Highest-Rated Movies about 'Historical Documentary'

Watermarks (2004), Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000), King Leopold's Ghost (2006), Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (2002), Apollo 11 (2019), Tower (2016), 89 (2017), Sacco and Vanzetti (1971) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Historical Documentary movies.

#1. Watermarks (2004)

Storyline: Taking its name from the Hebrew word for strength, the Hakoah Vienna sports club produced a host of talented female swimmers, who thrived in opposition to anti-Semitic trends that began to color Austrian society in the early 20th century. The club was a casualty of Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s, but several of the women who were team members went on to live long, colorful lives. Now senior citizens, they're reunited in this documentary about sports, survival and bravery.

Plot Keywords: documentary, jewish, holocaust, history, women, sports, austria ...

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#2. Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000)

Storyline: Following the end of apartheid in South Africa during the 1990s, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to pursue social justice, and this acclaimed documentary focuses on some of the stories that emerged from the organization's cases. Although renowned leader Bishop Desmond Tutu appears, the film focuses primarily on everyday people, both white and black, who committed appalling crimes during apartheid and came to the commission seeking forgiveness.

Plot Keywords: documentary, apartheid, south africa, human rights, justice, forgiveness, historical ...

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#5. Apollo 11 (2019)

Storyline: On its fiftieth anniversary, the events surrounding the actual Apollo 11 space mission are presented solely using archival footage and still photographs of or associated with the mission. The events span from the eleventh hour preparations for the launch to shortly after the safe touchdown of the capsule with its three astronauts back on Earth. The mission is historic as the first time humans had stepped on the surface of the Earth's moon. It arguably made household names of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as the first and second to walk on the moon, and slightly less so for the third astronaut, Michael Collins, who remained inside the capsule at the time. It was arguably the most dangerous space mission at the time in part to the astronauts leaving the safety of the capsule.—Huggo

Plot Keywords: space exploration, documentary, nasa, historical event, astronauts, space race, cold war ...

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#7. 89 (2017)

Storyline: 89 tells the incredible story of one of football's greatest triumphs: when against all odds Arsenal snatched the Championship title from Liverpool at Anfield in the last minute of the last game of the 1988/89 season. It's a universal tale of a band of brothers who, led by a charismatic and deeply respected manager, came together to defy the odds and create history. Mixing archive and previously unseen footage with revealing interviews, insights and memories from the original squad, game officials, famous fans and the people who were there on the night this is the definitive account of a watershed moment in football and a must-watch for any sports fan.

Plot Keywords: history, politics, soviet union, revolution, democracy, protest, cold war ...

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#8. Sacco and Vanzetti (1971)

Storyline: In 1920, the anarchist Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volonté) are sentenced to death, falsely accused of a robbery and murder. Indeed they are condemned due to their political beliefs, in one of the most shameful and hypocrite judgments of the human history.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords: history, documentary, political, social justice, immigration, anarchism, trial ...

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#9. The Celluloid Closet (1996)

Storyline: This documentary highlights the historical contexts that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders have occupied in cinema history, and shows the evolution of the entertainment industry's role in shaping perceptions of LGBT figures. The issues addressed include secrecy -- which initially defined homosexuality -- as well as the demonization of the homosexual community with the advent of AIDS, and finally the shift toward acceptance and positivity in the modern era.

Plot Keywords: documentary, lgbtq+, film history, hollywood, film industry, historical, adaptation ...

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#10. Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (1993)

Storyline: Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Keywords: documentary, cinematography, art, film history, hollywood, visual art, interviews ...

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#11. Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press (1996)

Storyline: The profile of controversial journalist George Seldes and a piercing examination of America's news media. Narrated by Susan Sarandon, with readings of writings by Ed Asner, this Academy Award-nominated film includes stunning archival materials.—Anonymous

Plot Keywords: documentary, press freedom, historical documentary, investigative reporting, censorship, journalistic ethics, free speech ...

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#12. The Rape of Europa (2006)

Storyline: THE RAPE OF EUROPA takes the audience on a journey through seven countries telling a story of greed and warfare that threatened the artistic heritage of Europe. For twelve years, the Nazis looted and destroyed art. Young art historians and curators from America and across Europe fought back, mounting a campaign to rescue and return countless art works displaced by the war. Joan Allen narrates this chronicle about the battle over centuries of western culture.—Actual Films

Plot Keywords: world war ii, nazis, cultural heritage, documentary, europe, jews, history ...

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#14. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

Storyline: In 1994, a group of scientists discovered a cave in Southern France perfectly preserved for over 20,000 years and containing the earliest known human paintings. Knowing the cultural significance that the Chauvet Cave holds, the French government immediately cut-off all access to it, save a few archaeologists and paleontologists. But documentary filmmaker, Werner Herzog, has been given limited access, and now we get to go inside examining beautiful artwork created by our ancient ancestors around 32,000 years ago. He asks questions to various historians and scientists about what these humans would have been like and trying to build a bridge from the past to the present.—napierslogs

Plot Keywords: documentary, france, archaeology, art history, cultural heritage, natural history, exploration ...

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