Popular Documentary Movies on Free Services - Page 122

St. Peter's and the Papal Basilicas of Rome 3D

2016

St. Peter's and the Papal Basilicas of Rome 3D

2016
8.5
The unveiled treasures in the year of the Extraordinary Jubilee. The Papal Basilicas of Rome seen as never before: St. Peter's, St. John in the Lateran, St Mary Major, St Paul Outside the Walls and the works of art enshrined within them. A film tour shot from previously unseen points of view with the latest-generation 3D and 4K technology.
My Mother India

2002

My Mother India

2002
Patricia Uberoi, an Australian woman, married an Indian professor in the 60s and moved to his home in New Delhi. They raised three children there, but the riots and the anti-Sikh feelings led to her encouraging her children to move to Australia. A documentary about a multicultural family becomes a commentary on the events surrounding the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
I Am Sam Kinison

2017

I Am Sam Kinison

2017
5.2
A feature-length documentary film exploring the life and legacy of shock comic Sam Kinison, a former Pentecostal preacher turned stand-up comic who repurposed his pulpit-honed chops to the brazen rock 'n roll world of MTV-era comedy.
While You Live, Shine

2018

While You Live, Shine

2018
7.8
A journey deep into the oldest music in the Western world, guided by an eccentric musicologist who has dedicated his life to understanding and preserving it.
Vernon Jordan: Make it Plain

2020

Vernon Jordan: Make it Plain

2020
From filmmaker Dawn Porter (who earlier this year directed "John Lewis: Good Trouble"), the film explores the remarkable journey of Jordan from modest Southern origins to national renown as a pioneering attorney, businessman, civil rights leader, and as a fixture (could one also say a "fixer?") on the DC scene. Jordan's story is told principally through a chronological narration of his life and accomplishment, most of it taken from recent (2019) interviews with and narration by Jordan himself. His early life in Atlanta is limned, where Jordan describes the treasured influence of his mother Mary and his early academic successes (including a law degree from Howard University). His activities in the civil rights movement in the 1960's and 1970's are highlighted, culminating in his ten-year tenure as director of the Urban League.
Reclaiming the Blade

2009

Reclaiming the Blade

2009
5.9
The Medieval and Renaissance blade, a profound and beautiful object handcrafted by master artisans of old. An object of great complexity, yet one with a singular use in mind- it is designed to kill. The truth of the sword has been shrouded in antiquity, and the Renaissance martial arts that brought it to being are long forgotten. The ancient practitioners lent us all they knew through their manuscripts. As gunslingers of the Renaissance they were western heroes with swords, and they lived and died by them. Yet today their history remains cloaked under a shadow of legend.
Classic Albums: Lou Reed - Transformer

2001

Classic Albums: Lou Reed - Transformer

2001
6.5
In 1972, Lou Reed's second solo album Transformer elevated him from a minor cult figure to one of the best known and most talked about artists in rock & roll, with its incisive portrait of the demimonde and the distinctive hit single "Walk on the Wild Side." Classic Albums: Lou Reed -- Transformer offers a look at the making of this landmark album, with Lou Reed and engineer Ken Scott offering an in-depth perspective on the recording sessions, and Herbie Flowers revealing how he came up with his memorable bass line for "Walk on the Wild Side."
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

2009

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

2009
6.6
An exploration of the appeal of horror films, with interviews of many legendary directors in the genre.
The Phenomenon

2020

The Phenomenon

2020
6.3
This documentary examines unidentified aerial phenomenon. With testimony from high-ranking government officials and NASA Astronauts, Senator Harry Reid says it "makes the incredible credible."
Made in Ethiopia

2024

Made in Ethiopia

2024
10
Made in Ethiopia examines China’s increasing impact on Africa through the story of charismatic businesswoman Motto, who is tasked with expanding the biggest Chinese industrial zone in Ethiopia.
Sexual Happiness

2012

Sexual Happiness

2012
Sex is a taboo topic in China, even though China is a large importer of the Japanese Adult Video (AV) industry. What happens when a Japanese adult video star such as Yui Hatano comes to China? This film shows the China's sexual liberation in a comedic way.
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes

2018

The Woman Who Loves Giraffes

2018
6.4
Dr. Anne Innis Dagg re-traces the steps of her groundbreaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild. Now, at 85 years old, Anne sees a startling contrast between the world of giraffes she once knew and the one it has become. Weaving through the past and present, her harrowing journey gives us an intimate look into the factors that destroyed her career and the forces that brought her back.
Anthony Quinn: An Original

1990

Anthony Quinn: An Original

1990
6.7
Born in Mexico, Anthony Quinn became the family's main provider when his father died in an accident. Thus began the story of a man who had a thousand jobs before acting in a Cecil B. DeMille film…
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History

2023

Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History

2023
6.9
America’s favorite board game, Monopoly, is a love letter to unbridled capitalism and the impulses that make our free-market society tick. Contrary to the folksy legend spread by Parker Brothers, Monopoly’s origin involves a radical feminist and a community of Quakers in Atlantic City. If not for the determination of an economics professor and impassioned anti-monopolist, the real story behind the creation of the game might never have come to light.
Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

2015

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

2015
7
August 16, 1977. All of America was stunned by the news of Elvis Presley's untimely passing. Some went so far as to believe that it couldn't be true. Somehow he had faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. First appearing in 1979, Orion recorded 11 albums and performed live to packed houses and rapturous fans around the nation. But who was the man behind the mask? In this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay exposes the incredible life of an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight with the complicity of a manipulative music industry and a public fan base unwilling to let The King go. Resonant in its themes of identity, fate, and the double-edged nature of fame, Orion is a stylish mystery story that finally gives a name and a face to a gifted artist who had been unjustly deprived of both.
The Slanted Screen

2006

The Slanted Screen

2006
10
From silent film star Sessue Hayakawa to Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle, the Slanted Screen examines the portrayal Asian men in film and television, and how new filmmakers are now re-defining age-old stereotypes.
A Son of Africa: The Autobiography of a Slave

1996

A Son of Africa: The Autobiography of a Slave

1996
A documentary following the life of Olaudah Equiano, based on his autobiography "The Interesting Narration of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African".
Six Hours: Surviving Typhoon Yolanda

2014

Six Hours: Surviving Typhoon Yolanda

2014
8.5
In the middle of a broadcast about Typhoon Yolanda's initial impact, reporter Jiggy Manicad was faced with the reality that he no longer had communication with his station. They were, for all intents and purposes, stranded in Tacloban. With little option, and his crew started the six hour walk to Alto, where the closest broadcast antenna was to be found. Letting the world know what was happening to was a priority, but they were driven by the need to let their families and friends know they were all still alive. Along the way, they encountered residents and victims of the massive typhoon, and with each step it became increasingly clear just how devastating this storm was. This was a storm that was going to change lives.
Picture of Light

1994

Picture of Light

1994
6.7
A documentary of an expedition to Churchill, Manitoba to film the Northern Lights.
Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film

2017

Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film

2017
The film follows Postcommodity, an interdisciplinary arts collective comprised of Raven Chacon, Cristóbal Martinez and Kade L. Twist, who put land art in a tribal context. The group bring together a community to construct the Repellent Fence, a two-mile long ephemeral monument “stitching” together the US and Mexico.