Most Historically Accurate Movies

Mott the Hoople said:
If you can stay awake that is. ;)

Don't get me wrong. I really do appreciate Rand's philosophy but that has to be the worst (and one of the longest) Novels I've ever read so it would take a truly great screenwriter to makes a movie out that which wouldn't be a real sleeper.
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They made a film out of the Fountainhead starring Gary Cooper, when I watched it many moons ago I'd never heard of Ayn Rand.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041386/
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Not all are depressing. Little Big Man is hillarious and very historically accurate. Chief Dan George was absolutely brilliant as was Hoffman.
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I didn’t think of it because I didn’t realize it would qualify, true not all are depressing, but most. I miss a lot of great movies because I don’t watch war movies, much to my son’s dismay. He did get me to watch Braveheart. It’s another good movie.
 
Cypress said:
A good insight.

It was a great film in my opinion, but from what I have read the historical accuracy played second fiddle to artistic license. The running duel between Zaytsev and the German master sniper seems to have possibly been made up out of whole cloth.
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You know how it is when you read the book first. I was expecting the whole sweep of the Battle of Stalingrad to be presented but that's not what it was. It was turned into a love triangle during war time epic. Now that may have made for great theater...I can't pass judgement there but it was not what I was expecting, having read the book and I was hugely dissapointed in the movie.
 
Havana Moon said:
I've seen it, it's two hours long but seems more like three to be honest. There is some decent cinematography but the story is turgid and Hilary Swank is the only good thing in it, acting wise. Maybe they should have made it into a musical?
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I tried watching it last night. Went to bed at 9:30 without finishing it. But damn I slept good!
Tommy Lee Jones was good too, I thought. A comical figure in the beginning.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
You know how it is when you read the book first. I was expecting the whole sweep of the Battle of Stalingrad to be presented but that's not what it was. It was turned into a love triangle during war time epic. Now that may have made for great theater...I can't pass judgement there but it was not what I was expecting, having read the book and I was hugely dissapointed in the movie.
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I totally get that.

That's Hollywood for you....gotta work in the romantic story. Great movie in my opinion. But if I wanted some historical context and texture about the Stalingrad campaign, that movie was not it - and I am sure they did not intend it to be anything other than a great story, a drama, based on artistic license of the first order.
 
Phantasmal said:
I didn’t think of it because I didn’t realize it would qualify, true not all are depressing, but most. I miss a lot of great movies because I don’t watch war movies, much to my son’s dismay. He did get me to watch Braveheart. It’s another good movie.
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Alas, like other of Mel's historical movies, it wasn't very historically accurate.
 
Cypress said:
I totally get that.

That's Hollywood for you....gotta work in the romantic story. Great movie in my opinion. But if I wanted some historical context and texture about the Stalingrad campaign, that movie was not it - and I am sure they did not intend it to be anything other than a great story, a drama, based on artistic license of the first order.
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Though the book is a first rate account of the battle of Stalingrad, as an account of that battle, the movie "Enemy at the Gates" blew chunks royally. The 1993 German made film "Stalingrad" is far better.
 
Some movies or TV series totally distort the reality...but use the reality as basis for great, interesting, and enjoyable storytelling.

Amadeus was such a movie. Totally distorted the relationship between Solieri and Mozart...but in my opinion, it was a great movie.

Deadwood on TV was such a series. Knocked the shit out of the truth...but was a great series. Your comment about Cole Younger and Sam Starr came to mind when I read it, Mott.

The treatment of Starr, Bullock, and Hearst was very distant from reality...but the series worked. (TV movie coming out soon.)
 
Frank Apisa said:
Some movies or TV series totally distort the reality...but use the reality as basis for great, interesting, and enjoyable storytelling.

Amadeus was such a movie. Totally distorted the relationship between Solieri and Mozart...but in my opinion, it was a great movie.

Deadwood on TV was such a series. Knocked the shit out of the truth...but was a great series. Your comment about Cole Younger and Sam Starr came to mind when I read it, Mott.

The treatment of Starr, Bullock, and Hearst was very distant from reality...but the series worked. (TV movie coming out soon.)
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I recently watched some lectures about Mozart, given by a professor of Music, and learned that the movie Amadeus' depiction of Mozart as an idiot savant with seemingly magical God-given musical genius was wildly inaccurate.

Mozart was a thoughtful and articulate person, and while he was extremely talented indeed, there was nothing magical about his talent....he had to work exceptionally hard at improving and at creating his operas and compositions.
 
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