A History in Film - BOT Top 50 Historical Fiction/Narrative Films - Counting Lists Now, Will Still Take A List Today

[baumer]

Fiddled with my order for about a week.  Finally sent it in... @The Panda

[baumer]

Probably going to get some flack for this one....but here it is:

 

 

Okay, top 50 historical epics:

 

1) JFK

2) Titanic

3) Dances  With Wolves

5) Come and See

6) Goodfellas

7) Tombstone

8} Wolf of Wall Street

9) Schindler's List

10) Saving Private Ryan

11) Black Robe (Canadian film)

12) Back to the Future

13) Argo

14) Rock of Ages (fuck you BOT...I love this movie)

15) Singin in the Rain

16) Braveheart

17) Gladiator

18) A League of Their Own

19) The Pianist

20) Jackie

21) Glory

22) Anchorman

23) Fargo

24) Malcolm X

25) Judgement at Nuremberg 

26) Gandhi

27) The Great Escape

28) The Devil's Rejects

30) Gone With the Wind

31) Bahlubali

32) It Chapter 1

33) Bridge Over River Kwai

34) Hunt for Red October

35) State of Grace

36) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

37) All Quiet on the Western Front

38) Das Boot

39) The Patriot

40) Apocalypse Now

41) The Wedding Singer

42) Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

43) Spartacus

44) Hotel Rwanda

45) The Big Short

46) 12 Years a Slave

47) Passion of the Christ

48) Ten Commandments (56)

49) Monty Python and the Holy Grail

50) Apollo 13

[baumer]

So for anyone who has not seen Black Robe, and I would imagine that's all of you, I would recommend it, not just because it's about Canadian history, but because it's a really well done story.  

 

Here's what Academy Award winning director said about directing this film and why he did it:

 

Bruce Beresford:

 

 

Director Bruce Beresford has said of this film in an interview with 'Signet' magazine published on the 7th December 1991: "It was my idea to make the movie. No one approached me about the film. I read the novel when I was passing through Los Angeles in 1985. I had always been a great admirer of Brian Moore' s novels. This is a historical novel quite unlike his others. It struck me for a lot of reasons. One was simply the novelty of it. I knew nothing whatever about pioneer life in Canada in the 17th century and suddenly to read this story about these insanely savage Indians and these brave, courageous French voyagers trying to colonise them was very striking. In particular the priest, Laforgue, was significant, trying to convert the Indians to Christianity and baptise them. He travelled right across the known world to try to convince the Indians that they're living their lives all wrong because they've got to go to this place, heaven, which doesn't even exist. Looking back from the 20th century, this seems, in many ways, a mad thing to do. But they had their own approach to the world worked out and in terms of 17th century views, they thought they were doing the Indians a great favour. It is fascinating that someone's faith could be so strong. What interested me really about Black Robe (1991), apart from the fact that it's a great story, is that clash between the European and the native American cultures. Period films are always hard to do. The further back in history you go, the harder it is. Everything changes - the look, the manners, the thinking, everything. You have to understand the way someone like Laforgue thought. He had an obsession with getting everyone into heaven, a concept which few people these days take seriously. My job is to convince the audience that this is important . . . I think that, even if you have no religious faith whatever or, even if you despised the Jesuits, you would still find it an interesting story. It's a wonderful study of obsession and love. And it is a wonderful adventure of the spirit and of the body. What those people did, going to a country where winters were far more severe than anything they had known in Europe, meeting people who were far more fierce than anyone they had ever encountered . . . Having to deal with these people shows us something of humanity at its greatest. It's the equivalent of today's people getting into space shuttles and going off into space. It takes unbelievable courage to do this".

[Cap]

2 hours ago, baumer said:

12) Back to the Future

Oooh. Good call, good call. Gonna pencil that one on. 
 

 

[Eric Duncan]

I don't really have time to make a list nor watch the movies listed as FYC here (don't go to school kids), but I'll echo @Cap and say Inherit the Wind is phenomenal stuff. It has such brilliant writing that blends McCarthyism and issues of religion and education into a fantastic package, also helped by Spencer Tracy and Fredric March.

[Cap]

2 minutes ago, Eric Atreides said:

I don't really have time to make a list nor watch the movies listed as FYC here (don't go to school kids), but I'll echo @Cap and say Inherit the Wind is phenomenal stuff. It has such brilliant writing that blends McCarthyism and issues of religion and education into a fantastic package, also helped by Spencer Tracy and Fredric March.

I watched it for the first time in years a couple months ago and I was just floored at how scary relevant it felt to 2019. They’re talking about evolution versus Creationism, but they could easily just be talking about the growing anti-science movement on the far right.

 

I also love the line when he’s talking about how you always have to give something up for progress: “the birds are a little less majestic and smell of gasoline.”

 

HIGLY Recommend tracking this one down. Particularly if we’re about to do the best movies of all time, and everyone’s going to jump on the 12 Angry Men bandwagon.

[CoolioD1]

i'll come back to this but i think i've got my top half figured out. so fyc these movies.

