Best Documentary Movies of 1996

Director Alan Berliner takes on his reclusive father as the reluctant subject of this affecting and graceful study of family history and memory. Ultimately this complex portrait is a meeting of the minds -- where the past meets the present, where generations collide and where the boundaries of family life are stretched, torn and surprisingly, at times, also healed. Berliner has transformed a story of a troubled man who has sealed himself off from life's pain into a work of universal resonance.

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Sigmund Freud's revolutionary ideas transformed our conception of the mind. Yet, fears and obsessions wracked the father of psychoanalysis. His theories continue to inspire debate, even as the discipline he invented drifts farther from his work. Through personal letters, diaries and interviews with biographers, psychiatrists and Freud's grandchildren, this documentary explores the life of the man who was once derided as the doctor of love.

A documentary on the life and career of actor Lon Chaney, with clips from his films and interviews with people who knew him.

An examination of the hitherto unexplored relationships between Pan-African culture, science fiction, intergalactic travel, and rapidly progressing computer technology.

Jackie Chan - From Stuntman to Superstar is a documentary on Jackie Chan.

The sequel of "Top Fighter" focuses in the importance of the women in the martial-arts movies, from her first characters as "hero's girl" until becoming superstars by themselves. A voyage by the times and the most famous beauty fighters from this genre: Angela Mao, Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock and much more.

In January 1996 filming began on a new episode of Doctor Who set in San Francisco, but shot in Vancouver, Canada. Sylvester McCoy flew out to join the production team to re-create his role as the Seventh Doctor and to hand over to Paul McGann. In this behind-the-scenes video diary, Sylvester gives us a personal account of his final days as the famous Timelord. Reminiscing about the "old days" and drawing comparisons with the experience of working on this latest adventure, he talks to Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook (Dr Grace Holloway) from the new production and Anneke Wills (Polly) from the show's past. All shot on Hi-8 camcorder.

This 45 minute documentary by Mark Hejnar is a sort of Whitman's Sampler of sickness, chronicling such wildly diverse and extreme personalities as G.G. Allin, Mike Diana, Full Force Frank, GLOD, Annie Sprinkle, and others. This collection of short clips and vile moments is certainly NOT for the squeamish, as these are the artists and performers who have taken the term "free expression" to it's limits--and beyond.