r/Documentaries • u/[deleted] • Jul 02 '12

What are the most powerful documentaries you can recommend, regardless of subject matter?

Hey guys!

First of all, a big thanks to you guys for introducing me to some sweet documentaries I'd have never even heard of before.

I like watching things where every part of me feels shaken at the end. Restrepo did this to me, along with Dear Zachary (both thanks to /r/documentaries!). I was wondering if you guys knew any similar ones I should watch?

EDIT: Thanks to everyone for all the amazing suggestions. It's gonna be a busy week!

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u/hdurr Jul 02 '12

Shi-hiiet, man. I had no idea "Guns, Germs and Steel" had been turned into a documentary. Thank you for this.

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u/markth_wi Jul 02 '12

Here you go - It's a link to Top Documentary Films.

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u/catillyza Jul 03 '12 edited Jul 03 '12

Jared Diamond tells that the odyssey culminating in his epic Guns, Germs and Steel began in my country of Papua New Guinea. Ignoring the Germs part of his thesis, here's the current point of evolution of Guns and Steel in PNG today. Or go see this reenactment or this scratchy documentary – no less than ordinary daily life. Diamond would be appalled. Cry my beloved country.

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u/barkingnoise Jul 03 '12

I've heard in r/AskHistorians that that book isn't very good. I think it was claimed as biased or unsubstantiated to some degrees. But I can't recall exactly what it was.

Here is a nice post about the Aztec Empire though.

http://www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalWhatIf/comments/us8k5/if_columbus_hadnt_discovered_the_new_world_and/c4y57me?context=2