Documentaries about politics, history
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- CreatorTim HillerJohn LewisLisa NelsonStarsLee ErnstCondoleezza RiceDouglas BrinkleyThe three part series explores the presidency, policies and long term impact of Ronald Reagan's two terms in office. The series includes notable members of Reagan's team as well as many who opposed his policies. Interview subjects include Walter Mondale, Condoleezza Rice, Sandra Day O'Connor, Andrew Young, Robert Reich, Bud McFarlane, George Shultz, Reza Aslan, Trita Parsi, Douglas Brinkley, Svetlana Savranskaya, Oscar Arias and others.
- DirectorNathan WoldStarsKareem Abdul-JabbarLouis ArmstrongSonny BonoA history of American propaganda, form WW2, to the Cold War, to the War on Drugs, to the War on Terror.
- DirectorJason BarkerAlexandra WeltzStarsJason BarkerMichael HardtToni NegriMarx Reloaded is a cultural documentary that examines the relevance of German socialist and philosopher Karl Marx's ideas for understanding the global economic and financial crisis of 2008-09. The crisis triggered the deepest global recession in 70 years and prompted the US government to spend more than 1 trillion dollars in order to rescue its banking system from collapse. Today the full implications of the crisis in Europe and around the world still remain unclear. Nevertheless, should we accept the crisis as an unfortunate side-effect of the free market? Or is there another explanation as to why it happened and its likely effects on our society, our economy and our whole way of life? Written and directed by Jason Barker - himself an experienced writer, lecturer, translator and doctor of philosophy - Marx Reloaded comprises interviews with the world's leading philosophers of Marxism, including those at the forefront of a popular revival in Marxist and communist ideas. The film also includes interviews with skeptics of this revival as well as light-hearted animation sequences which follow Marx's adventures through the matrix of his own ideas.
- DirectorPaul Tait RobertsStarsGeorge BushGeorge W. BushJimmy CarterJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy is perhaps the most charismatic person to have held the office of President of the United States. This program examines the enduring influence of his presidency on each of the nine men who have come after him.
- DirectorR.J. CutlerGreg FintonStarsDick CheneyLynne CheneyDennis HaysbertA revealing profile of Dick Cheney, one of the world's most controversial and powerful political figures. Award-winning documentary filmmaker R.J. Cutler gives us a surprisingly personal look into the life of the former Vice President from his early days in Washington to his time in the White House with President George W. Bush.
- DirectorPenny LaneStarsRichard NixonH.R. HaldemanJohn EhrlichmanNever before seen Super 8 home movies filmed by Richard Nixon's closest aides - and convicted Watergate conspirators - offer a surprising and intimate new look into his Presidency.
- CreatorKristina LindströmStarsLisbeth PalmeJoakim PalmeMårten PalmeThe life and times of Olof Palme, the prime minister of Sweden until his assassination in 1986.
- DirectorJeffrey RothStarsGeorge BushJames Baker IIIBarbara BushFrom running the country to skydiving, this endearing and enlightening portrait explores the life and careers of George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
- CreatorJulia DavisStarsJulia DavisBJ DavisJackie Lacey"Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance."
- DirectorSteve BannonStarsAndrew BreitbartMark LevinKurt GibsonA documentary that chronicles Sarah Palin's pre-political life; her tenure as Governor of Alaska, and her time spent as John McCain's running mate.
- DirectorFernando Grostein AndradeCosmo Feilding-MellenStarsFran Boyd AndrewsBrenda BlomFernando Henrique CardosoDocumentary uncovering the failure of the UN sanctioned war on drugs.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsJames WoodsJohn HeardWilliam HurtChronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
- DirectorOliver HalmburgerStarsClayton NemrowAndrew SolomonClifford V. JohnsonFor 28 years, the Berlin Wall split a city and a whole nation. While the notorious dangers frightened many GDR citizens, there were others who tried to overcome it. Families fly across the border in a home-made hot air balloon or swing over the Wall hanging from a makeshift pulley. The Wall still works but Communism is crumbling behind it. Suddenly, the borders are open, and the Wall comes down.
