History of the Eagles is a two-part, career-spanning documentary: Part One follows the band’s formation, rise and 1980 breakup, while Part Two covers the years apart, the 1994 reunion and the group’s later work. The available information supports a detailed account of this film, but not a reliable title-by-title comparison with every other Eagles documentary. It is best understood on its own documented scope, sources and production approach—not as a proven representative of a complete filmography.
What kind of documentary is History of the Eagles?
Released in 2013, History of the Eagles is a two-part documentary directed by Alison Ellwood and produced by Alex Gibney. Apple lists the combined runtime as 3 hours and 7 minutes. Its central distinction is its broad chronology: rather than focusing only on one album, tour or period, it traces the band from its beginnings through its later career.
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History of the Eagles | $32.47 | Buy on Amazon |
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![History of the Eagles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TLMuG8r0L._SL160_.jpg)
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History of the Eagles [Blu-ray] | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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History of the Eagles | $111.56 | Buy on Amazon |
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History of the Eagles: Deluxe Edition | $149.98 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over | $19.93 | Buy on Amazon |
The film combines interviews with current and former members and people associated with the group with archival footage, concert footage and home movies. Those materials give it more than one mode of storytelling: participants recount events, while performance and personal footage show parts of the band’s history directly. The listed ingredients establish the film’s approach, but do not by themselves show that every perspective receives equal weight.
That breadth is the clearest way to describe what kind of film it is. It is not documented here as a single-concert film or as a narrowly focused account of one band member. Its two-part structure allows it to move from the group’s creation and first rise through the breakup, then return to the story of the members’ separation and the band’s later career. That is a useful distinction from a film about a particular period, if that is the work a reader has in mind—but the titles and details of those other films need to be verified before making a direct comparison.
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How the two parts divide the band’s story
Part One: formation through breakup
Universal Music Canada described Part One as a two-hour account of the Eagles’ creation, their rise during the 1970s and their breakup in 1980. Interviews include current and former members, as well as people connected to the band. This makes the first part primarily a story of formation, success and fracture.
The chronology matters when deciding whether this documentary answers a particular viewing question. A reader interested in how the group began, how it rose during the 1970s or how the original run ended can look to Part One for that span. It is not just a retrospective of the band’s later success: according to the release description, its account reaches the 1980 breakup. The presence of interviews from people connected to the band gives the history a range of participants, though the available descriptions do not specify how much time each person receives or settle disputes among their accounts.
Part Two: separation, reunion and later career
Part Two shifts to the members’ personal and professional experiences while the group was apart, then follows the 1994 reunion and subsequent recording and performing. The division matters: the film does not end its narrative at the breakup, nor does it treat the reunion as the whole story. Together, the parts cover both the original rise and the later continuation of the band.
This second section can help viewers who are less interested in an origin story alone and want to understand what followed the split. Its subject is not only the reunion event: Universal’s description also includes the members’ years apart and their later recording and performing. The available description does not give a detailed year-by-year itinerary for Part Two, so it is safer to treat it as a broad continuation rather than assume it covers every later tour or release equally.
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A precise comparison depends on which other films are meant. The available information establishes History of the Eagles in considerable detail, but does not establish a complete, dependable list of other Eagles documentaries with verified dates, formats, subjects or source material. That means broad claims such as “the most comprehensive” or “more balanced than the others” cannot be substantiated here.
Rank #2
For a useful comparison, identify the specific title first, then assess it against the same questions:
- Time span: Does it cover the band’s full chronology, a particular era, or an individual member’s career?
- Sources: Does it include interviews, archival or home-movie footage, and recorded performances?
- Access and point of view: Who participated, who made the film, and what editorial latitude is documented?
- Format: Is it a multi-part documentary, a single film, or a concert release marketed alongside documentary material?
- Release context: When and where was it released, and which broadcaster or distributor was involved?
These questions separate differences that can otherwise get blurred together. A longer runtime does not automatically make a documentary more complete; the important question is which years and people it actually covers. Similarly, the inclusion of concert footage is not the same thing as a concert film, and a disc package can contain a concert program without that program being part of the documentary itself. Interviews and archival material describe a film’s source base, but they do not prove that it is neutral or that all participants agree.
On the evidence available, the strongest defensible distinction is therefore about History of the Eagles itself: it is a two-part account spanning the group’s formation to its later career, built from interviews and a mix of archival and performance material. A title-by-title verdict requires verified information about the other title being compared. Readers looking at another candidate should confirm that they are comparing a documentary with a documentary, rather than a biography, a concert release or a book about the band.
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One example of that category check is Marc Eliot’s To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles. The 2024 bibliographic record identifies it as a book, not a film. It may offer another way to explore the band’s history, but it cannot establish how one Eagles documentary differs from another. The source set for this article also does not verify a complete list of other documentaries, so it would be misleading to fill that gap with unconfirmed titles or claims about their relative quality.
Who shaped the film, and how much latitude did the filmmakers have?
