I'm watching a series on American National Parks.

A brilliant portrayal of beauty, dedication, sacrifice, and human greed.

Maybe that production team can do a series on Australia's natural wonders.

See; The National Parks, America's Best Idea
A film by Ken Burns
A production of florentine films and WETA television
824 minutes long by ABC - five disc box set

What great documentaries have you seen? There is a series on SBS on a
variety of documentary topics.

documentries are intresting
but all have a bias..[adgenda]

i specificly enjoy moc-umentries
[the great pretenders..with 'proof'..[of this or that]

like steven dawkins...about life the uni-verse and everything
that promise much...but deliver little

like an sbs doco..'the secret life of chaos'
that was filled with great promise
[...'weather/economic crashes and science gone wrong']

it premises that design dont 'need' a designer
that things like the belson affect[pattern formation]

claiming that...'self organisation...
and evolution as an algorythem..[governed by simple rules...]explains everything...lol

anyhow i like big ideas[abc]

i recall a promise....''next week the topic is
'what is life force'...[upon watching it it was simply as 'easy'
as complexity ...complexity...complexity

never the less
its great enter/taint-ment
or is that just info-tainment
or just another.. mock.u.meant-wry

i have watched so much
let know so little

take the latest..ch 7 midday movie
on for the 3 rd time since being made in 2007
[just in time for that swine/bird/human flue mutantant
to be declared a pandemic by the un...

so australia's govt order
for vacinne went active..

and we now..got wharehouses of the out of date sttuff
still siting in wharehouses...too toxic too dump

[that has to be by design]
or recall the jfk doco's...[so many]

yet none talk about the chafeurs shooting him[se you tube clip]
or that policeman..who dropped his bike to run to a drain..
*under the grassy knowle

none show him with the back of his head blown off
[ie the EXIT wound]

anyhow truth is not found on film
its a joke really

let alone those sustaining the lie of evolution

Dear Aquarius,

I enjoy watching all sorts of documentaries from historical - like the recent one's on World War II. Ones dealing with people's ancestry - "Who Do You Think You Are?" Another that will be shown on Friday,(Showcase) - "Big River Man," the story of long-distance swimming champion Martin Strel and his navigator Mathew Mohlke. Having swum the Yangtze, Mississippi and Danube rivers, 55 year old Martin will be shown making his bid to swim the Amazon. Should be interesting.

There's also of course the flavour of the month at present -
"Go Back To Where You Came From," where ordinary Australians embark on a 25-day journey retracing the footsteps of refugees and asylum seekers. I enjoy travel docs and also "French Food Safari," on SBS.

I like most, probably the ones OUG dislikes the most.
While most do not fit great history ww1 and 2 all wars all history.
Hooked on the less expensive bush tucker man, and while aged never miss a Leland brothers, common touch.
Politics sure always Labor in power and such.
Union ones, lock out is the best I recall .
Nothing better than a good doco.

Belly before the Leylands there was Vince ? I can't recall his last name, probably Italian. His format was the lay back Leyland type travelogue showing fauna and flora of interest as he travelled around Australia.From memory he was on just before the wrestling at midday on Saturdays.

OUG re the bias comment in doco's, absolutely, particularly if the environment is the subject. Early on, doco's on WWII never gave credit to the axis powers and their achievements, a sort of Hogans Heroes approach to the subject matter. But a few years ago I viewed a series where the Allies shortcomings were the focus and the theme was that the axis was just overwhelmed by numbers. Amazingly I was barracking for the Germans by the time that the second Arden rolled around in the doco.

Dear SOG,

I guess there's a certain amount of bias in just about anything.
Have you ever watched any of John Pilger's films? I used to like
his work but after a while he seems to be pushing such an anti-American barrow. I suppose it all comes down to whose version
of things one finds acceptable. I know even history is often
questionable - depending whose version you're reading. The historian can establish that an act took place on a certain day, but this, by
historical standards, constitutes only chronology or "factology."
The moment the historian begins to look critically at motivation, circumstances, context, or any other considerations, the product becomes unacceptable for one or another camp of readers.

