Documentary film stands apart from the feature film. The fact is that the goals pursued by these types of art are quite different. If we are talking about a feature film, then, obviously, we do not expect a maximum approximation to reality. Rather, we are interested in the gaming component, from which we get real pleasure. This is the main difference between the documentary and the feature film.
When it comes to the elaboration of reality, that which takes place in the immediate environment, here we enter the field of non-fiction spectacle. The theme of documentary films is nonetheless comprehensive. Here are the events of our time in their refraction by the era, and scientific facts, and incredible hypotheses, cultural phenomena, the life of celebrities. You can list as many as you like. And interest in documentary films is no longer caused by the plot, not by crazy special effects, although without them it is very difficult to imagine the products of the modern workshop of moving pictures, but by the very truth of life that the director is trying to convey.
Therefore, here, as in the art workshop, there are ratings, Oscars, successful ribbons and frank failures. It is very difficult to cover the whole world of this unusual movie. Therefore, we will try to consider the rating of the best documentaries, according to many Internet resources, without claiming the ultimate truth, but with the desire to be useful to the reader.
"Senna"
Numerous publications and sources put various paintings in the first place. But almost everyone agrees that Senna is a great documentary masterpiece. The tragic fate of a great man is already a huge trump card in the hands of a skilled director. And if we are talking about such an exciting thing as car racing at maximum speeds, it is not surprising that many consider this film a real work of art.
And the point is not that the plot is built around a truly dramatic story of a great man. It’s just that the director managed to show the wizard of the steering wheel, the skilled rider of many hundreds of horses by a man - ordinary and completely extraordinary. Each of us is bright in something of his own. Senna was like that in a car race. He lived them, and his fate attracts not so much tragedy as an unbridled thirst for life and the desire to be the first on the planet. So he remained in the hearts of millions of fans. Of course, an outstanding film about a great man.
"Journey to the edge of the universe"
The rating of the best documentaries continues with a wonderful tape about how our galaxy was formed, as well as about the fundamental laws of nature laid down with the emergence of our universe. This project impresses not only with the beauty of computer graphics, abundantly used by the creators of this masterpiece, but also with an excellent sound range.
Films about space, documentary or feature, always excite imagination, inspire to learn something new not only about their immediate surroundings, but also about distant open spaces that cannot be captured by the ordinary human eye. "Journey to the edge of the universe" belongs to this category. I want to watch it again, the video sequence is so beautiful and attractive. As for the actual material, it does not just remain in the head, they want to brag about their acquaintances and friends. This film definitely broadens the mind and understanding of what is happening in our vast universe.
Oceans
Documentary films about nature are always incredibly interesting, beautiful and informative. The next tape in the review tells about the magic of life in a completely exotic element for humans - water. In this context, I immediately recall the wonderful singer of the sea - Jacques-Yves Cousteau. And the film in question is an incredibly beautiful and spectacular continuation of this anthem of the great element.
However, here the fantastic beauty is interspersed with terrible facts about the industrial activity of man, incredibly destructive effect on the great oceans. And the film clearly pushes the idea of how important it is to take care of your surroundings. In fact, this idea can be gleaned from many masterpieces of the genre, almost all high-quality documentaries about nature affect this difficult fact to comprehend. But this creation, of course, copes with this task better than anyone.
"Baraka"
Another film found in almost all the tops of documentary. And here we are moving from the obvious beauty of nature to human realities. This film is completely devoid of textual load, there is no voiceover or the audience being interviewed. However, there is a message here - and it is very important, but in order to deal with it, you will have to pay all your attention to the frame. The main thing is to find these one and a half hours of your life in order to find out a little more about man and humanity.
Documentary films about children, which are being shot in large numbers now, tell about the many difficulties of the younger generation. Judging by the cover of the DVD, it seems that this masterpiece continues this tradition, but the main message of the film is still much wider, it's about all of humanity. And the director has achieved his goal, we see here the whole planet in great human diversity.