The production was not described as wholly detached from the band: Universal said the Eagles partnered with Gibney. At the same time, an Associated Press report carried by KSL.com quoted Glenn Frey describing the producer choice and the filmmakers’ latitude. Frey said, “We have a good story to tell and I think he’s a great storyteller.” The report says the band selected the producer while the filmmakers had substantial latitude.
Rank #3
These accounts can coexist: band participation and producer selection do not establish that the band dictated the finished film, while reported editorial latitude does not prove that the documentary is neutral or exhaustive. Apple’s listing identifies members, managers and music-industry figures among the people whose perspectives and material inform the film. Those details describe access and source types, not a guarantee of equal representation.
For a comparison with another documentary, it helps to distinguish three things: who supplied access, who made the film, and what is known about editorial control. Here, the sources establish a partnership with Gibney and report Frey’s account that the band chose the producer and filmmakers had substantial latitude. They do not provide a scene-by-scene account of editorial decisions, a complete participant list or an independent assessment of how competing recollections were handled. The responsible conclusion is about the documented process, not a blanket judgment that the result is either an official band account or a fully independent one.
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Universal Music Canada’s March 13, 2013 announcement described DVD and Blu-ray configurations, including a three-disc deluxe edition. That edition paired both parts of the documentary with Eagles Live at the Capital Centre – March 1977 and a 40-page hardback photo book. The concert program listed eight performances.
The added concert is a bonus performance program, not a third documentary. That distinction matters when comparing runtimes or counting films in a release: the documentary is two parts, while the deluxe set adds a separate concert presentation and a photo book. The concert’s 1977 date also places it within the band’s earlier history, but it should not be described as the documentary’s entire performance-footage component; the film itself is separately described as using concert footage.
The release announcement is historical; it does not establish current stock, the availability of a particular edition, or compatibility in a reader’s region. It also supplies no verified current price. Before buying, check whether the listing is for the standard DVD or Blu-ray configuration or the three-disc deluxe set, confirm the contents and regional format, and verify that the physical edition is actually in stock. Do not assume every edition includes the concert and book simply because the deluxe release did.
Broadcast audience and viewing availability
CNN reported that its CNN Films Presents broadcast on January 30, 2016, drew 1.35 million total viewers, citing Nielsen Company Live+SD data. That figure refers to the later CNN broadcast, not the film’s original premiere audience or cumulative lifetime viewership.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe date and measurement qualification are important if using the number to describe the film’s reach. It is a reported audience for one later CNN broadcast, with the measurement identified as Live+SD. It should not be restated as the audience for the film’s 2013 release, the total number of people who have ever watched it, or a comparison with another documentary’s audience without corresponding data measured on a comparable basis.
A Netflix UK catalog page listed the film when accessed on October 9, 2026. Streaming catalogs vary by territory and change over time, so that listing does not establish availability in other countries or at a later date. Check the service’s current catalog in your location. If the film is not listed where you live, no current alternative streaming service is confirmed; physical-edition availability should likewise be checked rather than assumed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is To the Limit another Eagles documentary?
No. Marc Eliot’s To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles is identified in its 2024 bibliographic record as a book, not a documentary. It may be relevant to readers exploring the band’s history, but it should not be counted as another film in a documentary comparison.
Sources
- Universal Music Canada: 2013 DVD and Blu-ray release announcement
- Apple TV: Eagles: History of the Eagles
- CNN Films: January 2016 broadcast audience announcement
- Associated Press via KSL.com: Eagles talk about the documentary
- Netflix UK: History of the Eagles catalog page
- Google Books: Marc Eliot, To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is History of the Eagles?
Apple lists the two-part 2013 documentary at a combined 3 hours and 7 minutes. Universal Music Canada described Part One as a two-hour account; the available descriptions do not warrant calculating the second part’s exact runtime by subtracting one figure from the other.
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What years does History of the Eagles cover?
Part One covers the group’s formation and 1970s rise through its 1980 breakup. Part Two covers the members’ time apart, the 1994 reunion and later recording and performing.
Is the 1977 Capital Centre concert part of the documentary?
It was a separate bonus concert program in the three-disc deluxe physical edition, alongside both documentary parts and a 40-page hardback photo book. The release description lists eight concert performances.
Where can I watch History of the Eagles?
A Netflix UK catalog page listed it when accessed on October 9, 2026, but that does not establish current availability in other territories or at a later date. Check the current catalog in your location.
Is To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles a documentary?
No. Its 2024 bibliographic record identifies Marc Eliot’s work as a book, not a documentary.
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Is History of the Eagles more comprehensive or balanced than the other Eagles documentaries?
Available sources do not establish a complete set of other Eagles documentary titles or enough matching information to make that ranking. The film is documented as a two-part account from the band’s formation through its later career, but claims about relative completeness or balance require verified comparisons.
The Bottom Line
History of the Eagles stands out on the facts established here for its two-part, career-spanning structure: it moves from the band’s formation and 1980 breakup to the members’ separation, 1994 reunion and later work. It uses interviews alongside archival, concert and home-movie material, and its deluxe release added a separate 1977 concert and photo book. But the evidence does not verify a complete comparison set of other Eagles documentaries, so claims that it is the most comprehensive, most balanced or otherwise superior should wait until the specific films are identified and checked.
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