works very much with the combination of stunning imagery and music which I think you really like (in filmjunk you often mention how much music affects you in docs, like Philip Glass or Brian Eno). And it shows the danger mankind has created to its home. Totally without all those figures and data Guggenheim used in his film but ony with imagery and narration. It’s my #1 doc of the decade.
btw: as PARADISE LOST 2 ranks that high on your list. Have you watched the first part? I think it’s so much better as it wasn’t taking any sides. That the second part did and I really disliked that. It’s just an exploitation-flick about this pitiful guy.
Here’s a short list of my favorite docs of the decade:
01. HOME (2009)
02. MY KID COULD PAINT THAT (2007)
03. JESUS CAMP (2006)
04. SPELLBOUND (2002)
05. THE COVE (2009)
06. ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (2007)
07. CHILDREN UNDERGROUND (2001)
08. MAN ON WIRE (2008)
09. ETRE ET AVOIR (2000)
10. THE KING OF KONG (2007)
11. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (2003)
12. THE WHITE DIAMOND (2004)
13. INSIDE DEEP THROAT (2004)
14. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006)
15. DELIVER US FROM EVIL (2006)
[...] Sinofsky, 2000) 2. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Feuerzeig, 2005) 1. Grizzly Man (Herzog, 2005) The Documentary Blog’s Top 25 Documentaries of the Decade – The Documentary Blog __________________ {EVAN} ::: POSTERS [...]
[...] Cheel’s The Documentary Blog lays it in with purpose – “Grizzly Man,” Number [...]
But do you miss our late night trips to Wal-Mart?
*sigh*
One of these days I need to be on the Film Junk podcast so I can ask Greg if you seductively touch him every time you sit down, or if that was just your special gift to me.
I think “Mad Hot Ballroom” needs to be on this list.
Thanks Jay, this will guide my netflix queueing for the next few months.
Great list
I especially agree with
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (Nelson, 2006) 
Murder on a Sunday Morning (de Lestrade, 2001)
Billy the Kid (Venditti, 2007) 
Crazy Love (Klores & Stevens, 2007)
Lake of Fire (Kaye, 2006)
The English Surgeon (Smith, 2007)
but what about No End in Sight
the best and definitive film on the invasion of Iraq
Oh thanks JayC for providing me , such a collection of classics. I really love to watch some reality videos and nothing is better than documentaries
Rolf: I did enjoy My Kid Could Paint That, but couldn’t find a spot for it on my list. I also liked The Children Underground. I have yet to watch Home, but it’s on my to-do list.
I have seen the first Paradise Lost and I enjoy it quite a bit. However, it seems as though I’m one of the few people who prefers part 2. I think Revelations sums up much of the content of part one while providing a more character driven experience. I always prefer character over plot and I’m not offended by a doc filmmaker taking advantage of cinematic conventions in their storytelling.
Jenny: I wasn’t really a fan of No End in Sight. I prefer a more personal, character driven experience. I enjoyed The War Tapes.
American Movie and Supersize Me could feel right at home on this list.
Honorable mention to King of Kong.
I’ve seen only a handful of these, so I’ve got to get going, but given what you’ve said on the podcast, I would’ve thought you would have MAN ON WIRE higher up. Still a great list, though.
I love Grizzly Man and watch it a couple of times per year. Man, I wish I could hear that tape! Do you think that crazy chick really destroyed it?
Grizzlyman is a true masterpiece..
herzog is a genius..
Great list Jay
WHERE THE FUCK IS NO DIRECTION HOME? DOCUMENTARY BLOG IS FAIL
Kudos for the inclusion of the The English Surgeon.
Excellent list, although “Dear Zachary” would be my number one also!
What about The Carter doc Lil Wayne’s Documentary
i mean if ur going with Metallica Wayne’s is a hell lot better
What about Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control? Also, Project Grizzly is phenomenal.
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[...] The Documentary Blog’s Top 50 Documentaries of the Decade [...]
anyone saw the fall of fujmori if you like mala bala youll like this one to, i personally think the the fall of fujmori was a bit better
Where is Objectified? I am surprised you don’t have it on your list. Most people I know who watched the film enjoyed it more than Helvetica.
I personally liked Helvetica better because it was a bit technical and offered a cross-cultural/historical view point. I think designers would find the latter film more engaging because the ideas raised are more conceptual and philosophical.
Also on Grizzly Man; I remember watching it at school in 2006 and thinking it was a good film but never realizing how good it actually was.
Don’t you just hate people with opinions.
Here isn’t my list because I know nobody really cares about people who comment in blogs. If your list is so superior make your own fucking blog.
Cheers Jay great Job, although “The white diamond” would be my number one. MEGA LOLZ ROFLCOPTER etc….
After watching The White Diamond by Herzog I was craving more awesome documentaries, and your blog was one of the first results for “best documentaries”. I was excited to find a list which also appreciated Herzog’s masterpieces, and I will definitely be checking out a bunch of these.