The best documentary that I've seen recently was in the cinema about
the causes of the recent global financial crisis and American bankers.
It left me gob-smacked. I can't remember the films name. I'll have to Google it and let you know later or perhaps you've seen it?

cont'd ...

I Googled the film. It was called "Inside Job," by award-winning director Charles Ferguson and narrated by Oscar-winning actor -
Matt Damon. If you haven't seen it - I highly recommend it to everyone. It's quite a revelation on what caused the global
financial crisis.

I like those documentaries (and documentary-style series) I accidentally stumble across while flicking through the channels before going to bed. The ones that get me hooked, even though I know I have to get up early the next day. The ones I wouldn't bother tuning into if I saw them in the TV guide (probably why I haven't bought a TV guide in the past 5 or 6 years).

Some great surprises from the past few years:

"The Man Whose Arms Exploded" - a look into the use (and abuse) of steroids in bodybuilding. Riveting viewing, if only for the people who watch the footage of the man whose arms DID explode but still say they will use steroids.

"Jonestown" - as the title suggests, a look at the whole sad Jonestown saga.

"Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends" - a little painful to watch at times, but fascinating as Theroux explores the weirder parts of "mainstream" society and freely allows people to make tools of themselves for the BBC.

"The Boy in the Bubble" - about, surprise surprise, the one and only "Bubble Boy".

What I like about these shows is the "other side" of life that they reveal - the historic events we don't hear about, or happened (and were buried) before my time; the seedy sides of society that we don't publicise; the strange people I haven't met yet.

Yep - I love my documentaries.

I enjoy a well produced documentary, particularly one offfering insight into controversial/ difficult/ out of the way places or situations. I find the Cutting Edge documentaries, following Dateline on SBS on Sunday nights, well worth watching.

I particularly enjoy Michael Moore and John Pilger's work. Pilger is a harsh critic of the West, I agree, Moore is too. I guess that's what happens when you've spent your life researching behind the scenes and uncovering truths and linkages the average person on the street wouldn't imagine possible. They've both been subjected to merciless witch hunts, financed of course by the big corporates they work to expose. Only makes me more determined to seek out their work and support their efforts.

'Gasland' is a must see documentary. It's being repeated on SBS on Tuesday night, following a follow-up program to Go back to where you came from, another superb SBS documentary.

Lexi, I think the film you were referring to was Inside Job, which I never got to see, but which SBS will hopefully run at some stage.

Sorry, Lexi, should have read page two before posting!

SOG watched and liked him, early this morning unable to sleep watched would you believe those brothers!
A buck jumping artist in I think broken hill, doing his art on wood with a hot iron, great stuff that love to find one.
Watched a whole series of ww2 propaganda films.
And anything with real footage.
I see foolishness in our sides actions, maybe betrayal from the leader of the USA he for sure was shifty.
I never under estimate the achievements of Germany, think far too many fail to see we take far too much for granted Russia's roll in the victory.
But find not a little bit of need to feel other than happy they both in time fell.
Different times but do not kid your selves, any people could fall for a Hitler insane grub that he was.

Feeling I was born a century to early, my dream of being an astronaut will never be fulfilled , the closest thus far is the John Hurt narration of "Journey to the Edge of the Universe" feels like a rollercoaster ride through our solar system and beyond.

Also, anything by David Attenborough.

Respect to Mike Moore AND John Pilger - we need the stirrers.

Enjoyed "Two Men in a Tinny" with John Doyle and Tim Flannery and their travels down the Murray River.

David Suzuki - always watch.

Oh did anyone watch the recent SBS screening of 'Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking'?

ABC's Catalyst.

Oh and I did watch the "The National Parks, America's Best Idea"
- Ken Burns, wasn't it on SBS last year? Positive advertising for the USA. Shame they haven't done much since...

Lexi, John Pilger has an anti imperialist streak that exhibits itself in his work. He did not buy the Vietnam war, the Kennedy assassination or the way we have treated our indigenous brothers and sisters, I think he is a class act.

Otokonoko, I enjoy the passive aggressive style that Theroux brings to journalism, non threatening wide eyed and seemingly willing to learn he disarms his subjects and we see some truths rather than just spin from them.

Belly, without Russia we would be eating Bratkaroffeln mit Matjes for breakfast, but then again without the yanks we could be eating borscht for lunch, but as it is, it is kebabs all round without a shot being fired, except in armed robberies and drive by shootings.

