There’s something incredible about reading a book or watching a documentary about events or people that existed hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Reading about history and watching historical films is like opening a window into the past. Learning about our history as a species offers us a unique opportunity to learn about the mistakes of the past and not repeat them in the future. It’s not only important to read and understand the history of your own country, but others as well. If you’re looking for inspiration to tell a good story, all you have to do is look at the past 10,000 years. There are so many stories that can be adapted into novels or movies. From the rise of the Chinese Empire to the fall of Rome, there is always a story that can be told. For this list, I’m going to be looking at the best and worst historical films that I’ve seen. For this to work, I’ll be looking at how well each film portrays a particular part of history. Some inaccuracies can be forgiven if the authenticity of the time period is intact. So, let’s take a look to the past and see what we can find.
The Best: Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora! is a World War II film about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While the film was not necessarily a big hit when it came out, it has since been revered by many historians and film buffs to be one of the most historically accurate and spectacular films set during World War II. What separates this film from a lot of other war movies is the fact that while half the film was directed by an American crew, the other half was directed by a Japanese crew. Because of this, the authenticity of the film is legitimate because it shows the events leading up to the attack from both American and Japanese perspectives. Another thing that really sticks out about this film is the attention to detail. From the Americans spotting a Japanese mini-sub to the fact that people were warned about the Japanese attack AFTER it happened. Not only that, the visual effects and the battle sequences are second to none. One scene sticks out in particular: When the Japanese attack an airfield, a remote controlled plane explodes but it ends up crashing into the other planes. The crew that you see running for their lives are actually running for their lives. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way, but it ended up in the final picture. This is a must-see if you love World War II movies.
The Worst: Pearl Harbor
Since I brought up the best movie about Pearl Harbor, it’s only fair that I mentioned the worse one. What’s wrong with this movie? 5 words: Michael Bay and Randall Wallace. Seriously, though. There are a lot of problems with this one. First of all, there’s a lot of flag-waving patriotism in here. So much that it made ME cringe, and I’m an American. The movie was supposed to be about the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but what we get instead is a horrendously written love story that forces history to take a back seat. Not only that, there are things that happen in this film that couldn’t have possibly happened in real life. For instance, Ben Affleck’s character is somehow allowed to fight for the British while still being a part of the US Military. Military service does not work that way. That’s actually insulting, and I would hope that British citizens would also be insulted at that. If there’s one thing that Michael Bay knows how to do, it’s action, and the battle sequences in this film are excellent. The weak-ass love story and overall lame script is the fault of writer Randall Wallace, who I’m going to be bringing up again later on this list. Pearl Harbor could’ve been something really amazing, but Wallace and Bay managed to turn a movie about one of the most pivotal moments in US history into a cheese fest. Oh, and they re-released a “director’s cut” that added more gore attempting to make the film more “realistic.” Please.
The Best: Lawrence of Arabia
For someone who claims to be a huge fan of movies, I regret to inform you that I had never seen Lawrence of Arabia before this week. I’d seen images and video clips, but never the entire movie. So, when I finally sat down and watched all 3 hours and 45 minutes of it, I was completely blown away. I love historical epics like Ben-Hur and Spartacus, but Lawrence of Arabia is in a league of its own, I think. Peter O’Toole, in his first leading role, plays T.E Lawrence, a British officer who attempted to unite the tribes of Arabia against the Ottoman Empire. The film’s accuracy is still being debated today, but most regard Lawrence of Arabia as one of the greatest films of all time. I’m not entirely sure I’ll do a review of the film, mostly because I don’t think I can add anything to the discussion. It’s definitely worth watching, though.
