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Which ur most favourite Historic Hollywood film??

Posted by iganesh • 8/27/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic

To start with,Myfavourite film is "Brave Heart"by Mel Gibson,It's nice film which portrays a Scotland freedom life and his death is the most emotional and heart touching one!!!!

User Comments

8/27/08

SweetViolet

Oh, I'm a sap for romantic movies. My favourite historical film has got to be "Gone with the Wind."

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8/27/08

kdawg68

By historic do you mean the film itself was historic or that it was about a historical event?

I liked Braveheart, but I shudder to consider it "historic." Wallace sleeping with the Queen of England?? And where was the "bridge" in the battle of Stirling Bridge? Kinda hard to present a battle that was all about a bridge with no bridge. But I digress.

Historically based films that I love (and all have their deviations from true history):

- Zulu - B company of the 24th takes on the Undi Corps - the whole "men of harlech" thing is pure fantasy, but the way the fighting is portrayed is very close to true.

-Gettysburg - while based on a work of fiction ("the Killer Angels") ther is a fair amount of historical accuracy in the film. I detest that day 2 centers around "St.Joshua" Chamberlain (don't even get me started on that revisionist fancy pants), but the day 3 events circulating around Pickett's Charge are magnificent.

- Black Hawk Down - I was amazed at how true to Bowden's book the script was. Obviously some condensing of characters has to occur to fit into a 2 hour film. The vets themselves seem to think it was true to life. The scenes with Shughart (who I named my son after) and Gordon defending the 2nd crash site with their lives still give me chills.

- The Longest Day - also known as "the longest freakin' movie!", but imagine if they redid this today? All of the big name stars were there. From John Wayne to Sean Connery. Who can forget "This 5 cent toy wasn't issued to you for laughs...it may save your life!" Or, Ike sitting with his generals and "weathermen" trying to decide whether to go or not at the last hour. "Gentlemen, I don't see what else we can do but go. I don't like it, but there it is" followed by the silence in the room. With that word half a million men start in motion across the channel.

-Das Boat - often overlooked film about German WW11 submarine life. The kind of film that makes you check yourself half way in and say "oh my god...am I hoping the nazis win?" Of course, that's a bit of a misnomer as the Kriegsmarine in real life and in the film are largely anti-nazi, but you get the point. The word "ALARM!!!!!" will haunt your sleep.

-Henry V - True, the bard had his way with history as well, but c'mon, we're talking the St. Crispin's Day speech here. Can it get any better than that? "And gentlemen in England now a-bed, shall think themselves cursed they were not here, and hold their manhood's cheap - whilst any speaks who fought with us...upon St. Crispin's Day!!!"

- The Civl War - not technically "hollywood", nor technically a "movie" - but this documentary by filmaker Ken Burns totally changed the way every documentary done ever since has been made. I believe it still ranks as the highest viewed program in Public Television history. This is what fueled my fire to get into history, as I was in 5th grade when it debuted. Suddenly I realized that kids not much older than me had volunteered and died by the thousands in our back yards for ideals that seemed trivial to me across the expanses of space and time.

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  aningeniousname
  
  Das Boot was an absolute classic, sticking with the German flavour I'd nominate Der Untergang (Downfall)
  A brilliant film about the fuhrer's last days in the bunker.
  
  I would have to say Spartacus too, yeah I know its not accurate (are any films?) But it was a bloody good film.
2. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  I wonder if Der Untergang is the film that was used in an awesome youtube mockumentary depicting Hitler as a Dallas Cowboys fan?
  
  Easily one of the most hysterical things I've ever seen:
  
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_9UTvESBIc
  
  Sparatcus - yes indeed! They need to make more great Roman era films. I want to see Cannae in all it's glory!
3. 8/27/08
  
  aningeniousname
  
  That's funny! And yeah that's Der Untergang.
  On the Roman theme I would like to see a film about the lost legions of Varus, I think Ridley Scott would do the dark and atmospheric Teutorburg forest brilliantly.
4. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  Ah yes, Teutorburg forest. I have a history magazine where an author visited some grave sites that were for remains recoverd from Teutorburg a year or so after the battle. Some of them actually contain descriptions of how the men died.
  
  There was one Centurion in particular - dude was decorated in all of the legion's campaigns (can't remember which legion...was it the XIII ??). Apparently he defended their standard single handedly and was found with the bodies of dozens of Germanic troops at his side. There was some speculation that the tale of his death was actually passed down by Germans. Very fascinating.
  
  Alesia would be another good one. Caesar vs Vercingetorex (or however the hell you spell that). The fall of Gaul.
  
  Speaking of Gauls, as an interesting aside, go back and watch the opening battle scene from "Gladiator"
  
  Those cheap bastards making that film actually ripped sound effects from Zulu (made in the 1960s) and used them for the Gauls. You'll hear this changint that almost sounds like "gee-yuh, move quietly". Now go back and watch the first attack from Zulu. It's a total rip from that film - and I don't think they reference it in the credits at all.
  