A great documentary recently screened on the ABC was "The Human Planet"...it left one with an alternative take on the human condition, and an insight to the lives of people who are not touched by modern notions of progress.

Have not seen one mentioned here I did not like.
Right now have about 30 ww2 American real footage tapes,sure every one has seen them, helps while locked away.
Documentary's are the best thing after world and local news.
As long as your questioning radar is turned on.

Dear Otokonoko,

Good choice of docos. Brought back so many memories.
All good.

Dear Bronwyn,

Thanks for responding to my question. It was a brilliant documentary.

Dear Belly,

I also love the World War II documentaries.
The recent ones on Hitler were eye-opening.

Dear SOG,

Don't knock borscht for lunch or matjes - they add zest to life,
especially borsht in winter - Yum. And as for pelmeni, piroschki,
strogonov, even cabbage-rolls - my eyes are glassing over at the
mere thought. John Pilger I can take in small doses - and he is a
very talented man there's no doubt about that.

Dear Ammonite,

David Attenborough - definitely, Mike Moore - yes, in smaller doses.
David Suzuki - any time. And ABC's Catalyst - definitely. I enjoy
Geraldine Doogue.

Anybody enjoy George Negus? To me he seems to have lost his old spark
a bit.

Aah, I forgot about poor old David Attenborough! He is amazing. Despite (or, perhaps, because of) being rather advanced in years, he has what it takes to appeal to the kids, too. He brings so much passion and enthusiasm to what he does that I've sat with a classload of rowdy 15 year-old boys who were awestruck by, of all things, "The Private Life of Plants".

Dear Poirot,

The Human Planet sounds wonderful. I may look into buying it.
I can pass it onto my children as well.

sonofgloin
Was it Vincent Serventy? He had a show, I think it was called Nature Walkabout, in the years before the Leyland brothers.

Poirot, Lexi
Yes, Human Planet was great. It showed what a pretty tough life our ancestors had and that many people in the world still have, making a living from the reluctant earth. One episode showed farmers in Ethiopia, trying to stop the baboons from eating their crop. Another one showed a bushman getting honey for his wife and children; this involved climbing this enormous giant of a tree attached by a vine-rope, and getting stung by hundreds of bees in the process. Another one showed little kids in South America catching, roasting and eating big spiders. Another one was a poor fisherman in Vietnam catching fish from this enormous torrent of a river, very dangerous. Another one showed a Tibetan or Nepali getting his children to school across a glacier, literally risking life and limb. It showed the great resourcefulness and courage of ordinary humans, and I liked it too, because it didn't have the slant that many nature documentaries have, of moaning about how terrible human life and resource use is.

Greetings Peter Hume, yes it was Vince Serventy, I also recall the background music to the series, a harmonica riff, probably by Horrie Dargie.

Lexi:>>Don't knock borscht for lunch or matjes - they add zest to life, especially borsht in winter - Yum. And as for pelmeni, piroschki, strogonov, even cabbage-rolls - my eyes are glassing over at the mere thought.

Lexi my Baltic jewel, one of the brothers in law is Latvian, and his mum, ma, has graced us with these culinary delights for decades, so you are preaching to the converted, no more three veg and steak for me.

Lexi & Peter Hume,

I caught only the last three episodes of Human Planet. I watched it with my nine year-old son. It was an extraordinary insight for him (and also for me) into the way it is for some people in this world.

Peter mentioned many of the things that were shown - and most of the things he mentioned stood out for me as well. There was a city on the east coast of Africa (can't remember which country) where the annual re-covering of the principle mosque with river mud is a uniting communal event. The mud has to be just the right consistency, and then the whole town partakes of the ritual, some carry the mud up from the river, some on ladders applying it to the walls - this mosque is very old and it requires this attention every year, but it's a "living" symbol of the unity of the community.

Another fascinating insight was people in the forests of New Guinea building a shelter high in the tree tops - something which took months with much cooperation between each member of the tribe. And when they were finished everyone climbed to the top on wooden ladders bound together with vine - the whole community including babies and dogs - extraordinary!

