What's your favorite historically based movie?
By twilight021
@twilight021 (2059)
United States
March 6, 2007 12:19pm CST
With 300 coming out this week, and me just seeing Zodiac last weekend, it got me thinking about historically based movies. By this I mean movies where the story is based around actual events in history. The whole thing may not be 100 percent fact, but the main plot is around a historical event(like JFK, Glory, or Apollo 13)
I thnk my favorite is "Elizabeth" with Cate Blanchet. I thought this was an amazing movie, and wished it got a little more recognition. I also really enjoyed "A Beautiful Mind". I found that movie was facinating.
What is your favorite historically based movie?
13 people like this
33 responses
@limitup (324)
• United States
6 Mar 07
There are so many good historical movies. Here are just a few, some of them already mentioned, some very loosely based on fact/real characters:
Lord of War
A Few Good Men
Apollo 13
Spirit of St. Louis
A Beautiful Mind
October Sky
JFK
Gettysburg
Horse Soldiers
Thin Red Line
Glory
Braveheart
Patriot
Memphis Belle
Rocky
Gangs of New York
A Midnight Clear
Tombstone
...many many more.
4 people like this
@nicolec (2671)
• United States
7 Mar 07
Spririt of St Louis and The Memphis Belle...I forgot about those. Jimmy Stewart was amazing in that movie, especially with the fly. "Oh hello Mr Fly"
And the Memphis Belle, always keeps me on my seat. I was on that plan many years ago. I was crawling through the belly of the plane and I hit my knee. Scraped it up real bad to the point of blood coming out. So I can claim that I bled on the Memphis Belle. Ok, not a great claim, but one none the less.
2 people like this
@limitup (324)
• United States
7 Mar 07
"Which way to Ireland?!"
Great movies. "Memphis Belle" really opened my eyes to the war in the skies.
I'm a little jealous. I haven't seen either airplane in person. I didn't know they relocated the Memphis Belle to Dayton, Ohio Air Force Museum. The site says: "In order to visit and view the Belle you will need to request a behind the scenes tour when you visit the museum."
www.memphisbelle.com
They probably cleaned the blood out, but what if they didn't? I can imagine a father telling his son that it was probably the blood of a waist-gunner. Creepy! But hey, the kid would probably be more likely to pick up a book and read about it after seeing that.
Hey, are you the reason they stopped giving tours to everyone? Ha ha.
2 people like this
@nicolec (2671)
• United States
7 Mar 07
Perhaps I wasn't the only one who got hurt. So they decided to lessen the crowds.
I've seen the spirit of st louis at least a 100 times. Well, that's what it feels like since I have been in the Air and Space museum that many times.
Oh, just thought of something. I also hurt my knee in that museum. I was going up the escalator, triped and landed on the jagged part of the step. Had to be carried to the first aid. I have a picture of me sitting on the steps in front of the museum with a bandage on my knee. Seriously, not making this up! Wow, never thought of that before today.
1 person likes this
@nicolec (2671)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Gettysburg would have to be my favorite. Not just because of the story but also the acting, sound track and cinematography. Makes great movies.
But I would like to add to that list Titanic and Tombstone. They just make great entertaining stories around events that happened. Even if most of it is poetic liscense.
3 people like this
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I LOVE Tombstone. I hadn't even thoguht of that. Great Call!
2 people like this
@krebstar5 (1266)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Tombstone is really great! I get all teary eyed every time I watch that movie.
2 people like this
@sweetaspie52 (2359)
• United States
7 Mar 07
my favorite historical movie is Roots I am very interesting in life and trhe way it was back then
@marina1981 (627)
• Italy
6 Mar 07
the gladiator is fantastic! and russel crowe a wonderful actor!
3 people like this
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I was just talking about Gladiator with someone. One of my favotie lines from that movie (and one I quote often) is: "It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed."
2 people like this
@ycswid (279)
• Canada
6 Mar 07
I just love civil war movies. Gettysburg, Gods and Generals and Glory are ones that I have watched repeatedly. I'm not sure what attracts me to them so much. Perhaps it is that time period in and of itself that I'm in love with. Others that I enjoy are in an older time period also.
Schindler's List although depressing was a great movie as was Hotel Rwanda. I have a hard time saying that such depressing movies are on my list of favourites. I guess I get enough present day drama in TV that I don't enjoy the present day historical ones as much.
I too loved Elizabeth. I love watching a movie that has magnificent costumes and set design.
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I like civil war movies too. Sometimes they are hard to watch becuase of the violence, and the medical facilites of the time. But they are so interesting.
2 people like this
@limitup (324)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Hello, I was in Gods and Generals. I was an extra in it. Compare the picture currently in my blog to the scene where there is a close-up of Chamberlain listening to the battle casualties of Fredericksburg..."relatively...low." I am right behind him and I look like I'm half asleep/half pi**ed off. If you blink, though, you'll miss it. Ha ha.
I gotta say though, I've never heard anyone say it was one of their favorite movies. I thought it was terrible, and I love history. It is pretty accurate though.
Anyway, yes, Gettysburg and Glory were good movies, Schindler's list was great too. Haven't seen Hotel Rwanda.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
6 Mar 07
To be honest, history kinda movies aren't my genre - unless Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter counts. :P
But I do remember falling asleep while I was watching "Thin Red Line". Does that count?