- DirectorJaak KilmiStarsKiur AarmaJaak KilmiAlo KõrveA story about growing up in the Soviet Union. The film tells the story of a strange kind of information war, where a totalitarian regime stands face to face with the heroes of popular culture. And loses. It was a time when it was possible for erotic film star Emmanuelle to bring down the Red Army and MacGyver to outdo an entire school administration. It is a film about our generation, who were unknowingly brought to the front line of the Cold War. Western popular culture had an incomparable role shaping Soviet children's world views in those days. Finnish television was a window to a world of dreams that the authorities could not block in any way. Though Finnish channels were banned, many households found some way to access the forbidden fruit.
- DirectorWilliam LewisStarsDavid TrabuccoTodd AkinMark AndersonDid you know that the current Federal Reserve Bank is actually the third in a series of failed banking attempts that have all left an indelible mark on our society? Award winning filmmaker William Lewis Films has produced a documentary of tremendous importance for all Americans. Life On the Edge of a Bubble is a timely exposé that illuminates the unstable history of the American financial system. Beginning with our first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, this thought provoking film leads its viewer through the perpetual cycle of booms and busts that threatens the American Dream. A provocative and often humorous adventure, the film challenges conventional wisdom about the causes of the current crisis and leads the debate about solutions.
- DirectorScott MillerStarsMichael DouglasLinda HamiltonScott MillerThe eyewitness story of the illegal U.S. and U.K. military anthrax vaccination programs, which is recommended by Montel Williams as the Must-See Documentary of the Year. Because of the vaccine's crippling and deadly consequences when incurable auto-immune disease and birth defects spread like wildfire through Gulf War veterans, your nation was compromised by a for-profit no-liability procurement system ruled by political fears & corrupt scientists. Watch this documentary to learn why you must stop illegal human experiments in the name of Homeland Security. By saving a veteran, you can save your own life.
- DirectorMat WhitecrossMichael WinterbottomStarsJanine HuardEwen CameronNaomi KleinAn investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
- DirectorAlan PetersonStarsSaul AlinskyBill AyersMichael BaroneA documentary detailing the various questions about Barack Obama's past, filmed before the 2008 presidential election.
- DirectorStefan ForbesStarsLee AtwaterTucker EskewJoe SlighThe Murrow, Polk, and IDA Award-winning documentary Boogie Man is about Lee Atwater, a blues-playing rogue whose rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a political rock star. He mentored George W. Bush and Karl Rove while leading the Republican party to historic victories, helping make liberal a dirty word, and transforming the way America elects our Presidents. In interviews with Republicans and friends of Atwater, Boogie Man examines his role in America's shift to the right. To Democrats offended by the 1988 Willie Horton controversy, Atwater was a remorseless political assassin dubbed by one Congresswoman "the most evil man in America." The film examines his irreverent sense of humor, his understanding of the American heartland, and his unapologetic vision of politics as war. It ends with a portrait of a cynic's deathbed search for meaning.
- DirectorBarbara-Anne SteegmullerStarsChristy JohnsonMax CarterHarry S. TrumanSuperpower illustrates how the United States has leveraged its position to ensure unilateral world domination through absolute economic and military superiority and government deception.
- DirectorJeremy EarpStarsOsama bin LadenGeorge BushGeorge W. BushThe notion that oil motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East is often disregarded as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. In Blood and Oil, bestselling author and Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare challenges this conventional wisdom and corrects the historical record. The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years -- rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable. In the end, Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.
- DirectorPatrick CreadonStarsRobert BixbyHumphrey BogartWarren BuffettFew are aware that America may be on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. explores the country's shocking current fiscal condition and ways to avoid a national economic disaster.
- DirectorKevin BoothStarsJoe ArpaioJello BiafraOsama bin LadenWith commentary from soldiers on both sides of the conflict, filmmaker Kevin Booth's incisive documentary wades into the murky waters of the American war on drugs, the longest and costliest war in U.S. history.
- DirectorRobert M. WiseStarsLeonid BrezhnevGeorge BushRichard NixonA minute by minute account of the events before, during, and after the shooting of President Reagan in March 1981. Includes interviews from many of those on scene that day including secret service, members of Reagan's cabinet, and even the TV cameramen who captured the event.
- DirectorHenry ChancellorStarsRobert CambrinusOlegar FedoroGina McKeeOn November 8th 1983 World War III almost began, and with it a nuclear apocalypse. This day is now acknowledged as one of most perilous on the whole of the Cold War.
- 20071h 13mNot Rated7.8 (1.1K)57MetascoreDirectorLoretta AlperJeremy EarpStarsSpiro AgnewChristiane AmanpourPeter ArnettWar Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn, the film exhumes remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations.
