Cinema Seeker's Picks for the 50 Best Documentaries

This is a simple list of my picks for the 50 Best Feature-Length Documentaries that I have seen to date. They are listed in chronological order. The "cover" image is a shot of the two candidates who face off in Tom Cohen's 1982 film, "The Campaign."

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1

Man With a Movie Camera (1929)

Man With a Movie Camera (1929)

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2

Triumph of the Will (1935)

Triumph of the Will (1935)

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3

High School (1968)

High School (1968)

4

Salesman (1969)

Salesman (1969)

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5

Let It Be (1970)

Let It Be (1970)

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6

Street Scenes (1970)

Street Scenes (1970)

7

Chung Kuo - Cina (1972)

Chung Kuo - Cina (1972)

8

The Last Waltz (1978)

The Last Waltz (1978)

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9

Burden of Dreams (1982)

Burden of Dreams (1982)

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10

The Campaign (1982)

The Campaign (1982)

11

Second Time Around (1982)

Second Time Around (1982)

12

Antonio Gaudí (1984)

Antonio Gaudí (1984)

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13

Stop Making Sense (1984)

Stop Making Sense (1984)

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14

Stripper (1986)

Stripper (1986)

15

What Happened to Kerouac? (1986)

What Happened to Kerouac? (1986)

16

Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll (1987)

Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll (1987)

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17

Let's Get Lost (1988)

Let's Get Lost (1988)

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18

A Tale of the Wind (1988)

A Tale of the Wind (1988)

19

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

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20

Motel (1989)

Motel (1989)

21

American Dream (1990)

American Dream (1990)

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22

Letter to the Next Generation (1990)

Letter to the Next Generation (1990)

23

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

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24

Feed (1992)

25

Visions of Light (1992)

Visions of Light (1992)

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26

From the East (1993)

From the East (1993)

27

Hoop Dreams (1994)

Hoop Dreams (1994)

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28

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1994)

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1994)

29

Wildwood, NJ (1994)

Wildwood, NJ (1994)

30

A Perfect Candidate (1996)

A Perfect Candidate (1996)

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31

American Movie (1999)

American Movie (1999)

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32

Cinemania (2002)

Cinemania (2002)

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33

Journeys With George (2002)

Journeys With George (2002)

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34

Missing Allen (2002)

Missing Allen (2002)

35

Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile (2004)

Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile (2004)

36

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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37

The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania (2005)

The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania (2005)

38

...So Goes the Nation (2006)

...So Goes the Nation (2006)

39

Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? (2006)

Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? (2006)

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40

Louis Sullivan: the Struggle for American Architecture (2010)

Louis Sullivan: the Struggle for American Architecture (2010)

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