Historical Movies
For those of you who don't know, I'm a history buff. I love history, and I love movies...so it stands to reason that I love historical movies. Here's a few of my top picks.
1. Most Recommended - "Schindler's List"
If you haven't seen Schindler's List, you really, really need to. It's by far the best historical movie I've ever seen, and it's in competition for being the best movie I've ever seen. Just don't watch it alone - or on a full stomach.
2. Highly Recommended - "Tora! Tora! Tora!"
For such an old movie, Tora! Tora! Tora! has excellent visual effects, a historically accurate representation of the events of and around December 7, 1941, and a knack for grabbing your attention and holding it. They also didn't waste half the movie on a sappy love story...cough, cough.
3. Highly Recommended - "Gangs of New York"
For all you cynics who believe that corruption rules...this is the movie for you. For people interested in Civil War era America...this is for you, too. Leo DiCaprio's great performance is overshadowed only by Daniel Day Lewis' tremendous performance, and the very presence of Liam Neeson makes it a winner.
4. Highly Recommended - "Glory"
Here's another one you shouldn't miss - if you're a military buff. Quite possibly the most rousing war movie I've ever seen, Glory delivers on all fronts - Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and Matthew Broderick all shine, the costuming and props are outstanding, the visual effects are right on, and it tells a story that, horrifying as it may seem, might have been forgotten if someone hadn't made such a great movie about it. Pick this one up.
5. Recommended - "Amistad"
More for history buffs than for the average moviegoer, Amistad tells an obscure story of a period of American history that a lot of people would just forget about if given half a chance. Despite the relative obscurity of the subject matter, Amistad is a moving, personal, character-driven drama. It's also not for the weak of stomach.
6. Recommended - "Battle of Britain"
Another one that history buffs will love but the average viewer may shy away from, Battle of Britain contains some of the best aerial combat footage ever shot, and some of the most boring land footage ever shot. If you manage to stay awake for some of the scenes on the ground, congradulations - you just learned about one of, if not the most trying periods in British history.
7. Recommended - "U-571"
A great action movie, U-571 lacks only in plausibility. It's chills and thrills line up fairly evenly with historical fact - the only thing that doesn't quite line up is it's attention to the laws of physics. Hollywood will do that sometimes.
8. Recommended - "The Day After"
The Day After isn't, strictly speaking, a historical movie; it's more a story of what may have happened if cooler heads hadn't prevailed. Still, it's a pretty good movie, and worth watching if you're one of two things: interested in the Cold War or a complete societal defeatist. John Lithgow's performance holds strong throughout, even when the visual effects make you want to cringe. The two downfalls here are the onscreen effects and the resolutionless plotline; neither could have been avoided easily.
9. Recommended - "The Man in the Iron Mask"
Finding out whether or not this movie is historically plausible depends on which historian you ask; whichever way you go, a better representation of Renaissance France cannot be found anywhere, and the added bonus of great action sequences and an intriguing plotline make this movie worth a go or two.
10. Recommended - "Titanic"
The sap of this movie has given it a bad name, which is really too bad, all things considered. James Cameron originally intended Titanic to be a theatrical documentary; the romance was forced on him by the higher-ups to make the movie appeal to more age groups. Still, shining through Jack and Rose's sappiness is a film that portrays the sinking of the Titanic, one of the "wonders" of the 20th Century, as accurately as is considered possible today. Ignore the hype and watch the movie - you might like it.
Movies I Haven't Seen Yet:
Saving Private Ryan
Braveheart
Gettysburg
The Alamo
Midway
Black Hawk Down
Judgement at Nuremburg
Movies To Avoid:
Gods and Generals
All Quiet on the Western Front
If you've seen a decent historical movie that you think ought to be up there somewhere, let me know...I'm always on the lookout for new and excellent histories. Thanks.
1. Most Recommended - "Schindler's List"
If you haven't seen Schindler's List, you really, really need to. It's by far the best historical movie I've ever seen, and it's in competition for being the best movie I've ever seen. Just don't watch it alone - or on a full stomach.
2. Highly Recommended - "Tora! Tora! Tora!"
For such an old movie, Tora! Tora! Tora! has excellent visual effects, a historically accurate representation of the events of and around December 7, 1941, and a knack for grabbing your attention and holding it. They also didn't waste half the movie on a sappy love story...cough, cough.
3. Highly Recommended - "Gangs of New York"
For all you cynics who believe that corruption rules...this is the movie for you. For people interested in Civil War era America...this is for you, too. Leo DiCaprio's great performance is overshadowed only by Daniel Day Lewis' tremendous performance, and the very presence of Liam Neeson makes it a winner.
4. Highly Recommended - "Glory"
Here's another one you shouldn't miss - if you're a military buff. Quite possibly the most rousing war movie I've ever seen, Glory delivers on all fronts - Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and Matthew Broderick all shine, the costuming and props are outstanding, the visual effects are right on, and it tells a story that, horrifying as it may seem, might have been forgotten if someone hadn't made such a great movie about it. Pick this one up.
5. Recommended - "Amistad"
More for history buffs than for the average moviegoer, Amistad tells an obscure story of a period of American history that a lot of people would just forget about if given half a chance. Despite the relative obscurity of the subject matter, Amistad is a moving, personal, character-driven drama. It's also not for the weak of stomach.
6. Recommended - "Battle of Britain"
Another one that history buffs will love but the average viewer may shy away from, Battle of Britain contains some of the best aerial combat footage ever shot, and some of the most boring land footage ever shot. If you manage to stay awake for some of the scenes on the ground, congradulations - you just learned about one of, if not the most trying periods in British history.
7. Recommended - "U-571"
A great action movie, U-571 lacks only in plausibility. It's chills and thrills line up fairly evenly with historical fact - the only thing that doesn't quite line up is it's attention to the laws of physics. Hollywood will do that sometimes.
8. Recommended - "The Day After"
The Day After isn't, strictly speaking, a historical movie; it's more a story of what may have happened if cooler heads hadn't prevailed. Still, it's a pretty good movie, and worth watching if you're one of two things: interested in the Cold War or a complete societal defeatist. John Lithgow's performance holds strong throughout, even when the visual effects make you want to cringe. The two downfalls here are the onscreen effects and the resolutionless plotline; neither could have been avoided easily.
9. Recommended - "The Man in the Iron Mask"
Finding out whether or not this movie is historically plausible depends on which historian you ask; whichever way you go, a better representation of Renaissance France cannot be found anywhere, and the added bonus of great action sequences and an intriguing plotline make this movie worth a go or two.
10. Recommended - "Titanic"
The sap of this movie has given it a bad name, which is really too bad, all things considered. James Cameron originally intended Titanic to be a theatrical documentary; the romance was forced on him by the higher-ups to make the movie appeal to more age groups. Still, shining through Jack and Rose's sappiness is a film that portrays the sinking of the Titanic, one of the "wonders" of the 20th Century, as accurately as is considered possible today. Ignore the hype and watch the movie - you might like it.
Movies I Haven't Seen Yet:
Saving Private Ryan
Braveheart
Gettysburg
The Alamo
Midway
Black Hawk Down
Judgement at Nuremburg
Movies To Avoid:
Gods and Generals
All Quiet on the Western Front
If you've seen a decent historical movie that you think ought to be up there somewhere, let me know...I'm always on the lookout for new and excellent histories. Thanks.