Best Documentary Movies of 1984

Documentary about the career of actress Louise Brooks in Berlin.

A documentary covering the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo.

Filmmaker Corinne Cantrill traces her fascinating life story through hundreds of photographs. Formally rigorous and emotionally profound, Corinne's insightful narration explores how photographs both reveal and hide our identity.

Now-classic holiday special based around Rogers' and Partons' best-selling album, Once Upon a Christmas.

The Divine Miss M is featured in a concert filmed at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, at the culmination of her most recent cross-country tour which was known as "De Tour". This live recording was a combination of footage from both September 10 and 11, 1983. Set against a Renaissance art background and outfitted in a rainbow array of costumes, Midler sings and performs her uninhibited stage antics.

Documentary about the life of folk singer Phil Ochs.

In his lifetime, Thomas Merton was hailed as a prophet and censured for his outspoken social criticism. For nearly 27 years he was a monk of the austere Trappist order, where he became an eloquent spiritual writer and mystic as well as an anti-war advocate and witness to peace. Merton: A Film Biography provides the first comprehensive look at this remarkable 20th century religious philosopher who wrote, in addition to his immensely popular autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, over 60 books on some of the most pressing social issues of our time, some of which are excerpted here. Merton offers an engaging profile of a man whose presence in the world touched millions of people and whose words and thoughts continue to have a profound impact and relevance today.

Strong Kids, Safe Kids was put together because so many of us are concerned about the horrible potential dangers our kids face every day. Sexual molestation and abduction are an unfortunate part of our times. And as loving parents, it's up to us to teach our kids to stay safe. It's like teaching them to look both ways before crossing the street... only it's a whole lot trickier. That's where Strong Kids, Safe Kids comes in. This film brings all of the problems - and questions - out in the open. It talks to you and your kids one-on-one. The material is frank and to the point. But presented so entertainingly with music and humor that it's a delight for the whole family to watch together. Again and again.

A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of John Huston's "Under the Volcano" (1984).