Movies with ties to history or diseases?

Question

We are going to be working on a research project within the next coming week. We are suppose to pick a movie that has something you can research in it. For example if you did A walk to remember you could do reasearch on cancer and see if they did an accurate portrayl. Or if you did Paton, a movie about George Paton you could make sure that it was accurate to his character and to his personality. So basically most movies related to history or some rather specific topic, - not Forest Gump.

So my question for you guys, what are some good movies for such a project? If you can, try to make sure they aren't too non-mainstream, we have to rent and watch the movies.

Answer 1

The Right Stuff - about the Space Race in the 60's - it's historical fiction, but you could look at the accuracy of the situations.

Alive - the movie about the soccer team that crashed in the Andes mountains and resorted to cannibalism to stay alive.

Now this one is a little off center, but you could choose a scary movie such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or The Exorcist, as they were based on real events. You report would be more about the differences in the movies and the real events, which would be fun and probably a lot more entertaining.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Flight 93, has several possible inaccuracies and TONS of current information is available. I.e. the black pilot may not have died.

Lorenzo's OIL is an amazing research film.

Superstar:The Karen Carpenter Story is amazingly accurate dispite being one of two movies officially BANNED in the US for copyright infringement and performed by barbie dolls. It is easy to find on-line. You should get extra-credit for doing a BANNED FILM!!!

The Blair Witch project is based on the Bell Witch in American Haunting.

Goodbye Lenin, is an amazing (and funny) reflection on Communist East Germany.

Gone with the Wind is filled with real life inspirations which are well documented. Not to mention the history of the film itself.

Triumph of the Will (German: Triumph des Willens) is a propaganda film by the German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl about the Nazis and Hitler and she also did a film on the 1936 Olympics. Definietly "A+" material, and your school may have copies at the library.

Good Luck on your Homework!

Answer 3

How about Gladiator?

There's a lot to analyze in there, how correct was the portrayal of Ancient Rome, it's society, culture, technological level, political leaders, etc. My history teacher told us once that the movie does have a lot of historical flaws, so you've got material to work with.

Plus, it's a fun movie to watch, so you won't get bored while you do the project.

Answer 4

Apocalypse Now. 1979 - Francis Ford Coppola film Excellent. (Viet Nam)

JFK

Schindler's List (Holocaust)

Munich

Gee, diseases are tough -- cancer is the big one. Lots on non-disease things/genetic conditions, such as The Elephant Man, I Am Sam (Sean Penn), Rain Man (Dustin Hoffman - Autism)

Answer 5

"The Spiral Road" with Rock Hudson and Burl Ives researching leprosy in the early 20th century. They played Dutch missionary doctors.
Or try "Dr. ///////s Magic Bullet" starring Edward G. Robinson and the doctor finds a cure for syphilis.

Answer 6

Gettysburg is historically accurate and it marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. Research could consist of Lee's strategy--effective or not?

Answer 7

The Elephant Man


Very good movie

Answer 8

Miss evers boy, about the Tuskegee Syphillis Experiment ..
Great movie, I loved it, and recieved many awards..

Description as followed


For forty years between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted an experiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. These men, for the most part illiterate sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease they were suffering from or of its seriousness. Informed that they were being treated for “bad blood,”1 their doctors had no intention of curing them of syphilis at all. The data for the experiment was to be collected from autopsies of the men, and they were thus deliberately left to degenerate under the ravages of tertiary syphilis—which can include tumors, heart disease, paralysis, blindness, insanity, and death. “As I see it,” one of the doctors involved explained, “we have no further interest in these patients until they die.”

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762136.html

Answer 9

Outbreak
Step mom (where the mother dies of cancer)
A beautiful mind (brilliance or mental illness?)
Schindler's list
lorenzo's oil
Disney's The prince of Egypt (History)
Wow tuff question i hope my answer helped a bit

Answer 10

Marie Antoinette by Sophia Coppola. There is tons of stuff about her and the movie does have some historical inaccuracies. Should be fun to watch and write about.