Documentaries are a great way to learn about any type of topic. From history, events, places, and people, there’s no shortages of documentaries. Whether it’s just a one-off special, or a series, documentaries range in subject and style.
The best types of documentaries are one that aren’t only informative and educational, but entertaining. No fun watching an old college professor just plainly explain something. Narration, whether in the voice – sounds, and emotions, and above all delivery – is a big factor in one’s enjoyment of that documentary. How it’s told, the flow, or re-enactments. The music, atmosphere, and tone convey the setting and theme.
I love documentaries, and learning new things. It was hard picking only a handful of my favourite, but these are the ones I love rewatching, or left a big impact on me.
So here are my 5 favourite documentaries!
5. CNN The Decades Series
Watching this series during CNN’s summer program was a lot of fun. Covering each decade from the 1960s to the 2000s, it does primarily focus on American history, but does relate to the wider world.
Seven episodes with each decade, each episode is centered around a topic, either specific to that decade (like the counterculture of the 60s, or the AIDS scare in the 80s) or a general topic (like television changing with each decade). Whether it looks at the music of the decade, or political moments, each episode makes that decade unique.
Watching it chronologically is much better, because you get a sense of continuity, a journey through time and history. Seeing the beginning, middle, and (so far) where it ends.
Though each episode does highlight aspects of each decade, it’s not done at the sacrifice of substance. Getting interview from historians, experts in certain fields, and just regular people who either lived in that decade as adults, were raised in it, or grew up in a certain time of the decade. There is enough information leaving you satisfied.
It’s delivered in a well-paced, entertaining way, using footage from each decade on the topic to make you feel like you’re actually there, adding legitimacy to the documentary. If you love pop culture history, I definitely recommend you give this series a viewing. I’d love for CNN to do other decades like the 1950s, 40s, 30s, and eventually, the 2010s.
4. Hockey: A People’s History
I watched this series in University for my hockey history class. Clearly, I had a great professor!
Ten episodes cover hockey’s history, from its creation in 1875 to the start of the 21st century. It’s told from a more personal perspective, giving voices to players, people, and witnesses who have long passed. And it also interview some famous hockey players like Ken Dryden, and Wayne Gretzky.
If you’re just looking for a documentary on the NHL, you might be a bit disappointed. But hockey is more than just the NHL. There’s women’s hockey, international hockey. But it does focus on the NHL a good amount, so I recommend stating around to watch this.
The narration by Paul Gross is fantastic. His voice and delivery is so soothing, makes you feel peaceful. The re-enactments, costumes, everything fits the various time periods visited. I actually felt transported to the turn of the century towns, villages, and cities throughout Canada.
And that’s where this documentary really shines. Highlighting the evolution of the sport, and the impact it’s had on not only those involved, but the culture, social, economic, and political impacts and changes over time. From discussing the Original Six, the 1972 Summit Series, and Olympic hockey, all this and more, is told in ten 45-minute episodes. The pacing is a bit slower, but in a good way. It takes the time to let the moments, facts, and stories settle in.
I recently rewatched this in the winter, and maybe it was the dark night, or the snow falling outside, the light of the fire going, or all three, made me feel even more immersed than I did in the classroom.
I love hockey, but this documentary really made me appreciate it, and its history, even more.
3. National Geographic’s Secrets of the Titanic
“For the fate of this ship still captures the imagination, and her name is a synonym for tragedy.”
What a great opening narration by Martin Sheen. Coupled with the sombre piano in the background, this perfectly sets the tone, theme, and angle of this documentary.
This documentary, though only an hour long, made me fall in love and become obsessed with the Titanic.
It’s narration by Martin Sheen is amazing. He has serious, emotional, and almost depressing parts throughout the piece. In tangent with the music throughout, it tugs at your heart strings.
You journey back to a bygone era, the early 20th century, when ocean liner’s ruled the sea, and the world. Mass immigration, huge industrial inventions and changes. The wealth made even wealthier.
Split into two parts, first focusing on the Titanic, it’s relevance to history, the world at the time, in terms of its economic, social, and cultural impact. Then focusing on the discovery of the greatest ship ever built, by Dr. Robert Ballard. Using real-life footage of the discovery makes this more impactful, interviews from Ballard during the discovery, and after, makes you feel like you’re down there, over 12,000 feet below.