I have only fallen asleep 3 times in my entire history of watching movies. "Thin Red Line" is one. "Romeo and Juliet" is another. And the last is some Japanese war flick (with subtitles of course :P).
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Mar 07
LOL! Yeah it seems like so many historical movies are war movies. Thoguh I think 300 look awesome. I love Frank Miller. His graphic novels are amazing.
I haven't seen Thin Red Line. I did see Marie Antonette the other day...it was eye candy, but beyond that pretty boring.
I wish lord of the Rings and Harry Potter were based on history!
1 person likes this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
7 Mar 07
I haven't watched 300 though I read a review on the papers today - about how the director forced the entire beef shop of actors to become beefcakes.
I wish the same for harry too - because I want to enroll in Hogwarts!!
@ArsonCuff (3114)
• United States
6 Mar 07
My favorite..hmm...with so many movies seen it would be hard to compile and list so quick..but off the top of my head: CAPOTE was very rich in character and atmosphere.
@ColonelConclusive (316)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I'm a sucker for underdog sports movies, and the two that immediately rise to mind are "Rudy" and "Invincible." Both of these stories are truly remarkable, and will make any and all that choose to see them feel good by the movie's end. I literally clapped in the theatre at the end of each film. GREAT MOVIES!
2 people like this
@aryangentleman (1122)
• India
7 Mar 07
I always loved historical movies and its very difficult for me to pick one of them and labeled it as My Favourite.Lots of people have mentioned verious movies and I guess largely they all are very good movies but here I have seen some omissions, which I would like to mention here as I love them. Sir Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" was a very powerfull movie and its my one of the favourites, apart from it David Lean's "Lawrance Of Arabia" and "The Bridge Over River Kiwai", Bernardo Betrolucci's "The Last Emperor", Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan", Alan Parker's "Midnight Express"
@sweetrala (1436)
• Philippines
7 Mar 07
Elizabeth is one of faves historically based movie also.I think Cate Blanchet desreved ab OScar fot that Performance,she was simply amazing.I also loved BraveHeart.
2 people like this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Oh there are several good ones out there. I would have to say my favorite would be a toss up between two movies. One is "Braveheart". It's a fantastic version of the story of William Wallace. It was well done and very enjoyable. The other would be "The Untouchables"; the story of Agent Ness and how he got Capone. It was a more realistic version of the facts then the tv show ever was. Neither might not be 100 percent accurate but I don't think anything in Hollywood ever really is. Just how the business is set up. I did think of one other movie "The Miracle Worker", the story of Helen Keller. That one is pretty accurate to the book she wrote on it.
2 people like this
@thomasxml (90)
• China
7 Mar 07
I love brave heart too!The music is amzing!I love the music so much!
@unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I agree that Elizabeth is one of the most beautiful historical films. They're all pretty much fictionalized, but taken with a big pinch of salt, they're still good for background on various periods. My current favorite historical film is Kingdom of Heaven.
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Exactly. It's not really history...just based in Hostory. I always though it was such a shame that Shakesphere in Love kinda over shadowed Elizabeth....which I thought was a superior movie.
1 person likes this
@krebstar5 (1266)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Though this film is pretty much all fiction, I think I would have to say that Amadeus is my favorite. Everytime I watch it, I am just amazed by how powerful it is. Seriously, the music, the costumes, the story, everything about it is amazing.
2 people like this
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
6 Mar 07
That is a great movie! It's based around a real person, so I say it counts (this is my discussion anyway ;-) Does it have fops? I love a movie with fops.
1 person likes this
@krebstar5 (1266)
• United States
6 Mar 07
You know, I can't remember if there were fops in it. Looks like you just gave me an excuse to watch it again!
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@devildinesh (183)
• India
7 Mar 07
I too love to watch historic movies.They are really a treat to watch.I love to see Troy and Gladiator.They are really mind blogging movies.The actors are great in action and the versus they speak are inspiring...
@princess07031980 (5412)
• United States
7 Mar 07
My favorite movie based on historical facts is "Schindler's List." I am fascinated by much of American history, and even more so with all the world's aspects of World War II.
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@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
7 Mar 07
One that I could watch over again is "Zulu" with Michael Caine. not only for the dramatic battle scenes, but for the sympathetic way it treated the Zulus themselves. The film was shot in South Africa and the extras making up the Zulu army where in fact Zulus. Incidentally, "Gladiator" was a remake of an earlier film, "The Fall of the Roman Empire" another example of Hollywood recycling of film ideas!
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@66jerseygirl (3877)
• United States
6 Mar 07
My favorite historically based movie is "Black Hawk Down". I thought it was so well done and broke my heart to think that our guys actually went through that hell. Some others I enjoyed was "The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman","To Hell and Back".and "Sgt.York"
@jeanpri (269)
• Malaysia
7 Mar 07
The best historical movie I had watched was when I was in my teens. It is "World War 2" It was a 3 hour film and I did watched it at least 10 times. Till today, this film is my favourite historically based movie. I wouldn't mind owning a dvd version for my personal collection.
1 person likes this
