Harvard U's Suggested Film List Non-Fiction Films

Some initial caveats
This is not a list of cinema's greatest hits nor of the best films and videos of all time; this inventory, in short, does not constitute a canon. Rather, the entries on the following pages reflect a variety of criteria. Some works are exemplary, others important or influential or in some respect noteworthy. Not every title on the list, it goes without saying, is the object of unquestioned approval or unbounded veneration. This document is above all meant to serve as an educational resource that offers guidance and encouragement as students seek to find points of orientation within the vast history of film and video.
Where to see the films?
At the Harvard Film Archive and in Harvard film classes, of course, but also at the Brattle Theatre and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, at repertory cinemas, film archives, galleries, and museums in other cities, at film festivals, and, in some cases, on DVD and, if all else fails, on the internet. You should of course always try to view works as they were intended to be seen: movies on the big screen, videos on good monitors or in installations.
Will you be able to see everything?
Certainly not; this is a very long list. But during your studies you will, it is hoped, take the opportunity to view a large number of these titles. (You may even want to check off films as you see them.) These suggestions may also point you in the direction of alternate and supplementary choices. For instance, if you have a chance to see a 35mm screening of Eisenstein's Strike, by all means be sure to seize the opportunity. But realize that it should not be a substitute for seeing Battleship Potemkin. On the other hand, some films may indeed serve you just as well as the titles listed under the genre categories (e.g., A Day at the Races in place of A Night at the Opera or Criss Cross instead of Phantom Lady).

Narrative Films 1: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3226578/
Narrative Films 2: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3229903/
Hollywood Genres: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3230657/
Non-Fiction Films: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3232364/
Animated Films: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3236441/
Experimental Films: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3246854/
Single-Channel Video: http://movie.douban.com/doulist/3246941/

Source: http://www.ves.fas.harvard.edu/forms/FVS%20Suggested%20Viewing%202012.pdf