Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)

 

This series documents the 9/11 terrorist attacks, from Al Qaeda's roots in the 1980s to America's forceful response, both at home and abroad.

Comprehensive and informative documentary takes its time to bring in detail the  9/11 attacks and the history that lead to them and goes further to analyze their impact on the history thereafter.

 

9/11 (2002)

 

A real life documentary following the events of September 11 from an insider's view, through the lens of James Hanlon and two French filmmakers who were in Manhattan that one day.

Remarkable documentary follows a full first-hand account of the events as they happened, including new insights and some unsettling personal drama.

Nuit et brouillard (1956)

 

The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.

(Meanwhile) classic, important early documentary is a solemn, thoughtful and stirring depiction of the Nazis, presenting shocking footage that (at the time) was largely not yet realized by its audience.

Halliwell*: "An official film of great dignity."

 

 

Bomben auf Berlin - Leben zwischen Furcht und Hoffnung (1983)

 

On November 18, 1944, the Battle of Berlin began in a war that had already claimed millions of lives. At the time, Goebbels forbade the publication of the material filmed in the ruins of Berlin. The recordings were stored in Moscow archives for almost 40 years. They are only shown today for the first time

From memory: Informative documentary focuses on the effect WWII had on Germany's capitol Berlin, with never before seen footage, and reveals that the citizens' resilience could be seen as an effort to survive, but was also utilized to enhance the regime's propaganda.

The Accountant of Auschwitz (2018)

 

Seventy years after WWII, Oskar Gröning, one of the last surviving members of the SS, goes on trial as an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people at the Auschwitz concentration camp. 

Relatively short, but remarkable look at a more peripheral perpetrator of the Holocaust which also sheds light on aspects of individual and collective guilt and justice. 

Challenger: The Final Flight (2020)

 

 

Four-part docuseries on the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, unpacking an indelible moment for a generation of Americans. 

 

Comprehensive, informative and at times touching documentary about a major astronautical catastrophe is worth the watch, even though it doesn't add any new revelations.

Auschwitz: The Nazis & the 'Final Solution' (2005)

 

 

The history of the Final Solution phase of the Nazi Holocaust, particularly with the most infamous of the death camps. 

 

Thorough and comprehensive history of the Nazis' "final solution" doesn't spare its audience the view of the atrocities, but does so with caution and rather delivers more details of the succession of events that led to the crime.

Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice (1989)

 

 

The work of a notable civil rights crusader in the late 19th and early 20th century. 

 

This is a good, but rather standard TV documentary that traces the life of a fascinating, brave and important civil rights pioneer; highlight: Toni Morrison reading from Wells' memoirs.

New acquisition: Auschwitz: The Nazis & the 'Final Solution' (2005)