What is your most favourite historical movie?

[Grand Duke Vytautas]

Hi guys. I know this is an off-topic, but anyway what is your most favourite historical movie. As for me, it's Gladiator. I love this movie (seen more than 100 times )

[CrackedAxe]

Gladiator gets my vote also. for the older historical epics, I would have to go with 'The Vikings', cheesy as it is, its still great.

[Puzz3D]

Joan of Arc with Leelee Sobieski. The capture of Joan is incorrectly depicted which mars the historical accuracy..

[Didz]

Gladiator was not a historical movie, it was a fantasy romp set in the Roman Era.

My personal favourites are:

All Quiet on the Western Front
Red Badge of Courage
Das Boat
In Which We Serve
The Cruel Sea
and
Band of Brothers

Worst bit of crap ever seen to date has to be Arthur, with Patriot coming a very close second.

[Zatoichi]

Gladiator gets my vote also. for the older historical epics, I would have to go with 'The Vikings', cheesy as it is, its still great.

Ha ha! As soon as I saw this topic title I thought 'Tony Curtis in The Vikings - superb!' But I figured I'd be up for some serious ridicule... It's just one of those films that's stuck with me since I was a nipper - the horn music especially for some reason. Ah, they just don't make them like that anymore...

[Didz]

Yep! that homecoming scene with the longship in the Fjord and the horn playing is a classic that sticks with you. But I'd hardly call the film historical, I mean on that basis the Robin Hood series would have to be a classed as a historical documentary.

[Octavius Julius]

Life of Brian is the best historical movie ever.

What did the Romans ever do for us?

[Prodigal]

Well its myth, & inaccurate at that, but its Excalibur for my money, I can't comment on the two vile films that have been released since then on the same topic, as I have to watch my blood pressure.

I Claudius second, although that's not 100% accurate its fine fun.

[Zatoichi]

Yep! that homecoming scene with the longship in the Fjord and the horn playing is a classic that sticks with you. But I'd hardly call the film historical, I mean on that basis the Robin Hood series would have to be a classed as a historical documentary.

What? You mean The Vikings wasn't an accurate portrayal of the Dark Ages? But they had swords! They had American accents! What could be more historically accurate?

Yeah, well I guess you have a point... but come on, Tony with his hand cut off (and with an extra large forearm to boot) knocks Gladiator into a Viking horned helmet...

Next thing you know, someone will be trying to tell me the Vikings didn't have horns on their helmets...

[Unseen Potato]

Asterix and obelix!!!!!!!!



just kidding I like Band of of brothers and gladiator

[Didz]

Next thing you know, someone will be trying to tell me the Vikings didn't have horns on their helmets...

Vikings DIDN'T have horns on their helmets

But you are corrct compared to Gladiator 'The Vikings' is an amazingly well researched representation of the the period depicted. I mean the longship really was a ship and was umm!......long. What more can one say

Asterix and obelix!!!!!!!!

Asterix and Obelix is a brilliantly researched historical drama, their depiction of the introduction of tea drinking to the Romano-British tribes is the most amazing piece of historical documentary film making I have ever seen.

And the Gauls wear striped pants (Trousers to us Brits) just like in RTW.

[Oaty]

Druids ..... it's such an awesome movie. Go see it for yourself really you do'nt know what your missing.




















Then come kill me when your done watching it that is if you have'nt killed yourself already. Of course there is one awesome scene in there when the Romans massacre the druids.

[Didz]

Of course there is one awesome scene in there when the Romans massacre the druids.

Hmm!! Well the Romans did massacre the druids, but were they wearing bikini's and covered in blue paint. If they weren't then clearly the Amercian researchers must have used the wrong comic for their research.

[YAKOBU]

Hi everyone

I know I'm English and not sure of the historical accuracy but I have to go with Braveheart. Gladiator comes a close 2nd.

[Didz]

I know I'm English and not sure of the historical accuracy but I have to go with Braveheart.

Ah! Yes! Braveheart. Made one proud to be Scottish, even if you were English. Certainly boosted sales of tartan kilts for a few months.

Rather a lot of blue paint splashed around in that film too as I recall. I suspect someone at Universal Studio's over ordered when they were repainting the offices and needed to use it up somehow.

[m4rt14n]

Anyone seen Alexander? Its gotta be one of the worst ones....

[Zatoichi]

Well, I'll also vote for Zulu. Now there's a classic. Michael Caine at his best.

"Zulus... thousands of 'em!"
"Stop chuckin'... those bluddy... spears... at me!"

Yeah I know, he never said those quotes, but he could have.

I've not seen (or do I plan to see) Alexander - but is it bad enough to make Troy look good?

[Ziu]

I've not seen (or do I plan to see) Alexander - but is it bad enough to make Troy look good?

Surely not

Yea The Vikings was good
But I'd have to say Highlander.......

