History in Film

The first documentary we’ve tackled in over seven years of doing the show, but we felt it was too important to skip. The post A062: The Fog of War (2003) appeared first on .

A bit trivial compared to what we normally cover, but gives us an opportunity to discuss American culture and the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The post A061: Priscilla (2023) appeared first on .

Spike Lee’s biopic of Malcolm X attempts to include Malcolm entire life, short as it was. The post A060: Malcolm X (1992) appeared first on .

A wonderful form of biopic that chooses one event to focus in Truman Capote’s life as opposed to giving us his full biography. That event is the murder of the [ … ] The post A059: Capote (2005) appeared first on .

A few Hollywood changes, but based on the true story of Homer Hickam and his friends who built their own rockets as teenagers in the late 1950s in West Virginia. The post A058: October Sky (1999) appeared first on .

Mostly fictional, but Bloody Christmas is very much based on a real event. And it’s just a great movie! The post A057: L.A. Confidential (1997) appeared first on .

This Korean War movie features two real-life pilots on a mission in the early days of the conflict. The post A056: Devotion (2022) appeared first on .

Interesting look at one of the primary writers affected by the Blacklist in Hollywood during the second Red Scare. The post A055: Trumbo (2015) appeared first on .

Not the strongest version of this story we could have gotten, but Chadwick Boseman does a great job as Jackie Robinson. The post A054: 42 (2013) appeared first on .

This all-time cinema classic isn’t a true story, but still gives us plenty to talk about. The post A053: The Godfather (1972) appeared first on .

Best picture winner about three soldiers returning home from the war and struggling to rejoin society. The post A052: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) appeared first on .

Continuing our discussion of It’s a Wonderful Life! The post A051b: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), pt. 2 appeared first on .

This Christmas classic is obviously fictional, but there’s plenty of history and early-20th century Americana to discuss. We went long so this is part 1 of 2. The post A051a: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), pt. 1 appeared first on .

Set at the end of the samurai era in Japan, this movie oversimplifies and outright distorts the actual history. The post W045b: The Last Samurai (2003) appeared first on .

An instant classic that very closely parallels actual events from Japanese history. The post W033b: Shogun (2024) appeared first on .

A tale from Arthurian legend, so nothing historic. But it gives us a chance to talk about the history of Arthurian legend itself. The post W012b: The Green Knight (2021) appeared first on .

We continue our discussion of Robert’s Rebellion and how it set up the events of the Game of Thrones series. The post Robert’s Rebellion, pt. 2 appeared first on .

We previously discussed the history of House Targaryen. Now we take a closer look at the events leading to Robert’s Rebellion which, in turn, sets up the original Game of [ … ] The post Robert’s Rebellion, pt. 1 appeared first on .

Based on the Rudyard Kipling story, there are still several real life inspirations for aspects of the tale. The post W047b: The Man Who Would Be King (1975) appeared first on .

Happy Halloween! Not the scariest movie from Alfred Hitchcock, but definitely in the thriller category. It also fits right in our timeline at the end of World War II. The post A050c: Notorious (1946) appeared first on .

Arguably the weakest season of the series, but there’s still a lot to like. We talk about what they got right and wrong historically, and how the series ultimately stuck [ … ] The post C06: The Crown, season 6 appeared first on .

As we hit the halfway point in our American history timeline, we pause to reflect on our progress so far and talk about what’s coming up as we plan to [ … ] The post 1st half recap appeared first on .

Following our discussion last week, we look more at the people involved, including Oppenheimer himself and Lewis Strauss. The post A050b: Oppenheimer (2023) pt. 2 appeared first on .

The film Oppenheimer is so big we have to split it just like the atom. In this first part we look at the science and the decision to drop the [ … ] The post A050a: Oppenheimer (2023) pt. 1 appeared first on .

A look at the real life WWII hero Desmond Doss. The post A049: Hacksaw Ridge (2016) appeared first on .

A fictional story, but gives us a great opportunity to discuss D-Day and the end of the European theater of WWII. The post A048: Saving Private Ryan (1998) appeared first on .