- DirectorAdam Del DeoJames D. SternStarsGeorge W. BushJohn KerryEd GillespieA look at the role of the Buckeye State in the 2004 Presidential Election.
- StarsOliver NorthCarlo D'EsteMickey RooneyThe series recounts combat experiences, from World War II to the present.
- DirectorThomas GibsonStarsSnoop Dogg50 CentAesop RockNarrated By Snoop Dogg- Letter To the President is a feature documentary that showcases the close-knit ties between the Hip Hop Music community and America's social and political policy in the last 30 years.
- DirectorEugene JareckiStarsGore VidalJohn McCainKen AdelmanIs American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.
- 20041h 12mR4.0 (1.4K)42MetascoreDirectorKevin KnoblockStarsFred ThompsonMichael MooreJohn KerryThis film attempts to correct the record when it comes to the left's attacks on President Bush, 9/11 and the war in Iraq and Kerry's 20-year tenure in the Senate.
- 20041h 40m5.8 (241)TV Movie68Metascore
- DirectorAlan PetersonStarsDick MorrisZell MillerEd KochA documentary which refutes and debunks "facts" made by Michael Moore in his hit film Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004).
- StarsGilles KepelWilliam KristolMelvin GoodmanA series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.
- DirectorRamona S. DiazStarsImelda MarcosFerdinand Marcos Jr.Imee MarcosA "beyond the shoes" documentary on the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJean DominiqueAboudjaRonald ReaganThe true story of Jean Dominique, a Haitian radio journalist and human rights activist.
- DirectorWilliam KarelStarsRobert BaerMilton BeardenOsama bin LadenThe history of CIA told by previous directors and agents, and also some on the outside (like a former KGB director).
- DirectorSean SmithStarsRonald ReaganDocumentary on the declining state of Ronald Reagan's mind during his presidency and how it was sucessfully covered up.
- DirectorSam GreenBill SiegelStarsLili TaylorPamela ZJim LangeThe remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous.
- DirectorKent HagenSteven VosburghStarsJune AllysonHoward BakerHerbert J. BibermanThese 2 one-hour specials will take a look back at Ronald Reagan from his ups and downs as a Hollywood movie star to a legendary force in American politics.
- DirectorLaurence ReesStarsJohn MajorNeil PostmanRonald ReaganA look at the world of political advertising in the United States.
- DirectorJames L. OtisStarsJames L. OtisRalph McGeheeVerne LyonIt fought against international terrorism in South America and watched out for our allies abroad...but what else did it do?...What are the true secrets of the C.I.A.?
- DirectorGary ParkerStarsEd GreenPeter RomanR. Cargill HallThe A-Bomb, the H-Bomb, Cold War, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Yeltsin, Reagan...Who said that the world was a safe place?
- DirectorPeter GustStarsPaul GregoryErnest AschkenasyHoward Baker
- DirectorMark KitchellStarsJentri AndersJoan BaezFrank BardackeA documentary about militant student political activity in the University of California-Berkely in the 1960's.
- DirectorBarbara TrentStarsTyne DalyDaniel OrtegaRonald ReaganDocumentary about a group of Americans who go to Nicaragua to learn about the conflict between the Contras and the Sandinistas.
- StarsWill LymanHenry KissingerWilliam C. WestmorelandAn in-depth look at the Vietnam War.
- DirectorJim KleinJulia ReichertStarsOscar HunterRose PodmakaSylvia WoodsA unique documentary that looks at the political activities of the American Communist Party in the early to mid-twentieth century.
- DirectorJayne LoaderKevin RaffertyPierce RaffertyStarsPaul TibbetsHarry S. TrumanW.H.P. BlandyDisturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.
- DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
- DirectorChet FensterStarsPat BuchananJenna Bush HagerBarbara BushAn inside look at the 1992 Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
- DirectorPeter RaymontStarsElizabeth GrayBayardo ArceÓscar AriasHow ABC News distorts one day's political news coverage from Nicaragua.
- DirectorPhilip Burton Jr.StarsMikhail GorbachevAl GoreRonald ReaganPolitics in Washington, D.C., Moscow, behind-the-scenes of Congressional issues and debates.
