Historical Movies

[Koga No Goshi]

"The Last Samurai" for portraying that era of modernizing in Japan even though both of those movie invented its own character for more entertainment to the plot.

My beef (hehe pun) with "Last Samurai" was that if they wanted to do an all out, drag-out samurai film, they should have chosen an earlier time. But i suppose that would have given them less excuse to make the movie really all about some white guy who out samurai's the samurai. It's been pointed out many times that purporting that samurai were somehow hardcore retro's who used swords and bows INSTEAD of guns in the 1800's, when the samurai unification battles of the late 1500's and early 1600's had been almost entirely gun-fought, was really wildly off mark.

[Beefy187]

My beef (hehe pun) with "Last Samurai" was that if they wanted to do an all out, drag-out samurai film, they should have chosen an earlier time. But i suppose that would have given them less excuse to make the movie really all about some white guy who out samurai's the samurai. It's been pointed out many times that purporting that samurai were somehow hardcore retro's who used swords and bows INSTEAD of guns in the 1800's, when the samurai unification battles of the late 1500's and early 1600's had been almost entirely gun-fought, was really wildly off mark.

But comeon... it was a good movie.. even from a japanese guy like me (except the part that Tom Cruise became like the best Samurai after doing like few months of training)

Ok maybe its just that I never done Japanese history

As for enemy at the gates... Oh the Russian had lots of people.. Fact that Russian had the most amount of casualty in WWII shows that. As for the reasoning of their victory, its not really the achievement of early soviet army but more of heroic achievement of general 'winter' and Hitlers stupidity. Or that Germans were incredibly outnumbered.

[Koga No Goshi]

But comeon... it was a good movie.. even from a japanese guy like me (except the part that Tom Cruise became like the best Samurai after doing like few months of training)

Ok maybe its just that I never done Japanese history

It doesn't annoy me so much that they just wanted to make an entertaining movie, they obviously did that. I just feel like, since there's obviously interest in samurai, even in a mainstream American audience, and there's so much history there, why make up a fake story making samurai look like they were 300 years behind the times? It was like watching a movie about hoplites in late Medieval Europe or something. Also, there were quite a few Europeans in Japan even in the 1500's, so it's not like they couldn't have slimed out some plot about white guy in Japanese world.

The best: that serial "Shogun" that is in fact an adaptation of the novel of James Clavell. However, if you want to really understand the film, you have to read the book first.

I actually give a lot of credit to Shogun even though it is basically a renaming and rearranging of the real events, and it blurs up the timeline a bit, because it DOES actually stick to nearly all factual events. The characters have simply been renamed and in some cases the events are switched around. (Examples being, the real life ISHIDA (called "Ishido" in Shogun) was the one to escape an assasination attempt by dressing as a woman, whereas his enemy Tokugawa ("Toranaga" in Shogun) was the one to do so in the story.) It also pushed back the timeline a bit on guns; whereas guns were in totally common use at the time the story began, the book and miniseries push it back a little and make it look like guns are first coming into play by the very end of the story. Again I give it a special berth because it did stick mostly to directly true events, simply rearranged for fiction, (no purple ninja man shooting lightning or supernatural Persian soldiers thrown in) and was well researched, and on top of that called itself fiction while being more historical than a lot of "history" movies.

[Rhyfelwyr]

In terms of historical accuracy, 300 is one of my favourites. It has taught me a lot about the battle of Thermopylae. Basically, the Spartans fought off the giant rhinos and the mumakil and the not-so-immortals, and looked set to win the battle. But then they were betrayed by Quazimodo and the Persians shot them all from behind. But then Leonidas nearly killed Xerxes when he threw a javelin at his face but he just missed. But then the Spartans thought it would be sensible to actually fight with their army but only after this battle happened so then they won.

However, Braveheart payed much less attention to history. It had the Battle of Stirling Bridge, but... with no brigde?! Also, rather than authentically displaying the culture of the Scots soldiers, the producers decided to take half the culture and clothing etc from about 500 years before the film, and the rest of it from 500 years after the film, and that way it would average out to be accurate. Scotland the Brave!

[Puzz3D]

Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005) is extremely accurate and inspiring, and not at all dull.

Der Untergang (2004) is also very accurate and not dull.

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé (1956) is extremely accurate and incredible.

