Movies like Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here (2013)
The best movies like Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here (2013) are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014). If Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here hooked you with its documentary and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedCapitalism: A Love Story (2009)7.1/10 from 597 votes
- NewestThe Canal Map of Britain (2024)Released 2024
The Untold History Of The United States (2012)
Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMaking Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
A documentary about the development and spread of the virtual currency called Bitcoin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Soviet Story (2008)
“The Soviet Story” is a story of an Allied power, which helped the Nazis to fight Jews and which slaughtered its own people on an industrial scale. Assisted by the West, this power triumphed on May 9th, 1945. Its crimes were made taboo, and the complete story of Europe’s most murderous regime has never been told. Until now...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Unknown Known (2013)
Former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Age of Stupid (2009)
Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like this9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021)
Experience the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors as they personally detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCapitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Michael Moore comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Princess (2022)
Decades after her untimely death, Princess Diana continues to evoke mystery, glamour, and the quintessential modern fairy tale gone wrong. As a symbol of both the widening fissures weakening the British monarchy and the destructive machinery of the press, the Princess of Wales navigated an unparalleled rise to fame and the corrosive challenges that came alongside it. Crafted entirely from immersive archival footage and free from the distraction of retrospective voices, this hypnotic and audaciously revealing documentary takes a distinctive formal approach, allowing the story of the People’s Princess to unfold before us like never before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVisions of Light (1992)
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDownloaded (2013)
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2018)
A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAbove Majestic (2018)
A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSidney (2022)
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHarmontown (2014)
A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes his live podcast on a national tour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSouth of the Border (2009)
A road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLeague of Legends Origins (2019)
Fans, experts and creators of “League of Legends” detail the game’s rise from free demo to global esports titan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnd of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003)
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChanging Landscapes (1964)
A sophisticated and beautifully constructed account of landscape change in and around Paris in the early 1960s. The film raises complex issues about the meaning and experience of modern landscapes and the enigmatic characteristics of features such as canals, pylons and deserted factories. Rohmer also explores the role of landscape within different traditions of modern art and design and refers to specific architects, artists and engineers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & history
The Canal Map of Britain (2024)
A look at Britain's beloved canal network via a fact-filled cruise along the first superhighways of the Industrial Revolution. In the age before mechanisation, a frenzy of canal-building saw a new army of workers carve out the British landscape, digging out hundreds of miles of waterways using picks, shovels and muscle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & history
Breakpoint: A Counter History of Progress (2019)
An account of the last two centuries of the Anthropocene, the Age of Man. How human beings have progressed so much in such a short time through war and the selfish interests of a few, belligerent politicians and captains of industry, damaging the welfare of the majority of mankind, impoverishing the weakest, greedily devouring the limited resources of the Earth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & history
The Year They Discovered People (1974)
In the 1920s, Western Electric Company ordered a series of studies to be conducted at their plant in Cicero, Illinois. At first they wanted to see how lighting affected productivity on the factory floor. Researchers also interviewed employees to hear their ideas and opinions about company policies, management, and other subjects. These were the Hawthorne studies, landmark research in industrial and organizational psychology. In the early 1970s, some of the participants of this study—researchers and workers alike--reunited and reminisced about their involvement.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Martin Scorsese's Quarantine Short Film (2020)
Martin Scorsese’s Quarantine Short Film was created during the COVID-19 lockdown as part of the BBC series Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard. In the short piece, Scorsese reflects on life in isolation and the experience of time during the pandemic.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Assassin’s Creed - Syndicate (2015)
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate teams up with F. Gary Gray, award-winning director of the Universal Pictures biopic Straight Outta Compton. Illustrated by LucasFilm-Certified comic book artist Pop Mhan, this animated short follows the story of the Industrial Revolution in London, 1868 and the birth of organized crime, led by Assassin’s Creed Syndicate protagonist, Jacob Frye and his sister, Evie.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
This Is Tomorrow (1943)
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short takes a look at the evolution of the American city, from the initially small farming village, to the eventually hectic, congested metropolis, to the future planned suburban community.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Tragedy of Man (2011)
Jankovics's adaptation of the eponymous play is divided into multiple parts, and depicts the creation and fall of Man throughout history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
The Last Survivors (2019)
Documentary compiling the testimonies of the last remaining Holocaust survivors living in Britain, all of whom were children at the time, and following them over the course of a year as they embark upon personal and profound journeys.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here?
The closest matches to Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here are The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here?
Start with The Untold History Of The United States (2012), the closest match to Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here.
What is the highest-rated movie like Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here?
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009), rated 7.1/10 by 597 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here?
The Canal Map of Britain (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here?
Yes: The Untold History Of The United States (2012), Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014).
How are movies similar to Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



