Lexi, it would be good to buy it for your family.

Dear Peter Hume,

Thanks for the write up of The Human planet.
My Birthdays coming up in July - so I'll treat myself
and the family. Sounds wonderful.

Dear SOG,

My recipes for the food I mentioned came from my
Russian Gran who taught me how to cook. No-one could make
Beef Strogonov like she did and as for her pastries -
deliciouso. I'm thrilled that you're a convert - but I've
got a confession to make - I also like home-made meat pies.
Especially Steak and Kidney and Shepherd's pie
is a family favourite.

Dear Poirot,

Thanks for confirming for me that I'm doing a good thing -
buying Human Planet. I can't wait to view it.

Lexi

I can confirm Poirot and Peter Hume, Human Planet is wonderful. Makes me wish I could go traveling off the beaten track again.

Dear Ammonite,

I wish I could travel as well - but I think that it will have to be
"arm-chair," travel for some time for me. I'm not up to it.
Anyway, Thanks for your recommendation. This doc. must really be something with so many people loving it.

If anyone has any other ones they could recommend - I'd love to get
more titles.

There are some great documentaries that have already been mentioned. I too am a fan of Michael Moore, David Suzuki and Attenborough.

I also enjoy documentaries about food (where it comes from, farming etc) and those around self-sufficiency like Beachcomber Cottage, Gourmet Farmer, Slow Food Movement, SBS's Love's Harvest and a few of the Cheese Making documentaries that have come on of late.

Others include ABC's Mountain, Seafood Odyssey series and many good nature series.

Other good docos include 'Who killed the Electric Car' (has to be viewed in full knowledge of the bias) and 'Enron' (a ghastly insight into corporate irresponsibility).

Pelican

Those cheese making series, had me salivating, cheese is a living vibrant food and I had to make sure I had already eaten before watching this show (preferably some sort of smelly cheese).

And, you're spot on about "...the Electric Car" and "Enron" - no doubt we'll see a complete analysis of BP's Mexican gulf debacle - too soon for a complete expose. Of course, the problem with some of these, is that the people who really need to watch won't see them, the recent GBTWYCF being a case in point.

However, we are in a new age of communication, Youtube offers many opportunities and is available to a diverse range of people. Look at the many totalitarian regimes that attempt to silence the internet - even China is not wholly successful.

Thank you all for your contribution to this topic. It has made interesting reading. I've seen quite a few of the docos mentioned and made a note of all the others I still have to see.

Postive inputs are a pleasure to read instead of watching a white empty wheelbarrow even worse one filled with trash being wheeled across your screen.

More delightful than reading about other people's comments is to actually experience the documentary by travelling, meeting people, and being a part of the event.

Has anybody experienced what they have seen. On America's National Parks - I've visited more than 15 and watching the documentary allways brings back happy memories.

Australia has many wonderful locations such as the Ocean Road in Victoria, the Dandenongs, Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley, the tropical forests in Queensland, all would make great documentaries to watch on television. Various programs such as Getaway, Postcards, Great Outdoors are never long enough to give full appreciation to what they have to show.

Aquarius

The Great Ocean Road is where I like to take visitors as well around my own region which is a beautiful part of Victoria.

Have traveled to Tonga - so can really appreciate difficulties of sea level increase of even the tiniest margins, was broken hearted by the inaction after Hurricane Katrina, having fallen in love with New Orleans.

Am hopeful, that in the future I will be able to travel again. However, I have to accept I will never be a space astronaut.

Just remembered that one of my all time favourite films is a French documentary titled "To Be and To Have" (Etre et Avoir).
It's concentrates on a year in a one room school in rural France, which caters for children from kindergarten to 11 years-old. They are taught by a devoted teacher who has been at the school for twenty years - the year of the documentary being his last.
This film won many European awards - it's a beautiful film in its simplicity of spirit.
(Lexi and Ammonite - I think you'd both get a kick out of it) It's in French with subtitles, which adds to the charm : )

the frakking sbs doco was on last night
[i find that much more 'informative'..
than travel or cheese or 'flowers' tribe

i recall a few days ago a doco
about how long is my piece of string
[i found it fancinating..stimulating much further thought]

[i was reminded of those thoughts just now
in reading about time...many thinking time to be the forth dimention..wrongly]

see length/breadth/height[are all arbitary measure units]
much like the piece of string...it all depends on a variable unit of measure..