The Worst: Braveheart
It’s one thing for an historical film to have inaccuracies. It’s going to happen. You’re never going to get every single detail right, and sometimes you shouldn’t, because it would otherwise be boring. But when a movie completely disregards the actual history of the figure that it’s trying to portray, you have to wonder why they would even bother. Such is the case with Braveheart which is EXTREMELY loosely based on the life of William Wallace, one of Scotland’s legendary heroes. Before I started actually reading into the history of William Wallace, at least the history that I could find, I found Braveheart to be an extraordinarily amazing film with epic battles and a great story. Besides, Mel Gibson not only starred in, but directed this film as well. Unfortunately, as soon as you start even scratching the surface of the history of William Wallace, the entire movie falls apart. I have never seen a movie get so much wrong in terms of historical accuracy. The dates are wrong, the actual historical figures are mostly misrepresented, and certain events never actually happened. The whole prima nocta thing? Never happened. Princess Isabelle? In reality, she would have been about three years old at the time of the Battle of Falkirk. I understand the need to embellish things for the sake of drama, but when you butcher history this badly, and on purpose, I might add, it does a major disservice to not only the historical figure, but the people of Scotland as well. While Mel Gibson definitely took some liberties with history, Randall Wallace is absolutely guilty of the weak writing of the film’s characters, to the point that they don’t even resemble their real-life counterparts. I honestly haven’t seen the movie since. Look, the film is well-shot and well acted with an outstanding musical score and epic battle sequences, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that the film-makers decided to try and re-write history. I don’t care how the film-makers try to justify it.
The Best: Tombstone
I love Westerns as much as the next guy, but Tombstone is probably my favorite. It’s not just my favorite because of the stellar cast that it had: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Michael Biehn, Powers Booth, Dana Delany, Billy Zane, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton. It’s my favorite because it takes Wyatt Earp, one of the most legendary lawmen in US history, and focuses on one particular period in his life, his time in Tombstone, Arizona. The events that happened in the film are mostly accurate to what actually happened. For instance, the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral was one of the coolest set-pieces in the film. Aside from Ike Clanton picking up a gun and fighting back, the fight went almost exactly how you saw it in the movie. There’s also one neat little detail that most people don’t realize is actually true: Wyatt Earp throwing Johnny Tyler out of the Oriental. It didn’t happen in exactly the same time period, but the fact that the film brought it up was amazing. This was an outstanding film all around with Val Kilmer and Michael Biehn basically stealing the show.
The Worst and the Best: The Birth of A Nation(1915)
I bring up D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of A Nation for a reason. This movie has significance in film history. The movie pioneered many filming techniques that are still in use today. It was also one of the first Civil War epics ever made. What makes this film so egregious in terms of it’s history inaccuracy, is the fact that it got enough right to lend some form of legitimacy to everything that was happening on the screen. Make no mistake about it, D.W. Griffith’s film is about as racist as it can get, whether that was his intention or not. Yet, at the same time, the film is very anti-war. The first half of the film is actually really good, with some really good story-telling. It’s the second half of the film when it really starts getting offensive. Yet, I can’t bring myself to say that this film shouldn’t exist, because of its importance. People should look at this film and learn from it. Not just with the techniques that were invented for the film, but in how to tell a story and how NOT to be racist. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this film, even in this day and age. What lessons you learn from it are up to you.
The Best: Das Boot
It’s been said that history is written by the victor. Very rarely do we get a peek of what it’s like on the other side. Wolfgang Peterson’s submarine masterpiece, Das Boot is a look at life on a U-Boat in 1941. The film is based on the book of the same name and based on the real-life submarine of U-96. It seems strange that one could sympathize with Germans during WWII, but you have to understand that a lot of these guys that put out to sea probably have no idea what’s going on back home. Their captains might, but the sailors are just fighting for their own country as any good soldier/sailor would do. What makes this so interesting is that there is not one ounce of Nazi propaganda in the film aside from one really pro-Nazi officer. Everything in this film is handled realistically, from the cramped quarters to the absolute chaos when they get depth-charged. It’s absolutely white-knuckle. The visual effects and action sequences are absolutely astounding. What I also like about this film is that, like in actual history, the German navy was one of the least pro-Nazi branches of their military and that is reflected to a certain degree here. The captain is clearly anti-Nazi and very skeptical about the war. It just goes to show you that even in a war with defined lines as WWII, there’s still a lot of gray to be found, regardless of which side you were on.
Well, those were some of the best and worst historical movies that I’ve seen, with the best ones being mostly respectful to the history and the figures of that period, with the worst ones basically not giving a shit about history. When history is done right in movies, it’s one of the best things ever. When it’s not, and you’re a fan of history, it’s aggravating.