  If I were Stanley Baker, I'd be suing!
5. 8/27/08
  
  aningeniousname
  
  I'm going to have to find Gladiator online now, it would be great if you could hear the Sgt major saying don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes boys!"
  The classic Oscar winning scene of Varus's lost legions would be the scene described in Suetonius's twelve Caesars, when Augustus learns of their fate and falls to the floor tearing his clothes and crying Quinctilius Varus! Give me back my legions!!"
  I'm putting forward Anthony Hopkins for the part of Augustus.
  
  The siege of Alesia would have to be told from a Gaulish perspective because it was basically a war crime on Caesar's part.
  You would have the noble Vercingetorix making his doomed last stand against the mighty Roman war machine, there wouldn't be a dry eye in the house.
6. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  Oh I totally agree - the last stand of the Gauls. Moving stuff indeed.
  
  Audiences would then cheer when we announced the next film would depict the evil Romans being butchered ad nauseum in "Cannae - the revenge of Carthage!"
  
  We'd have noble Roman cavalry being gobbled up by Numidian horsemen. Then we'd have the legions being double-enveloped and killed to a man.
  
  Actually, Cannae kind of brings full circle (funny, considering the "double envelopment" theme) the battles I most closely follow: Cannae, Isandlwana, Gettysburg - all of them feature at least brief moments where the classical double envelopment is pulled off. At Cannae Hannibal does it (wasn't it to Scipio's father? Blast, I need my sources!), at Isandlwana it's Ntishingwayo doing it to Pulleine/Durnford's command, and at Gettysburg, towards the end of Pickett's Charge - you get Stanards Vermont troops and the Ohioans hitting both flanks of the attacking column while Webb/Hayes/Harrow/Hall hold the front at the so-called "high water mark" of the rebellion.
  
  Gosh I love this stuff!
7. 8/27/08
  
  MidwestMom
  
  @aningeniousname
  
  Doch -- Das Boot war echt ausgezeichnet.
  
  But I don't think it was "Hollywood"?? (Does that matter?)
8. 8/27/08
  
  kateblogs
  
  I love Zulu and The Longest Day. The Men of Harlech bit still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up even if it is fiction.
8/27/08

iganesh

How about film 300? which released a year before!!!

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  I know a lot of people liked it, but from a "historical" perspective I thought it was absolute crap.
2. 8/27/08
  
  aningeniousname
  
  I hated that film I haven't seen a bigger glorification of Nazi ideals since Leni Riefenstahl put down her camera.
8/27/08

sulz

the lord of the rings trilogy.

... well, nobody mentioned specifically which history.

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  ha! Sulz sneaks one in on us when we aren't looking.
  
  I actually liked those films as well. Good vs. Evil always captures my attention.
8/27/08

Anniepooh

I do love Braveheart and Gettysburg, but a few other favorites are U-571, Amazing Grace and Amistad.

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  awesome! Anniepooh likes Gettysburg. I toss this out there whenever I get a chance...I do give tours if you're ever in the area. I think there's a pic of me in my facebook profile giving a tour to a bunch of local kids.
2. 8/27/08
  
  Anniepooh
  
  We haven't been in years - at least 10
  
  Our oldest was accepted to college there, but she decided on Kutztown.
  
  We love Gettysburg - the town, the movie, the history. I'd live there if I could!
3. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  drop me a line next time you're in my neck of the woods, neck of the nape.
8/27/08

craftymug

I agree with SweetViolet, Gone With the Wind!!

[reply]
8/27/08

RTBjr73

Band Of Brothers

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  I'm ashamed to have left that off my list. Unbelievable how awesome that series was. Sometimes at night I still think I can hear the airbursts from the artillery bombardments at Foy.
  
  My favorite line from that whole series:
  
  "So this is what it was like for them?"
  
  "who?"
  
  "The visigoths"
  
  "Visigoths? Jeebus Thriced"
2. 8/27/08
  
  kateblogs
  
  My DH loves that! It's pretty good, although I kept expecting David Schwimmer to shout 'we were on a break'.
3. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  Okay, Easy company...I Ross take thee Rachel...
8/27/08

tealcatfan

I agree with SweetViolet and Crafty Mug "Gone with the Wind"

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8/27/08

MidwestMom

Gallipoli was good.

Band of Brothers was shockingly fantastic (good on you, RTBjr)

an old favorite, though, about Bastogne was
Battleground

[reply]
8/27/08

bilirkishi

The Sting ?
not old but "Big Fish"

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  kateblogs
  
  Spookily, I watched Big Fish yesterday. It is a great film.
8/27/08

kateblogs

Rob Roy starring Liam Neeson is a much better Scots rebellion film than Braveheart. More accurate too.

Apart from that, Gone with the Wind, Restoration, The Wind that Shakes the Barley and The Lion in Winter - you can't go wrong with Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitane. Oh and Enemy at the Gate, it's WW2 so not that long ago, but completely gripping and based on a true story. I also liked the remake of The Four Feathers, but I suspect I might be in a minority there.

[reply]
1. 8/27/08
  
  kdawg68
  
  Man, love your taste in films, kateblogs. Haven't met many women who could appreciate Zulu - and I'm with you on Rob Roy.
  
  "I want McGregor!"
  
  That Archie Cunningham character still ranks as one of the best all-time villains in my book.