[just as time is a vairiable unit
to measure progression accross repeatable periods..
by mechanical recording of a set juration]..its easier to comprehend things if we dont try to explain

but only by explaining
can we know we get it

so i will presume you saw the string...docco
measuring the string in units of measure[from cubit..to centimeters
to fractile distance at a microscopic level that measures the bumps]..of the electrons..

anyhow time is a phyco-logical concept
[held in our left brain..that needs logic]
sees things in riged catogories..it needs to rationalise concepts within]

like e=mc2..is such a flawed right brain theory
like energy..is it a measure of jules?
is it stationary/static..potential..*energy
or in motion..thus able to be changed by interefrance[friction/collision]

thing is c2 is the speed of light squared
and m= mass...so the insanity [illlogic]..of a heat energy
being equal to a mass...[weight]..times a speed of light times itself
well if you cant visualiase it[right brain]..its nuts

the same with in..'the piece of string' doc
where they said you cant measure an electron
[there they wrongly said it is here..but its there]
then twaddle off about..time travel illogic..
[of which i was just reminded]

ie zeno's parradox[of an arrow]
at any moment it is...lol..EITHER*

'where it is ...or it isnt'..[thats claptrap]
lets begin with the logic that an arrow is..[fullstop]
thus it cant not/be...[but lets continue the parradockx]

''it cant be where it isnt''
lol...'but...IF it is...where it is
...then it'..lol...'cant be moving''

the thing is an arrow which 'is'
is till it isnt..[moving or not]
if it moves...it cant be measured..
because by the time..it is known to 'be' there..its moved on

this is the same absurdity that leads to seing an electron...in two places..[if there is only one electron..then the law must reveal one electron...anything that says its in two places is simply speaking wrong]

anyhow back to your rotting salty cheese
and your little beasts eating grubs..on a movie stage
[whatever floats your boat]..

just dont presume
thats how life really is

at the speed of light
it would still take a thopusand generations
to get to the nearest star...

and its weight
will only be a potential energy...
with extra energy to be put in first

[regardless of how many times
the speed of light they try to spin to you
sems to be science]

just like the lies of genus evolution

Dear Poirot,

Thanks for the French film, "To Be and To Have." It sounds like my cup of tea. I'm adding to my collection - and anything that lifts one's spirits sounds great. I've just watched the DVD , "The Black Swan," and now I need something to cheer me up. Ballet will never be the same for me after viewing that film.

Thank you all.

Sharing your experiences makes life so much more interesting and by all means come up with other topics that we all can enjoy and share.

Experiences such as family history, experiences from early childhood,
traumas, life at school and beyond, life in rural Australia. Not many of us have had the benefit and experience of growing up and living in the outback.

Australia is an ever evolving society and documentaries on the origins of Sydney, Melbourne, and other major centres make interesting watching for the simple reason we never had the benefit of that knowledge in our history classes at school.

It is good to learn the minute details of our past history, no matter how obscure.

I've recently watched a documentary of travel made by the English Traveller who made his name on Monty Python, a series on major cities and destinations, covering Sydney, Rocks area, the back lane ways.
Which gave us a slight glimpse on the history which made interesting
listening, unfortunately it was too brief and one's appetite was wetted for more. Does anybody know of any docos on Sydney's Rocks area or Melbourne's lane ways or the sleazy side of our major cities.

Poirot

Thanks for the heads-up on "To be and To Have".

I know this is not a documentary, but if you enjoy watching both Gerard Depardieu and Roman Polanski playing off each other in a neat little thriller, watch "Una Pura Formalite" A Pure Formality - it is subtle and in my opinion (for what that's worth) underrated. Great for watching out for details - all the answers are there. Will leave you feeling good - trust me.

Aquarius

Ross Noble's travels around Australia - not so much sleazy underbelly, but very entertaining - he goes to some out-of-the-way places to do stand-up gigs.

Which has just reminded me of the wondrous Stephen Fry - his USA tour was a delight. Hilarious seeing him in a legal brothel in Nevada.