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The 50 Best Documentaries of All Time: Timeout

As long as there are action movies, animated fantasies, comedies and wish fulfillment onscreen, audiences will also yearn for the truth—or something close to it. In arriving at our pick of the best documentaries (from all eras and countries), we bumped up against some thorny questions: What makes a documentary essential? Is it the political or social import? Its popularity? Can we allow for staged scenes? Or must we insist on pure vérité? How "real" is reality? We invite your own thoughts in response to our ranked list of the best documentaries of all time.
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from timeout.com · made by EB437
avg. score: 8 of 52 (15%)
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1
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes®   82%
2
The Last Waltz (1978)
The Last Waltz (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes®   98%
3
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes®   93%
4
When We Were Kings (1996)
When We Were Kings (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes®   98%
5
A Grin Without a Cat (1977)
A Grin Without a Cat (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes®   92%
6
The Look of Silence (2014)
The Look of Silence (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
7
F for Fake (1973)
F for Fake (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes®   88%
8
The Battle of Chile - Part I (1975)
The Battle of Chile - Part I (1975)
9
The Battle of Chile - Part II (1976)
The Battle of Chile - Part II (1976)
10
The Battle of Chile - Part III (1979)
The Battle of Chile - Part III (1979)
11
Monterey Pop (1968)
Monterey Pop (1968)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
12
Man on Wire (2008)
Man on Wire (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
13
The Fog of War (2003)
The Fog of War (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
14
Point of Order! (1964)
Point of Order! (1964)
15
Burden of Dreams (1982)
Burden of Dreams (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes®   89%
16
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
17
Sherman's March (1985)
Sherman's March (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
18
The Up Series
The Up Series
19
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
20
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes®   89%
21
Woodstock (1970)
Woodstock (1970)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
22
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grey Gardens (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
23
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes®   97%
24
The Gleaners & I (2000)
The Gleaners & I (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes®   93%
25
The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896)
The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896)
26
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes®   95%
27
In the Year of the Pig (1969)
In the Year of the Pig (1969)
28
Empire (1964)
Empire (1964)
29
High School (1968)
High School (1968)
30
Hitler: A Film From Germany (1977)
Hitler: A Film From Germany (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes®   80%
31
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes®   98%
32
Gimmie Shelter (1970)
Gimmie Shelter (1970)
33
Lake of Fire (2006)
Lake of Fire (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
34
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
35
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
36
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
37
Titicut Follies (1967)
Titicut Follies (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
38
Crumb (1994)
Crumb (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes®   95%
39
Hearts and Minds (1974)
Hearts and Minds (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
40
Triumph of the Will (1935)
Triumph of the Will (1935)
Rotten Tomatoes®   84%
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