"Ordinary Fascism"
We continue to rank the best documentaries the work of Soviet masters of the screen, or rather, one master, but what kind. The gorgeous Michael Romm presents a film about the worst curse of the twentieth century. The terrifying plans for the Third Reich throughout Europe are given to us in this documentary creation simply and scary.
Most of the documentaries about the war show the disgusting nature of this inhuman human activity. This tape is no exception. And although the film is not aimed at a sophisticated connoisseur of history, who knows the facts of reality, however, he "perfectly" copes with his task. The aversion to war, which, for example, can now be observed when watching documentaries about Ukraine, is very well conveyed by these already-yellowed shots of the great director. Incredibly tendentious tape, but worth it.
"Kursk: a submarine in troubled waters"
Documentary films about Russia filmed abroad are already quite common. There are a lot of completely contradictory rumors about the Kursk nuclear-powered icebreaker, and legends are already circulating about how stubbornly any true information about this incident is jammed. A tragedy provoked by interested parties, or just an unfortunate set of circumstances? It seems that the truth about this we will find out very soon.
The French, making banned documentaries about Russia, are another step on the road to knowing reality through the cinematic art of reflecting reality. A controversial film that will make us think about our common responsibility for this planet.
"Bay"
The cruel truth of life. We are used to the fact that documentaries about animals show them cute and a little defenseless, beautiful and disgusting. The directors have different views on their worlds. However, this film considers such an unpleasant aspect of animal life as their total submission to the will of man, whether it be use in circus performances or simply cruel treatment of our smaller brothers.
The rating of the best documentaries continues with a very difficult creation, which makes us think about our rightness, about human rightness, as well as about the common responsibility for this planet.
"A life"
Continuing the line of tapes about the animal world, we now consider a lighter sight. Documentary films about animals, as already mentioned, are very beautiful, as well as incredibly soulful. This creation is just from this series. It is worth noting the stunning visualization component of the film. Each frame is a great combination of wildlife aesthetics and impressive special effects.
Well, the general idea of this beautiful creation is very simple: you need to protect our living environment, to treat it with the respect that it certainly deserves. After all, we ourselves are part of this life, so why should we despise it?
Microcosmos
It turns out that the microworld is no less interesting than the macro. We very well perceive films about space, documentaries about how our universe was born , how planets, the Sun and entire galaxies appear and disappear. What about our hometown? On our planet there is such an amount of the unknown, and the microscopic size.
This film incredibly increases the significance of a world that we practically do not see. Insects in the multiple magnification of special lenses appear as creatures from unknown planets. But this surrounds us at every step. Very informative, beautiful, incredibly spectacular and exciting about even smaller than animals, our brothers.
Hitler and Stalin: Twin Tyrants
Completing our ten magnificent creation of American directors on the topic of historical villains. War documentaries are the fad of the genre. This movie is marked by an unusual parallel drawn by researchers between individuals who created the most unimaginable confusion of the twentieth century. They are so opposite and so brilliantly terrible in their similarity that many historians still scare the younger generation, warning all of humanity against the appearance of such dictators.
Images from the archives of different countries, not only the participants in the battles. A chronicle of events of such a close and such a bloody history. Documentary films about the Great Patriotic War have recently become less and less popular, because it seems that this will never happen again. However, the creators of this tape continue to warn about how dangerous it is to get on the rake of historical errors, showing us the whole truth or what seems to them the truth, about this terrible catastrophe of the twentieth century.
Conclusion
Such, perhaps, is one of the many ten best documentaries on the planet. In fact, there are a lot of such films. And if you look closely, you can even highlight not a dozen or a hundred of the best documentaries, but at least a thousand.
The purpose of this article was not to show a certain absolute. Criteria for assessing the quality of cinema can be a great many. However, according to many people, the reviewed tapes really deserve attention. So why not take a note and familiarize yourself with the material? Believe me, it's worth it.
In any case, the choice is always up to the viewer what he will watch today after a long day of work, or how to entertain himself on a wonderful Sunday afternoon. Whether to go to nature or to receive a message from another person who wanted to share something important and secret. It’s up to the viewer.