Historically accurate films (general, Bismarck, Germans, Australia)

[TropicalAussie]

Originally Posted by noetsi

Cross of Iron a bleak look at combat on the Eastern Front. This is historical only in the sense that it describes the real nature of the Eastern Front. Its not based on a specific historical battle.

If you liked Cross of Iron, try 'Come and See' (Иди и смотри) (Soviet, 1986). Plenty bleak Eastern Front in that one.

My nomination- The Right Stuff seems fairly accurate. Or did you mean war movies only?

[annika08]

Originally Posted by HomesickAussie

If you liked Cross of Iron, try 'Come and See' (Иди и смотри) (Soviet, 1986). Plenty bleak Eastern Front in that one.

My nomination- The Right Stuff seems fairly accurate. Or did you mean war movies only?

Double-rep points for Idi i Smotri (Come and See). Harrowing, brutal, insane-best war movie I've ever seen.

[BrokenTap]

I can't remember the name of the movie, but Mel Gibson did one on the American Revolution. I was just a kid back in the 1980's then, but I remember a Junior high school history teacher saying it was done well. Probably not the video footage quality we have today, but historically accurate.

My family...a long line of Continental Soldiers who served in various battles, have historical accounts in their diaries that say such atrocities against the American's really happened like in the movie. One diary describes the carnage on Long Island as the British used chain in their cannons at Continental troops. (I am not saying the American side did anything nicer as it was truly war after all).

I remember the whippings of Mel Gibson and his boy, and the famous fox hunt scene where lacking real foxes, they used captured Continental soldiers. While my family diaries do not describe this per se, I suspect the movie writer got the idea from historical fact.

[Chango]

Off the top of my head ...

Glory

The Last of the Mohicans

Saving Private Ryan

Titanic

....all felt like they had spend some serious time and effort on looking historically accurate. Of course, aside from the story there always will be *something* wrong.

For example while the details of the "Titanic" sets were superb, they were lighted all wrong for historic accuracy. The ship was a bright as a modern day cruise liner inside and out, despite the fact that 1912 era light bulbs put out crappy light. The Titanic would have been much darker inside.

It just comes down to the fact that reality (historic or not) does not make ideal entertainment.

[Yorkie Bar]

Originally Posted by BrokenTap

I can't remember the name of the movie, but Mel Gibson did one on the American Revolution. I was just a kid back in the 1980's then, but I remember a Junior high school history teacher saying it was done well. Probably not the video footage quality we have today, but historically accurate.

My family...a long line of Continental Soldiers who served in various battles, have historical accounts in their diaries that say such atrocities against the American's really happened like in the movie. One diary describes the carnage on Long Island as the British used chain in their cannons at Continental troops. (I am not saying the American side did anything nicer as it was truly war after all).

I remember the whippings of Mel Gibson and his boy, and the famous fox hunt scene where lacking real foxes, they used captured Continental soldiers. While my family diaries do not describe this per se, I suspect the movie writer got the idea from historical fact.

Don't forget the bit where the Limey scum locked the villagers in the church and burnt it down with the women and kiddies still inside.

[Angus Podgorny]

Originally Posted by BrokenTap

I can't remember the name of the movie, but Mel Gibson did one on the American Revolution. I was just a kid back in the 1980's then, but I remember a Junior high school history teacher saying it was done well. Probably not the video footage quality we have today, but historically accurate.

My family...a long line of Continental Soldiers who served in various battles, have historical accounts in their diaries that say such atrocities against the American's really happened like in the movie. One diary describes the carnage on Long Island as the British used chain in their cannons at Continental troops. (I am not saying the American side did anything nicer as it was truly war after all).

I remember the whippings of Mel Gibson and his boy, and the famous fox hunt scene where lacking real foxes, they used captured Continental soldiers. While my family diaries do not describe this per se, I suspect the movie writer got the idea from historical fact.

'The Patriot' was riddled with historical inaccuracies. The burning church was perhaps the highlight, as that incident occurred during World War II and the perpetrators were Nazi SS troops.

Oradour-Sur-Glane: Information from Answers.com

Gee, I wonder how Mel managed to mess that one up?

As far as chain shot, it was a standard weapon for use against infantry and was also used by navies of the day.

Mel Gibson and Oliver Stone are not guys I'd rely on for historically accurate movies.

[Creekcat]

The only Mel Gibson, Revolutionary War movie I know of is, "The Patriot", from 2000. But my memory is not what it once was.

[ABQConvict]

Mel Gibson is a modern nationalist propagandist and his movies are as historically accurate as The Lord of the Rings both in terms of events and sets/costuming.


ABQConvict

[Irishtom29]

The Patriot was pretty phony and plays to American myths about the Revolution rather than it's realities. Ignored is the fact that the British Redcoats wore a simple, serviceable field uniform, wore their hair short, carried tomahawks and hatchets and were highly skilled in light and partisan warfare. The Redcoats could stand in line and blast you away with volleys AND sneak up behind you in the woods; whatever worked.

And Cornwallis was a younger and far more energetic man than portrayed in the movie and he was a pretty decent guy to boot; he was an enlightened and sympathetic governor of Ireland and of India too.

"Drums Along the Mohawk" by John Ford (1939) is a pretty realistic look at the Revolution as fought by Patriots, Indians and Torys on the frontier. And in the end the infantry, rather than the cavalry, comes to the rescue. It my also be the first picture in which a character says "It's quiet, TOO quiet, out there."

[TropicalAussie]

The Patriot was about as historically accurrate as Mad Max was.