- DirectorMike DorseyStarsRon HaleCraig HarveyNikki Medlin"The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter" walks in the footsteps of the Manson Family, visiting over 40 locations related to the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, and tying together the dozens of odd connections between Charles Manson and the Hollywood elite. Entertainingly led by famous Hollywood historian Scott Michaels (E!'s 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders, Dearly Departed: Vol. 1, FindADeath.com), this epic documentary employs never-before-seen autopsy reports (analyzed with the help of the Los Angeles Department of the Coroner), dozens of rare photographs, original Manson Family music recordings, and modern-day visits to the locations where the action went down, in the most complete retelling of the Manson Murders ever put on film.
- DirectorMike Dorsey168 Allied pilots shot down in WWII, aided by French Resistance, who were later betrayed. Pilots were then imprisoned at Buchenwald concentration camp. Told through interviews with eight surviving pilots.
- StarsKeith DavidKatharine PhillipsTom HanksA seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.
- StarsPeter CoyoteGeorge F. WillGeoffrey C. WardA documentary that weaves together the stories of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of one of the most prominent and influential families in American politics.
- DirectorKen BurnsArtemis JoukowskyStarsMarina GoldmanTom HanksDefying the Nazis: The Sharps' War: Waitstill Sharp, a Unitarian minister, and Martha Sharp, a trained social worker, in February 1939, boldly commit to a life-threatening mission in Europe to assist refugees.
- StarsPeter CoyoteHuy DucJames WillbanksA comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
- DirectorRoger ShermanStarsStephen LangAlfre WoodardThe story of the Medal of Honor - the highest U.S. award for valor in combat - is told through personal accounts of bravery and daring.
- DirectorStephen VittoriaStarsJames AbourezkWarren BeattyChip BerletONE BRIGHT SHINING MOMENT retraces George McGovern's bold presidential campaign of 1972 - a grassroots campaign that fought for peace and justice, and positioned ideas and people first. But what is remembered today as being the ultimate political defeat of the American Century may also have been its high watermark. The film poses this central question: what does the crushing electoral defeat of a man so well respected for his decency and intellect say about the electoral process, the American government, and more importantly, what does it say about the forces at work on the American people- then and now? Featuring interviews with the candidate himself, supporters and activists like Gore Vidal, Gloria Steinem, Warren Beatty, Howard Zinn, and music from Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Donovan, and Elvis Costello.
- DirectorNicole RittenmeyerSeth SkundrickStarsJohn F. KennedyJose AlemanJoseph AlsopOn November 22, 1963, three shots that killed President John Fitzgerald Kennedy changes everything
- DirectorGöran Hugo OlssonStarsLauryn HillKati OutinenGayatri Chakravorty SpivakThe most daring moments in the struggle for liberation from colonial rule.
- DirectorGreg BarkerStarsBen RhodesSamantha PowerJohn KerryA chronicle of the Barack Obama administration's foreign policy team and the events of Obama's final year in office.
- DirectorHoward AlkStarsSkip AndrewEdward CarmodyJames DavisA chronicle of Fred Hampton's revolutionary leadership of the Illinois Black Panther Party, followed by an investigation into his assassination at the hands of the Chicago Police Department.
- DirectorAnthony GiacchinoStarsLyndon B. JohnsonFidel CastroChester V. CliftonA behind-the-scenes look at November 22, 1963 from the unique perspective of Lyndon Johnson. On his pivotal first day as President, Lyndon Johnson is put to the test as he contends with the jarring transfer of political power and the daunting challenge of securing the trust of a devastated nation. From new details about when JFK really died, to the truth behind LBJ's Oath of Office photo on Air Force One, this special uncovers an unfamiliar story born out of one of the most crucial days in American history
- DirectorAndrew MuscatoStarsWilliam D. CohanGeorgette MosbacherHamilton NolanAnthony "The Mooch" Scaramucci may have been the shortest tenured White House Communications Director, but he sure left a big impression. Compiled over a four-year span, 'Mooch' tells the only-in-Trump's-America story of an irrepressible hedge fund manager who rose from humble beginnings to stratospheric heights - only to watch the world laugh as he tumbled back down.
- 20161h 31mNot Rated7.3 (565)63MetascoreDirectorFred PeabodyStarsI.F. StoneChris HedgesLeslie MoonvesA look at the life and work of American journalist, I.F. Stone, who leads a one-man crusade against government deception.
- DirectorDerik MurraySteve BurgessStarsChristopher AndersenJohn Perry BarlowChristiane AmanpourThe story of a life cut tragically short, the story of a little boy whose salute transfixed a nation, a boy who would grow to become the embodiment of American hopes for the future.