[Grand Duke Vytautas]

I've seen Alexander recently - it's the most awful miserable historical film I've ever seen. I can't even tell you how I was embarassed BTW, my no.2 is also Band of Brothers, especially 3,4 parts of that film (even better than saving private ryan

[FURRY_BOOTS]

Ha ha! As soon as I saw this topic title I thought 'Tony Curtis in The Vikings - superb!' But I figured I'd be up for some serious ridicule... It's just one of those films that's stuck with me since I was a nipper - the horn music especially for some reason. Ah, they just don't make them like that anymore...

em,,,, that would be Kirk Douglas


not very historical, but saving private ryan was one of my fav films.
the sharpe series was very accurate(sean bean), but the books are even better

[Didz]

Anyone seen Alexander? Its gotta be one of the worst ones....

I haven't seen it yet, but I was led to beleive by the fly on the wall 'How we made this brilliant film' pre-history documentary that it was really well researched and presented. Are you saying the yanks screwed it up yet again?

BTW: I shall put an honourable mention in for Master & Commander on the grounds that it is the best attempt I have ever seen to simulate the passsage and effect of solid shot artillery. The sound the shot made as it passed overhead was apparently very carefully sampled from actual solid shot firing ranges.

Oh! I also like the music, and Crowe did quite a good job of pretending to play the violin. However, a black mark I'm afraid for using Hobbits in the crew of HMS Surprize. Orc's maybe Hobbits never.

[Fridge]

Highlander, indeed. Not just one of the finest films ever made, but educational too.

As for Alexander, I think the whole thing was well researched and apparently quite accurate (caveat: for a Hollywood blockbuster...), it's just the film that was unutterable shit. That's as far as I can tell from the American reviews anyway, I'll still go and see it. I might take a few screen shots of these boards with me though, just so I can sit at the back of the cinema and complain loudly about the wrong kind of cross-stitching they used in the companion's trousers. ;)

AFAIK, The guy who was the film's historical advisor, Robin Lane Fox, is a fantastic writer and a well respected professor of history; his book Alexander the Great got me into the whole period in the first place. I missed the documentary he made about the filming, but apparently he swapped his fee for the chance to dress up as a Macedonian extra and get at least a flavour of what it was like to charge in one of Alexander's phalanxes. He was suitably excited by the whole thing...

And anyway, what with the general incredibleness of Alexander's story, you can imagine top Hollywood-producer-type Bud Weinsteinfinkleberg taking one look at the historically-accurate script and screaming, "Hell no! Even can't pretend all shit really happened!"

[Zatoichi]

Just some info about The Vikings, curtesy of Google for any of you folks not fortunate to have seen it:

"The Vikings (Richard Fleischer, 1958) Tony Curtis in period movies is always a problem but he's always a guilty pleasure. He and Kirk Douglas are brothers but don't know it. Janet Leigh is the woman they fight over. Tony loses his hand and Kirk loses an eye. And Ernest Borgnine, in one of his great camp performances, plays Kirk's father, though I'm sure they're the same age. He has a great death scene; he has to jump into a pit of wolves. And he calls out "Odiiiiin!" as he jumps."

Now if that doesn't make you all want to rush out and rent it, there's something wrong with the world! Gladiator - pah!

[Rock Chalk Warrior]

Band of Brothers was great, but for me Gettysburg is my favorite. It helps you realize how close that battle was and how desperatly the North had to win, otherwise this country would have likley been split into two countries, North and South US.

[Didz]

AFAIK, The guy who was the film's historical advisor, Robin Lane Fox, is a fantastic writer and a well respected professor of history; his book Alexander the Great got me into the whole period in the first place. I missed the documentary he made about the filming, but apparently he swapped his fee for the chance to dress up as a Macedonian extra and get at least a flavour of what it was like to charge in one of Alexander's phalanxes. He was suitably excited by the whole thing...

I saw the documentary but it was actually a charge of the Companion Cavalry that he got to join rather than an infantry Phalanx. The Health and Safety guy was having kittens apparently and he had to sign a waiver before they would let him on a horse.

[dedmoroz]

Seven Samurai

pure classic, best movie ever i think...

[MacBeth]

Kellys Heroes - if you want historical accuracy read a book, if you want a good film watch this.

[lars573]

In the order that I think of them,

Band of brothers
Saving private Ryan
Enemy at the gates
Bridge on the river kwai
A bridge too far
The devils brigade
Thin red line
Apacolypse now Redux
Sargent York goes to war
Heartbreak ridge
Charge of the light brigade
The four feathers (70's version with Beau Bridges)
Sharpe (all 26 hours of it)
A knights tale
Gladiator
Horatio Hornblower

[FURRY_BOOTS]

Just some info about The Vikings, curtesy of Google for any of you folks not fortunate to have seen it:

"The Vikings (Richard Fleischer, 1958) Tony Curtis in period movies is always a problem but he's always a guilty pleasure. and Kirk Douglas are brothers but don't know it. Janet Leigh is the woman they fight over. Tony loses his hand and Kirk loses an eye. And Ernest Borgnine, in one of his great camp performances, plays Kirk's father, though I'm sure they're the same age. He has a great death scene; he has to jump into a pit of wolves. And he calls out "Odiiiiin!" as he jumps."

Now if that doesn't make you all want to rush out and rent it, there's something wrong with the world! Gladiator - pah!

ah,yes,,,tony curtis,,,,,well it has been a long time since ive seen it

[Ptah]

The best viking flick I've ever seen.
Viking Invasion