Because I've been so darned lazy getting this list out, I figure I should try and step it up a little more on the posting. One of the tiny downsides which I was unaware of regarding Blogger is how well it handles information copied out of OpenOffice, and it apparently doesn't handle it very well. Copying and pasting into Notepad and then from there into Blogger is kind of obnoxious, and a workflow killer, but it's what I have to deal with.
With that said, I thought I'd take a moment to introduce the historical genre. History has long been a fascination with me. If there was any one subject I loved in school, it was history, and I tended to put a little extra effort into my history reports. Historical films often get confused with genre films and vice versa (Gladiator stands out as one example; even though it's a great flick, it's not terribly accurate in terms of historical events). For me, historical films (and their close cousins, the bio-pics) are a great way to at least get a good overview of an event or a figure out of the past. They serve as introductions, trailheads for the curious to follow into the past.
Let's take a walk, shall we?
El Cid – It's old, but the production values are top notch, and the battle sequences are classic.
Zulu – Michael Caine's first film, and still delivers the goods even after all these years.
Zulu Dawn – Although it was made after Zulu, it covers the historical events immediately prior. The cast is just as impressive and the action is just as brutal.
The Wind & The Lion – A good old fashioned “swords in the desert” movie. Sean Connery isn't exactly the most convincing as a Berber, but Brian Keith looks completely right as Teddy Roosevelt.
The Ghost & The Darkness – Although a few parts have doubtlessly been altered, it's still the best “African safari” story out there.
The Lighthorsemen – A WWI story that gets out of the European trenches.
Black Hawk Down – Some of the characters are composites, but the events of the day are accurate. The sad part is the place hasn't changed much since then.
The Great Escape – Again, characters are often composites, but the circumstances regarding the escape are accurate.
Patton – Who else but George C. Scott could possibly portray an ego like George S. Patton?
Enemy At The Gates – You don't see a lot of WWII stories told from the Soviet side. Albeit with some historical inaccuracies, it's still a hell of a good story.
Next time: Comedies
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