Thanks!
What a great list!
I found your list about two weeks ago and saw King of Kong because it was listed. It was terrific.
I have emailed recommendations as “MUST SEES” for K of K and English Surgeon to many in the last few days, and am glad I could tell them about these great movies.
These because of your great blog, thank you very much.
You might want to see The Man Who Souled the World, I think it and Dog Town and Z Boys would both be in my top 50 list.
CHEERS!
check out Big River Man. great character documentary.
1. dark days
2. the bridge
3. the devil and daniel johnston
Great site, Thanks for building a blog specifically for us Documentary nuts!
really glad to see touching the void on there. for me personally my favourite type of documentaries are those that cover incredible feats of humans that are pushed to the extremes. if Void makes it then ‘the beckoning silence’ must also. told by joe simpson from void it is a truly fascinating story set on the Eiger in the alps.
1. Touching the void
2. HOME
3. The beckoning silence
4. Grizzly man
5. Man on wire
I love ‘ The kid stays in the picture’
Also- Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Jackpot! Thank you!
great list, but somebody needs to mention these classics!!
salesman
grey gardens
silverlake life – the view from here
sans soleil
hoop dreams
gates of heaven
streetwise
southern comfort
sorrow and pity
devils playground
titticut follies (everything frederick wiseman)
black tar heroin
harlan county USA
shoah
my flesh and blood
sound and fury
word wars
saltmen of tibet
ahh
“best documentaries of the decade”
doh
I have to say I absolutely love doumentaries also. I love when a documentary makes you think about it for day and weeks after you have seen it. I would have put “Billy the Kid alot higher up on the list and also added “Sister Helen” an unconventional nun determined to help substance abusers in the South Bronx.
Love it.
Also, if you are looking for an objective argument as to why weed is illegal/why it should be legal with celebrities, doctors, real people (not just hippies so they can get high all the time) watch:
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High.
Good stuff
Why no Murder Ball?
I also love Confessions of a Super Hero. Have you seen these two films? What’s your take on them?
[...] Ideas for Documentaries Filed under: Uncategorized — ehogshead @ 4:17 am http://www.thedocumentaryblog.com/index.php/2010/01/05/the-documentary-blogs-top-25-documentaries-of... [...]
Children of the Decree..
For music documentaries I would add
Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen
and Air Guitar Nation
For documentaries about fascinating artists I would add
In the Realms of the Unreal
Monster Road
The Revolution will not be Televised is one of all time favourites. It was shot by two Irish film-makers who were inside the Venezuelan Presidential Palace during the 2003 CIA-backed coup. It still sends shivers down my spine when I watch it.
Groovy list … have seen many on your list (Dear Zachary is by far, my fav) and others I have not (but adding to my Netflix que now).
If you haven’t seen “Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo” or “Winnebago Man” – rent them now. Pronto.
Umm…HOOP DREAMS…hello?
@Shawn Hoop Dreams was made in 1994
The White Diamond would be my number 1
I would also put Jandek On Corwood on the list
One that I haven’t seen on here yet but would definitely be high in my list (like, within my top two or three) is Into the Arms of Strangers (2000).
This is sophomoric.
The protagonist should be higher.
The king of kong is entertaining but top fifty, get real.
Terrors advocate isn’t even on your list, pathetic, where is the panama deception?
The fog of war is 19, but where is errol morris, you’re obvioulsy a step away from offering werner herzog a bj but for shit’s sakes, where’s errol morris? Mr. Death, the thin blue line, holy shit, did i say the thin blue line?
Man, i’m going to check out some of your stuff, but this is a top fifty, not the “fifty i’ve seen”.
How about “A Touch of Greatness”.
That’s it i’m done, Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.
And just in case you didn’t know, I send no good tiding to your mother.
Dean
yeah, the bridge, forget it i’m done, seriously, no good tidings
aww hell, didn’t see “of the decade”. For my partial defense, it wasn’t what was said in the google search.
Some of what i said rings true, but but chicken butts.
dean
Thanks for the great comments and suggestions Dean!
I will send your regards to my Mother.
Jay
Great List … but how can Why We Fight not be on this list it’s beyond comprehension …
Loose Change?
Intimidad. I think this is unfortunately overlooked.
Incredible : http://www.lesinrocks.com/scripts/concours_speciaux/fredperry/vote.php?id=138&grp=Venustre&img=venustre.bmp
Great list! Slowly working my way through it, i watched ‘The English Surgeon’ lastnight it was terrific!
I feel ‘Up the Yangtze’ should be on this list too
There’s this shocking documentary called ‘Catfish’. Watch the trailer here:
http://bit.ly/anE6RZ
Where’s SHOAH?
great list thanks for sharing.
Weapons of mass deception. Check it out please.It’s my number 1 of this decade for sure.
Excellent list, Jay. Thank you!
Grizzy Man is superb.
I would have included “My Flesh and Blood” too.
have you seen Trouble the Water, if not i think you would like it. thanks for this blog!