Historical films?

Question

Have you seen many?Which one lingers in your memory?
For me it would have to be the magdalene sisters and schlindler's list

Answer 1

Officers Club, a French film about soldiers coping with disfigurement in the First World War.
Paths of Glory, another First World War Film, starring Kirk Douglas.

Answer 2

Magdalene Sisters. Roots. The Mission. The Musicians of Auswitz. The Anne Frank Diaries.

Answer 3

My favs are "Saving Private Ryan" (the historical aspects) and the "Ten Commandments."

"Magdalene Sisters" was great and it is so difficult to believe that it was practiced until 11 years ago!

Magdalene Sisters Facts:

http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_Film_of_the_week/0,,899351,00.html
http://miramax.com/the_magdalene_sisters/

The Magdalene Laundries were institutions sponsored and maintained by the Catholic Church in Ireland for the incarceration of young women thought to be a moral danger to themselves and others - unmarried mothers or simply girls who were considered unwed mothers, no better than they should be. With the legal consent of their fathers, they were imprisoned and made to work for no pay in imitation of Mary Magdalene in laundries, always exploited and in many cases sexually abused. The laundries existed until the 1970s, but the very last did not close until 1996.
~

Answer 4

I like most of the suggestions thus far, some sound choices.

I would add Platoon to the list. It was an amalgam of the experiences of one Oliver Stone and it is a credible dissertation on combat in an alien environment, not that war zones are familiar places. The cast is is also frankly fantastic.

Another real like (although not historical in the strict sense of the word) is Apocalypse Now - superb treatment of Joseph Conrad's novel.

Answer 5

Schindlers List - chilling and horrific
Henry V - Lawrence Olivier, who can forget the St Crispin Days speech.
Saving Private Ryan - war at its worst
Anne of a Thousand days, about the tragic Anne Boleyn
All Quiet on the western front, probably the best war or perhaps one should say anti war film ever made
Oh What a lovely war, the slaughter of WW1 made real

Answer 6

Not sure the Magdalene Sisters is historical in that sense. Not that I am condoning the insane actions of RC church. But the film was a little over wrought in places. The trouble is that good history is seldom dramatical enough for films....

Answer 7

Reds about Jack Reed's time in the Russian revolution, Seven Years in Tibet, The Last Emperor, The Killing Fields, are all facinating and very moving. I recently re-watched Schindlers list and thought I could see a bit of Spielberg's scmaltz coming through. Roman Polanski's The Pianist, and 'Uprising' are both about the Warsaw ghetto and are also deeply moving.

Answer 8

To Hell and Back the story of ill. Brother Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier in WWII. He starred in this movie based upon his own book.

The Trail of Tears

500 Nations

The Indian Wars

I Will Fight No More Forever

Answer 9

.Although many of the TITANIC movies have fact mixed with fiction, the reminder of what those people went through is chilling indeed.

ALIVE. The story of a South American Rugby team whose plane crashes in the Andes. We all know what they did to survive! Incredible.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was a stunning film, not in the least for Peter O'Toole and his famous blue eyes. He plays a young British soldier who helps the Arabs against the Turks in WW1. Incredible movie and real life hero.

DANCES WITH WOLVES. This movie reminds people that Kevin Costner does have talent (although forget Water-world). This story is one of the more moving and beautifully filmed stories of an American Civil War Soldier befriend the Indians on their land, while making the most of a land soon to be forgotten.The soundtrack is almost as beautiful. Costner directed this movie and it won numerous awards.

JFK was brilliantly done when the subject matter called for great subtlety.

Answer 10

The Ten Commandments
Ben - Hur
Troy
The Crossing - The story of Washington crossing the Delaware to attack Trenton.