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Time Out's 50 Best Documentaries of All Time

As long as there are action movies, animated fantasies, comedies and wish fulfillment onscreen, audiences will also yearn for the truth—or something close to it. In arriving at Time Out New York's favorite documentaries (from all eras and countries), we bumped up against some thorny questions: What makes a documentary essential? Is it the political or social import? Its popularity? Can we allow for staged scenes? Or must we insist on pure vérité? How "real" is reality? We invite your own thoughts in response to our ranked list of the best documentaries of all time. (Documentaries listed in descending order, with the first entry (#1) on this list corresponding with the top, or #1, pick on Time Out's list.
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1
Shoah (1985)
Shoah (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
2
Sans Soleil (1983)
Sans Soleil (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes®   87%
3
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
4
Night and Fog (1955)
Night and Fog (1955)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
5
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
6
Don't Look Back (1967)
Don't Look Back (1967)
7
The War Game (1965)
The War Game (1965)
Rotten Tomatoes®   93%
8
Nanook of the North (1922)
Nanook of the North (1922)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
9
Roger & Me (1989)
Roger & Me (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
10
Man With a Movie Camera (1929)
Man With a Movie Camera (1929)
Rotten Tomatoes®   98%
11
Salesman (1969)
Salesman (1969)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
12
Grizzly Man (2005)
Grizzly Man (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes®   92%
13
Triumph of the Will (1935)
Triumph of the Will (1935)
Rotten Tomatoes®   84%
14
Hearts and Minds (1974)
Hearts and Minds (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
15
Crumb (1994)
Crumb (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes®   95%
16
Titicut Follies (1967)
Titicut Follies (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
17
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
18
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
19
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
20
Lake of Fire (2006)
Lake of Fire (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
21
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Rotten Tomatoes®   93%
22
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes®   98%
23
Hitler: A Film From Germany (1977)
Hitler: A Film From Germany (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes®   80%
24
High School (1968)
High School (1968)
25
Empire (1964)
Empire (1964)
26
In the Year of the Pig (1969)
In the Year of the Pig (1969)
27
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes®   95%
28
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895) (1901)
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895) (1901)
29
The Gleaners & I (2000)
The Gleaners & I (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes®   93%
30
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes®   97%
31
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grey Gardens (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes®   94%
32
Woodstock (1970)
Woodstock (1970)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
33
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes®   89%
34
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
35
The Up Series (1964)
The Up Series (1964)
36
Sherman's March (1985)
Sherman's March (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes®   100%
37
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes®   90%
38
Burden of Dreams (1982)
Burden of Dreams (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes®   89%
39
Point of Order! (1964)
Point of Order! (1964)
40
The Fog of War (2003)
The Fog of War (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes®   96%
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