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Last Updated: October 31st
History tends to be one of those subjects you either find insanely boring or massively fascinating. Often that comes down to the execution of the history being conveyed — because Dan Carlin sadly doesn’t have enough time in the day to narrate every historical story to us.
Below we’ve compiled a list of some of the best historical documentaries on Netflix. These are the outliers, the moments of pure insanity, and the movements that have shaped our world.
Related: The 10 Best Food Documentaries On Netflix Right Now
Chuck Norris Vs. Communism (2015)
Chuck Norris has gone from a revered ’80s strongman to a early aughts meme to a Ted Nugent level conservative. It’s been a hell of a career. For Americans he was a martial arts wielding American hero, but for Romanians he was a beacon of hope for a world free from the yoke of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist madness. The film chronicles and recreates the clandestine work of a few Romanians who were inspired to fight for freedom by watching Chuck Norris movies in 1980’s Romania.
It’s inspiring, kinda corny, and genuinely endearing.
The Look Of Silence (2014)
This film is best watched as a double feature after The Act Of Killing (which is no longer available on Netflix). Killing is considered a seminal documentary experience by recreating the atrocities of the Indonesian government against anti-Suharto Indonesians with the people who meted out those atrocities. It’s a harrowing look at the banality of evil. The Look Of Silence flips the script and delves into what it was like for the victims of that wanton violence. Together the films provide a look into what CIA-led US meddling looks like on the ground. And it’s terrifying.
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
This is the film that birthed the true crime genre (for the most part) — Serial, Making A Murderer, et al owe their form and drama to Errol Morris’ seminal masterpiece. The film follows the prosecution of Randall Dale Adams for the murder of police officer Robert Wood. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, interviews, and revelations that never let up.
If you love the true crime genre, this is an absolute must-watch.
13th (2016)
Ava DuVernay’s follow up to Selma is a bleak look at the life and times of African Americans stemming from the 13th amendment to present day. It’s essential viewing for anyone who doesn’t understand how the justice system sets so many up to fail.
AWAKE, A Dream From Standing Rock (2017)
The Standing Rock protest ended earlier this year. So this is a documentation of living history. The film showcases the ideology behind the water protectors and their stand against an oil pipeline construction that threatens the environment. It’s a harrowing portrayal of corporate and government oppression writ large as the water protectors are constantly assaulted in an attempt to break the protest lines.
American Experience: Ruby Ridge (2017)
PBS’s American Experience consistently puts out one-hour documentaries that take deep looks at events throughout American history. This installment on the Ruby Ridge fiasco is a clear-eyed examination of the history of the Randy Weaver, his family, and a friend who made a stand against the United States Marshalls when they were trying to serve a warrant for firearms charges against Weaver. A shootout ensued and three people ended up dead — one US Marshall, Weavers wife, and his 14-year-old son. It was a harrowing moment in American history that crystallized the far right against the US government.
Best Of Enemies (2015)
It’s hard to not see a connection between the events of this film and today’s cultural and political situation. Gore Vidal and William Buckley’s televised punditry arguably created the political media churn. Was it worth it? For every Vidal and Buckley there’s now a Maddow and Bannon. Best Of Enemies is a necessary look into how the news media started down a path where politics became entertainment.
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
This documentary finds director Werner Herzog spelunking into the Chauvet caves where the oldest known paintings by humans remain. It’s a fascinating look at our very human desire for discovery, our desire for creation and recreation, and a look into where we came from as a species.
In short: it’s a 20,000-year-old tangible chapter of our history, laid bare on some cave walls in France, by a guy who got shot during an interview hardly flinched.
Life Itself (2014)
The life of Roger Ebert may seem like too personal a history to include in an overall history post, but his life spanned half the total history of film and that’s worth celebrating.Life Itself offers a window into the world of film and a great journalist’s American experience.
Reel Injun (2009)
Racism in America is institutionalized. If you don’t think it is, give Reel Injun a watch. Indigenous filmmaker Neil Diamond travels the US and Canada in Indian Country to examine how Hollywood’s perception of native America has influenced our entire conception of Native Americans in a massively negative way. It’s essential viewing for anyone trying to get a modicum of purchase on what it means to live in a country with institutionalized racism.
extra money never was this easy
from Carlos B2 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uproxx/features/~3/2W7fh57mn7k/
via carlosbastarache216.blogspot.com/
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