Best 24 Documentary Movies Highly Recommended Released in 1972

British progressive rock band Pink Floyd perform at the ancient Roman Amphitheater in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy in 1971. Although the band perform a typical live set from the era, there is no audience beyond the basic film crew. Learn about Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii / IMDB / YouTube

An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion. Look into The Sorrow and the Pity / IMDB / YouTube

Footage shot in and around the Algerian Sahara Desert, accompanied only by a spoken creation myth and the songs of Leonard Cohen. More about Fata Morgana / IMDB / YouTube

Concert footage and offstage documentary of singer Elvis Presley. See more about Elvis on Tour / IMDB / YouTube

The first benefit rock concert when major musicians performed to raise humanitarian relief funds for the refugees of Bangladesh of 1971 war. Details on The Concert for Bangladesh / IMDB / YouTube

Marionnettes de tous les pays: Festival international de Charleville-Mézières is the sixth ranked movie in 1972 documentary list. Details on Marionnettes de tous les pays: Festival international de Charleville-Mézières / IMDB / YouTube

Filmmaker Jonas Mekas creates an elegiac diary of a trip to his home country of Lithuania. Details on Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania / IMDB / YouTube

In a 360° circular panoramic shot the camera slowly pans an entire apartment (or house). When it first passes the bedroom there is nobody there but each time it shows the room again Chantal Akerman is sitting on the bed, motionless first, then busy doing something (peeling an orange, eating an orange, etc.). When she is last seen she yawns and lies down on her bed. Th. Look into La chambre / IMDB / YouTube

An analysis of the construction mechanism for the magic in dominant narrative cinema though the filming of Count Dracula (1970), a commercial film by Jesús Franco. Info on Cuadecuc, vampir / IMDB / YouTube

Follow the Rolling Stones on their 1972 North American Tour and their first return to the States since the tragedy at Altamont. More about The Rolling Stones: Cocksucker Blues / IMDB / YouTube

An elegiac journey through Slovakia's Carpathian Mountain villages, with interviews of old peasants about the happiness and hardships in their lives. Details on Pictures of the Old World / IMDB / YouTube

In 1971, African- American protesters seeking economic justice and voting rights are met with armed violence by white vigilantes in the Mississippi River town of Cairo, Illinois. They fight back. More about On the Battlefield / IMDB / YouTube

Filmmaker Roman Polanski spends a weekend with world champion driver Jackie Stewart as he attempts to win the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix, offering an extraordinarily rare glimpse into the life of a gifted athlete at the height of his powers. Check out Weekend of a Champion / IMDB / YouTube

Safety or Slaughter is the Invalid ranked movie in 1972 documentary list. Read about Safety or Slaughter / IMDB / YouTube

James Earl Jones narrates this fascinating and moving documentary about the life of the assassinated black leader through various sources. Check out Malcolm X / IMDB / YouTube

Bob Dylan and The Hawks (aka The Band) on their infamous 1966 Judas tour of the UK. Explore Eat the Document / IMDB / YouTube

Available for the first time since it mysteriously disappeared in 1972 after only one week in theaters, this raucous film is a riveting slice of the Vietnam anti-war movement. Check out FTA / IMDB / YouTube

A documentary about various singers, musicians, artists, astrologers, etc., who attended a New Age gathering in Maui, Hawaii. Read about Rainbow Bridge / IMDB / YouTube

Documentary of the Ra expedition organized by Thor Heyerdahl, which crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a papyrus boat in 1969 and 1970. Learn about The Ra Expeditions / IMDB / YouTube

A zoo-born lion gets put in the pet department of Harrods, the cellar of an antique shop, and then released into the wilds of Africa. Learn about The Lion Who Thought He Was People / IMDB / YouTube

Daily life in a Benedictine monastery. Find out about Essene / IMDB / YouTube

The film portrays surfers living in spiritual harmony with nature, making their own boards (and homes) as they traveled in search of the perfect wave across Australia's north-east coast, Bali and Hawaii. See more about Morning of the Earth / IMDB / YouTube

This short films traces the history of opium and examines contemporary heroin trade and addiction in the United States. Explore Flowers of Darkness / IMDB / YouTube

Describes the constant, bewildering barrage of new technologies and all the resulting societal changes those technologies bring about. More about Future Shock / IMDB / YouTube