Using pictures from the ship, both in Belfast harbour, on her maiden (and only) voyage, and lifeboats with survivors, further help you transport back in time. Then seeing the wreck, the rust, decay, the debris field, objects from the past, now at the bottom of the ocean floor, really add poignancy to the disaster.
This documentary is very accessible to newcomers on the topic, and it inspired me to give my Grade. 5 speech on this ship. The quote I gave is still true today for myself, and the those around the world, who are still enthralled with Titanic, its sinking, discovery, and wreck.
2. Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War
I stumbled upon this on the T.V. when it came out in 2017.
Wow, was I hooked instantly!
I knew very little of the Vietnam War, but after watching this documentary, I began studying it more. Now that’s a documentary.
Ken Burns did a phenomenal job creating this documentary. He took on a more personal, human side of the conflict. And most importantly, he got interviews from all sides; American, North and South Vietnamese, Viet Cong. From the soldiers, civilians, administrators throughout the governments; this doesn’t feel one-sided, and the best documentaries are just that. Present all angles, and this allows all sides to be more fleshed out, more human, and emotional.
You journey through the conflict, from opening stages of the French-Indochina war, to America’s involvement, to the fall of Saigon. It feels complete. The style, cinematography, and editing are perfect.
Each episode takes on a theme, a certain angle, weaving it throughout the episode, all relating back to the war. Relating especially to the divisiveness and hatred of the war, the growing counterculture, its impact on American society, it captivated me from beginning to end.
Using previously unheard recordings from key figures like President Johnson, Robert McNamara, really sheds light on this controversial war, and Earth-shattering period in history. And using a variety of pictures certainly helps.
Of course, music from the 1960s and 70s are played in the episodes, but ending it with the Beatles’ ‘Let it Be’ sends the message and topic home to viewers. The narration, from Peter Coyote, leaves you sombre, wanting to help, but that time, and the war, is long gone.
This can be a difficult documentary to get through, given the mature subject, the nature of the war, and the divisiveness, and ugliness of it.
If you’re looking for a stepping stone to understanding the Vietnam War, I absolutely recommend this one.
1. Disasters of the Century
One Friday night, when I was 12 years old, my dad and I came across a documentary television series on the History Channel. I was glued to the T.V. that night, and when I went to bed, I lay awake thinking of that documentary, making a promise to watch it every time it was on.
It’s called Disasters of the Century. The first episode I watched was about a flood in a small British Columbia town.
From then on, I made good on my promise, watching the show every opportunity I got (this was before the days of PVR).
This documentary series is amazing. Not just because it’s Canadian. But it’s done very well.
Each hour was split into two episodes; one disaster in Canada, and another around the world. That way this series appeals to both Canadians and worldwide viewers. And it helps give scope and scale to the series.
Focusing on disasters of the 20th century, you learn some very interesting things. From obscure disasters that have been forgotten, to ones only affecting a small community, to those with larger impacts, this is a series where you can be educated and entertained all at once. You learn so much history, especially highlighting towns, cultures, and ways of life in different time periods and places of Canada and the world. You learn where health and safety laws came into place.
And the disasters range, from earthquakes to hurricanes, fires, shipwrecks, plane crashes, and many, many more. Often times a theme is tied in.
Narration – and its writing – and music are well done, especially when reacting the disaster part, the music is haunting, foreboding. Sends a chill up your spine, depending on the scale of the disaster and loss of life. How descriptive it is, and the structure of telling the story, from the premise, setting up the place before the disasters, the actual disaster, it’s impact and aftermath, all amazing.
By using a mixture of re-enactments and photographs, and news, or hand-held video clips, you’re transported to that place in time; Oklahoma in 1974 during Tornado season; a mining town in Alberta during the early 1910s; you’re going through history.
But most importantly, it’s the interviews with survivors and family members of victims that shine the best. Giving you first hand, emotional, genuine human stories, making you more connected to the event.
Interestingly, I leaned about a massive flood that occurred in Holland in 1953, and when discussing this with my uncle, he told me he lived through that flood, giving me his personal account of it all!
This series inspired me to understand and learn more about history, and I ended up doing my Grade. 8 public speaking assignment on several disasters in the series. I cannot recommend this series enough, and fortunately, it’s on YouTube. So thankfully, I’ve been able to rewatch it.
Well that’s my list of my top 5 favourite documentaries. What about you? What are some of your favourite? What do you look for in documentaries, and what do you like most about them? Comment below!
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