My Documentary Film Collection... In A Nutshell

Next up, and nearly last up, in my series of genre breakdowns within my home video collection is the documentary. I don't own a lot of documentaries, but as you peruse my little list you'll see a pattern: a lot of music, and a tiny smattering of special interests (like James Bond and Bruce Lee).

Documentaries are not exactly "movies", per se, but let's say "films", since they are, or were, traditionally usually feature length productions captured on film stock with a motion picture camera. Docs aren't stories in the same sense as movies that tell a linear (though sometimes non-linear) tale, a series of dramatized events about characters. So... a documentary is a study of any topic (a person, place, thing, event, or era) and "provides a factual record or report". Okay, enough of the technicalities.

My music documentaries sit intermingled on the same shelf with my concert films, arranged alphabetically by artist name. Yes, for shame, for I am breaking the rules of the Movie Organization Manifesto as dictated by the good people at Film Junk Podcast.

That aside, there are a number of music docs in my modest collection, since I have always been a big fan of the art form. You can see some of my all-time favourite artists and genres here. But not all of my faves are represented, since good documentaries about all musicians aren't always available. That's where my concert films come in... they provide the live show as the main feature, and then in the DVD or Blu-ray extras there are the biographies and behind the scenes/backstage footage and interviews. Maybe not quite as comprehensive as a full-length feature doc, but you take what you can get. And I will not include these here. They are not movies in any sense of the word.

On my shelves, other, non-music docs are separated out from the music-related stuff. Happy now?

So... here is my pitiful little bunch of documentaries:

Anvil: The Story of Anvil (80's Canadian metal band's odyssey from rags to slightly better rags)
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (directed by Ron Howard, a lovingly crafted examination of the early days of the lads from Liverpool)
Bruce Lee: The Legend (an oldie, but still good enough for this chop-socky fan)
The James Bond Story (also an older doc, but a fun ride through 007 land)
Everything Or Nothing - James Bond 007 (a fairly recent look at the fascinating world of Bond)
Metal - A Headbanger's Journey (directed by Sam Dunn, a cool history of metal music)
Global Metal (director Dunn takes his metal fanboy show on the road - loads of fun)
Rush - Beyond the Lighted Stage (Sam Dunn created this excellent and comprehensive doc about Canada's greatest musical export)
Stanley Kubrick - A Life in Pictures (the one, the only... weird, crazy, and genius)
When You're Strange - A Film About The Doors (been a long time, but I loved it)
The Who - The Kids Are Alright (pioneering rock-doc hits all the right notes - my favourite of all?)
YesYears - A Retrospective (for prog-rock fans, this Yes doc excels, exploring all facets of the legendary band's history and music)