War Docos
Innovative German film-maker Leni Riefenstahl's pioneering masterwork epic "Triumph of the Will" (1934) was explicitly propagandistic yet historical in its spectacular yet horrifying documentation of the Nazi Party Congress rally in Nuremberg in 1934. It was a revolutionary film combining superb cinematography and editing of Third Reich propaganda. She also documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the stunning film "Olympia" (1938) - with graceful and beautiful images of 'Aryan' athletes in competition. To respond to the Nazi propaganda, Frank Capra was commissioned by the US War Department to direct seven films in a "Why We Fight" (1943) series of narrated WWII newsreel-style films. The first in the series, "Prelude to War," a look at the events from 1931-1939, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942. These and many other truely great War Documentaries, including the BBC's brilliant "World At War" series, are available by scrolling below.
Right: William Wyler's Academy Award winning "The Memphis Belle"Â
Shoah - 1st Era, Part One (1985)
Director: Claude Lanzmann
Claude Lanzmann's landmark, monumental epic of the Holocaust. With an assemblage of witnesses, death camp survivors and Nazi functionaries whose combi... Read more
Shoah - 1st Era, Part Two (1985)
Director: Claude Lanzmann
Part Two of the First Era of Claude Lanzmann's landmark, monumental epic of the Holocaust. With an assemblage of witnesses, death camp survivors and N... Read more
Shoah - 2nd Era, Parts Three and Four (1985)
Director: Claude Lanzmann
The concluding parts of Claude Lanzmann's landmark, monumental epic of the Holocaust. With an assemblage of witnesses, death camp survivors and Nazi f... Read more
Shootout! (2005)
7.9/10
Experience the danger of gun battle up close in this riveting, innovative documentary series from The History Channel. Using 3-D animation, aerial map... Read more
Sink the Bismarck! (History Channel) (1996)
7.2/10
Director: Robert Kirk
Starring: Narrated by, John Hillerman
On orders from her Nazi masters, the most powerful war machine ever to set sail on the high seas was loose in the Atlantic Ocean. The Royal Navy could... Read more
Snipers (2002)
5.3/10
In World War II, an average of 25,000 bullets were fired for each soldier killed. By Vietnam, that number had climbed to 200,000. Yet on average, trai... Read more
Soundtrack to War (2004)
7.5/10
Director: George Gittoes
From critically-acclaimed filmmaker and artist, George Gittoes, this compelling documentary showcases spontaneous music performances by a striking cas... Read more
Spartans: The Rise and Fall (2002)
7.6/10
They were the finest fighters of the ancient world. Their bravery and skill helped preserve Western Civilization in the face of a massive invasion fro... Read more
Speer and Hitler: The Devil's Architect (2005)
Director: Heinrich Breloer
Starring: Sebastian Koch, Tobias Moretti, Dagmar Manzel, Eva Hassmann
This excellent German docu-drama series explores in detail the relationship between Hitler and his chief architect, Albert Speer. Combining re-enactme... Read more
Spitfire (2018)
7.1/10
Director: Ant Palmer, David Fairhead
Starring: Charles Dance
The story of the fighter plane and pilots that helped win the Battle of Britain in World War II. Read more