The story behind the most iconic photograph in American military history. The post A047: Flags of Our Fathers (2006) appeared first on .

Iconic best picture winner about US general George Patton. He was a big personality and often his own worst enemy. The post A046: Patton (1970) appeared first on .

A look at the home front during World War II. While the characters here are fictitious, the league and the teams shown were real. The post A045: A League of Their Own (1992) appeared first on .

A very detailed look at the lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor from both the American and Japanese perspective. The post A044: Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) appeared first on .

Martin Scorsese’s biopic of the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. The post A043: The Aviator (2004) appeared first on .

As we prepare for World War II, we look at the life of Charlie Chaplin and discuss his lampooning of Adolf Hitler in The Great Dictator. The post A042: Chaplin (1992) appeared first on .

Based on John Steinbeck’s novel of Oklahoma farmers moving to California during the Great Depression. The post A041: The Grapes of Wrath (1940) appeared first on .

A bit too Hollywood, but this film gives a good look at the career of James Braddock and the Great Depression. The post A040: Cinderella Man (2005) appeared first on .

An almost-entirely fictionalized account of Elliot Ness and his quest to bring down Al Capone. The post A039: The Untouchables (1987) appeared first on .

We use these fictional stories to highlight Hollywood’s transition from the Silent Era to Talkies. The Jazz Singer (1927) comes up as well. The post A038: The Artist (2011) & Singin’ in the Rain (1952) appeared first on .

Martin Scorsese’s telling of the real-life murders in the Osage communities of 1920s Oklahoma. The post A037: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) appeared first on .

Great look at the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal. We discuss what they got right and wrong and look a little deeper at some of the key figures. The post A036: Eight Men Out (1988) appeared first on .

A look (though perhaps a boring one) into the lives of American radicals in the 1910s. The post A035: Reds (1981) appeared first on .

The real story of Alvin York isn’t quite what we see in this film led by Gary Cooper’s Oscar-winning performance. The post A034: Sergeant York (1941) appeared first on .

The story of perhaps the greatest athlete of all-time. Thorpe is probably best-known for winning the first-ever pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics. The post A033: Jim Thorpe — All-American (1951) appeared first on .

Based on the largely fictional novel by E.L. Doctorow, there are a handful of historical characters who also feature in this story set in the early 20th century. The post A032: Ragtime (1981) appeared first on .

Based very loosely on the real-life Perdicaris Affair of 1904. Teddy Roosevelt takes action to liberate an American expat who is kidnapped in Morocco. The post A031: The Wind and the Lion (1975) appeared first on .

This TV movie follows the Wright Brothers’ attempt to create the world’s first powered flying machine. Don’t watch it. Listen to us instead. The post A030: The Winds of Kitty Hawk (1978) appeared first on .

Oil! Daniel Day Lewis is perfect as the fictional oil man Daniel Plainview who ruthlessly attempts to dominate California oil production in the early 20th century. The post A029: There Will Be Blood (2007) appeared first on .

Screenwriter William Goldman refused to let the studios cutdown on his historical accuracy while he himself definitely overly simplified and invented things. We look at the real Butch and Sundance [ … ] The post A028: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) appeared first on .

This Charlie Chaplin classic is set during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late-1800s. It saw many people travel through Alaska to Canada in an attempt to strike it rich. The post A027: The Gold Rush (1925) appeared first on .

Happy Halloween! This gloomy tale is set at an off-shore lighthouse in New England near the end of the 19th century. The post A026b: The Lighthouse (2019) appeared first on .

We use The Prestige as an excuse to discuss Nikola Tesla and the early days of electricity in the United States. The post A026: The Prestige (2006) appeared first on .

This is a bit oversimplified and fictionalized, but still gives an okay look at the man behind the lightbulb. The post A025: Edison, the Man (1940) appeared first on .

This HBO original film focuses on the people involved in the political fight over the Black Hills in South Dakota that led to the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The post A024: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) appeared first on .