[Lemur]

I was intrigued by Puzz3D's list of films I'd never heard of, so I spent a little quality time with IMDB:

Die letzten Tage

2005 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign language Film, Sophie Scholl The Final Days is the true story of Germanys most famous anti-Nazi heroine brought to thrilling dramatic life. Sophie Scholl stars Julia Jentsch in a luminous performance as the fearless activist of the underground student resistance group, The White Rose.

Armed with long-buried historical records of her incarceration, director Marc Rothemund expertly re-creates the last six days of Sophie Scholls life: a heart-stopping journey from arrest to interrogation, trial and sentence in 1943 Munich. Unwavering in her convictions and loyalty to her comrades, her cross-examination by the Gestapo quickly escalates into a searing test of wills as Scholl delivers a passionate call to freedom and personal responsibility that is both haunting and timeless.

Der Untergang (AKA "Downfall")

Der Untergang makes you live the horrors and craziness of war. Bruno Ganz's interpretation of Adolf Hitler is worthy of an Oscar. He is completely believable. Also the rest of the cast performs admirably. You feel transported to Berlin as it was bombarded by the Russians. You get a very clear insight (or an impression?) in how the military decisions were taken during those final days of the war. The movie balances well between large-scale effects of bombs exploding in ruined streets and depictions of different persons going though the experience – from Hitler and his staff in the well-protected bunkers to the principal military commanders torn between reason and loyalty and German civilians trapped in an inferno. The movie is neither pro-Nazi nor does it depict all Nazis as mindless monsters. It gives an impression of utter realism. Go see it in a good cinema – your seat will tremble as the bombs explode. A nine out of ten.

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé

French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. Then, on the same day, he is condemned to death, and given a new cellmate. Should he kill him, or risk revealing his plans to someone who may be a Gestapo informer?

[Aemilius Paulus]

In terms of historical accuracy, 300 is one of my favourites. It has taught me a lot about the battle of Thermopylae.

Are you fricking kidding? Just about every single detail of the movie was inaccurate. Right down to the most fundamental part: there was never just the 300 Spartans. At first there were about 7,000 Greeks (including more than 300 from Sparta) from various city-states. They were the ones who met the Persian horde in Thermopylae. By the third day, only 3,300 remained, the others either left or were killed. However, once the Persians found the way around (which the Fokeians were told to vigilantly guard, but unfortunately, the stupid Fokeians were caught by surprise by the Persian flanking force and were promptly cut down/routed), Leonidas decided to stay with 300 Spartans and cover the retreat of the main force. 700 Thespians also decided to stay. Therefore, the battle of Thermopylae really consisted of three distinct phases.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Are you fricking kidding? Just about every single detail of the movie was inaccurate. Right down to the most fundamental part: there was never just the 300 Spartans. At first there were about 7,000 Greeks (including more than 300 from Sparta) from various city-states. They were the ones who met the Persian horde in Thermopylae. By the third day, only 3,300 remained, the others either left or were killed. However, once the Persians found the way around (which the Fokeians were told to vigilantly guard, but unfortunately, the stupid Fokeians were caught by surprise by the Persian flanking force and were promptly cut down/routed), Leonidas decided to stay with 300 Spartans and cover the retreat of the main force. 700 Thespians also decided to stay. Therefore, the battle of Thermopylae really consisted of three distinct phases.

BLASPHEMY!

[Martok]

Are you fricking kidding? Just about every single detail of the movie was inaccurate. Right down to the most fundamental part: there was never just the 300 Spartans. At first there were about 7,000 Greeks (including more than 300 from Sparta) from various city-states. They were the ones who met the Persian horde in Thermopylae. By the third day, only 3,300 remained, the others either left or were killed. However, once the Persians found the way around (which the Fokeians were told to vigilantly guard, but unfortunately, the stupid Fokeians were caught by surprise by the Persian flanking force and were promptly cut down/routed), Leonidas decided to stay with 300 Spartans and cover the retreat of the main force. 700 Thespians also decided to stay. Therefore, the battle of Thermopylae really consisted of three distinct phases.

I'm quite certain Rhyfelwyr was being facetious, as is his wont at times.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I'm quite certain Rhyfelwyr was being facetious, as is his wont at times.

lol yes the rest my the post with the mumakil remark etc was a clue.