Most Historically Accurate Films/Documentaries/Video

[antisocialmunky]

Since all the old X is historically inaccurate topics where X is some movie/tv series are popping up again. Why not have a list of alternatives?

[Mulceber]

Inaccurate (and I don't necessarily mean this as a bad thing):
Ben Hur
300
Troy
Clash of the Titans (both of them)
Spartacus: Blood and Sand (or at least, so I've heard - haven't watched it)
Any of Shakespeare's three Roman plays

Accurate (or at least, as accurate as a movie is likely to get):
Rome (HBO)
Passion of the Christ (I haven't seen it, and don't want to, but from what I've heard, it's portrayal of those days is pretty accurate, even down to the torture)
King Arthur (the one from the early 2000's that flopped - it's based on a lot of research about Roman Britain. Granted, it does get some dates wrong)
I, Claudius (some bad costumes, but on the whole a rather accurate portrait of the Julio-Claudian dynasty)

Those are all that come to mind at the moment.

[Lvcretivs]

(...)at least, as accurate as a movie is likely to get

- that's exactly the issue. Hollywood simply isn't likely to endorse historical accuracy and a realistic portrayal of ancient history - neither today nor in the near future. Why hire qualified advisors, spend years researching details and risk an embarrassing box office failure, when you can churn out lucrative run-of-the-mill sword-and-sandal movies, nicely garnished with blood and guts?

True - there were/are notably exceptions - 'I, Claudius' and HBO's 'Rome' - who at least tried to fullfill higher standards, but on the whole...

[B-Wing]

What about Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus? Whilst I don't know nearly enough about that era to make an informed judgment on the movie's accuracy, it certainly seemed convincingly realistic to me.

Also, a question/point: Mulceber includes Troy and Clash of the Titans in one of his lists. If we're going to consider movies based on myth and/or legend, are we primarily concerned with their adherence to the source material or with their realism? I mean, the term "historical accuracy" doesn't even seem applicable to movies/shows based upon documents which are widely considered to be products of imagination more than than fact. Perhaps Mulceber simply meant that anything based upon the myth of Perseus or of the Trojan War are going to be historically inaccurate. But I thought I would ask just for clarification.

[plutoboyz]

don't expect Hollywood to make accurate movie. they just making profit, not historically accurate

[wumpus]

don't expect Hollywood to make accurate movie. they just making profit, not historically accurate

My sentiments exactly! Hawooh.

[SillySirius]

My sentiments exactly! Hawooh.

If they produced historically accurate films for every movie set in the past then everybody would be complaining that they were nothing but six hour snorefests that only about a half dozen anal retentive types would actually enjoy.

I think the main problem with hollywood though is that they believe the film going public is stupid,which is not the case,or that many studios do not want to put out the money to do historically accurate "niche" movies for little or no return on their investment

The bottom line is that people go to the theater to be entertained and to escape for a couple hours,not to be given history lessons.

The best case is when people go to see a movie like Gladiator,or The Patriot,or 300 that the movie actually gets them interested enough in the subject to learn more about it.

[Mulceber]

@ B_Ray - When I talked about Clash of the Titans and Troy, I meant accurate to the source material, and also accurate to Olympian Theology and Mythology. Sorry about the lack of clarity.

@ Lucretius - I totally agree - that's why I, broadly speaking, avoid watching these movies as history (although I'll admit that I, Claudius formed a good basis for my knowledge of the Julio-Claudian dynasty). To me, they're mainly just drama and entertainment couched in an era I love.

[Lvcretivs]

Probably you also meant an 'true to the spirit' approach combining 'historical realism' (eg. accurate Anatolian/Mycenaean Bronze Age equipment for Homers' heroes) and adherence to the 'source material'. But while (at least possibly) applicable to the Trojan War, this is bound to provoke endless controversies when more 'mythical' subjects are touched (Perseus, Titanomachy,...)

@Mulceber: You are perfectly right - but think of millions of people whose only contact whatsoever with classical history was watching 300...

[Mulceber]

agreed. It's a very difficult subject to broach, since if we wanted to be strict about it we would just have to throw all these shows out as inaccurate. But then, that wouldn't allow us to consider portrayals of ancient society in film on any deep level. -M

[plutoboyz]

...
300.
...

you must put this on top of your list. my eyes bleed when watch this. really opposite.

[TancredTheNorman]

Most accurate

I Claudius
HBO Rome

Those really are the great ones, HBO Rome not only towers over things in historical accuracy, it does it in quality to. The characters are genuine, you feel what they feel and you learn about them and get to like them as the series goes on.

Less accurate but still good, and still a must see
Gladiator (Ironically Cassius Dio agreed that Commodus killed his father because he was getting disinherited)
Kirk Douglass Spartacus (has some anachronisms, but still presents a believable and realistic plot, and who cares that the real Spartacus wasn't an abolitionist and was born free?)

Innacurate trash, ahistorical, below low quality
Spartacus Blood and Sand

Virtually ahistorical, do not see
300
Slight imrpovement at least when compared to Blood and Sand.

Edit- I apologize for the very poor grammer and pathetic spelling in this post, I am unfortunately in a rush.

[Mulceber]

Also, I'd like to add the History Channel to the "inaccurate" list. -M

[Hax]

How about "The Divine Weapon", which is a movie about the Korean hwacha. I don't know that much about Korean history, so I can't say anything about its historical accuracy, but how can you not admire this:

[SwissBarbar]

I don't know what's your problem with "300". It's officially based on a comic, not any ancient historical scource. Has there ever been a claim to be historically accurate?
It is NOT accurate, but "don't see, beyond evil, your eyes will fall out, if you watch it"? Come on.