 

1. Red Beard (1965)

2. Harakiri (1962)

3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

4. Ran (1985)

5. Unforgiven (1992)

6. The Age of Innocence (1993)

7. Ugetsu (1953)

8. American Graffiti (1973)

9. Gone with the Wind (1939)

10. Amadeus (1984)

11. Schindler's List (1993)

12. Silence (2016)

13. The Searchers (1956)

14. The Thin Red Line (1998)

15. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

16. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

17. The Earrings of Madame De... (1953)

18. Throne of Blood (1957)

19. The Crucified Lovers (1954)

20. Cabaret (1972)

21. Lust Caution (2007)

22. Chinatown (1974)

23. Bridge of Spies (2015)

24. Gangs of New York (2002)

25. The Gold Rush (1925)

Edited April 24, 2020 by CoolioD1

[lorddemaxus]

8 hours ago, baumer said:

Probably going to get some flack for this one....but here it is:

 

 

Okay, top 50 historical epics:

 

1) JFK

2) Titanic

3) Dances  With Wolves

5) Come and See

6) Goodfellas

7) Tombstone

8} Wolf of Wall Street

9) Schindler's List

10) Saving Private Ryan

11) Black Robe (Canadian film)

12) Back to the Future

13) Argo

14) Rock of Ages (fuck you BOT...I love this movie)

15) Singin in the Rain

16) Braveheart

17) Gladiator

18) A League of Their Own

19) The Pianist

20) Jackie

21) Glory

22) Anchorman

23) Fargo

24) Malcolm X

25) Judgement at Nuremberg 

26) Gandhi

27) The Great Escape

28) The Devil's Rejects

30) Gone With the Wind

31) Bahlubali

32) It Chapter 1

33) Bridge Over River Kwai

34) Hunt for Red October

35) State of Grace

36) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

37) All Quiet on the Western Front

38) Das Boot

39) The Patriot

40) Apocalypse Now

41) The Wedding Singer

42) Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

43) Spartacus

44) Hotel Rwanda

45) The Big Short

46) 12 Years a Slave

47) Passion of the Christ

48) Ten Commandments (56)

49) Monty Python and the Holy Grail

50) Apollo 13

I don't think films like Back to the Future and It Chapter 1 count. I think Texas Chainsaw and Anchorman would also only be considered just period pieces and not historical fiction. 

[charlie Jatinder]

6 hours ago, Cap said:

Oooh. Good call, good call. Gonna pencil that one on. 
 

 

a fucking time travel is more realistic than a man's ability enhanced by steroids.

[Jake Gittes]

Back to the Future sorta makes sense to me but It and Fargo are not historical movies.

 

[Cap]

30 minutes ago, charlie Jatinder said:

a fucking time travel is more realistic than a man's ability enhanced by steroids.

Take the victories you can!

[4815162342]

11 hours ago, Cap said:

Oooh. Good call, good call. Gonna pencil that one on. 
 

 

 

Yeah that is definitely not a historical film

[lorddemaxus]

@The Panda Does All the President's Men count as historical? I watched the movie yesterday (will be in my top 15) but I only found out after watching it that the movie was set 4 years before it released. Wouldn't it have technically been considered a contemporary film when it released? 

[4815162342]

3 minutes ago, lorddemaxus said:

@The Panda Does All the President's Men count as historical? I watched the movie yesterday (will be in my top 15) but I only found out after watching it that the movie was set 4 years before it released. Wouldn't it have technically been considered a contemporary film when it released? 

 

My understanding is that it's too close to the event in question, so it would be contemporary.

 

 

My personal standard for making my own list is going to require at least a decade of separation.

[The Panda]

5 hours ago, lorddemaxus said:

I don't think films like Back to the Future and It Chapter 1 count. I think Texas Chainsaw and Anchorman would also only be considered just period pieces and not historical fiction. 

Yeah, I’d say Back to the Future and IT Chapter 1 definitely don’t qualify.  They’re definitely more true sci-fi/fantasy stories (as in their fantasy and sci-fi elements are prevalent through the majority of the movies) and while they’re (kind of) period pieces, it also doesn’t 

 

As for the others, ill just leave them up to people’s judgement.  They kind of fall in the “period pieces aren’t necessary historical fiction” camp imo but that’s more of a loose line I’ll let people determine for themselves.

 

In general for everyone, Id say remember the tag line for the list when making yours:

“A History Through Film”

When thinking about what to include, I’d recommend beyond just thinking “Could this technically qualify”?  Think, what is the point of the list?

 

The point of the list is to compile movies that portray significant events, cultures and time periods throughout history.  

Some guidelines/rules of thumb people could use in general for movies that aren’t specifically eliminated: 

1. A general rule of thumb could be “If I took a history class over the period of time or culture this movie represents, and you were given an extra credit assignment to watch and review a movie that covers that period, would this be a movie you’d actually consider using?”

 

2. A different rule of thumb/guideline could be: As you make your list, write down the time period, country/culture it takes place in and significant historical backdrop

 

Ex.

 

Lincoln

1860s US Civil War and Signing of Emancipation Proclamation 

 

If the main time period it covers looks to modern, or if you can’t really pin down an important historical setting that’s the backdrop for the film.  Could be a red flag that maybe you shouldn't consider it.

 

3. Or, another idea:  If somebody asked you to describe what the movie is about in one sentence, would the historical setting even come up in your description (be honest)?  

 

5. And lastly just google the name of the film with “historical accuracy/context” next to the name, provided it’s not too niche of a film, if absolutely nothing pops up that could be a red flag that the movie isn’t really what we’re trying to get lists of.

 

(example, if you google “Back to the Future Historical Accuracy you only get articles looking at the 80s, it’s historical significance as a film and what predictions II got right on the first page.

 

Google “Come and See Historical Accuracy” and you do get some relevant articles)

 

That’s not a hard and fast rule for a film to qualify, but could be a useful guideline.

 

I get the line wasn’t drawn very hard, and maybe I should have been less lenient with what qualifies overall (that was mostly for some flexibility as there are some question mark films that would serve nicely to be included).  

[The Panda]

46 minutes ago, lorddemaxus said:

@The Panda Does All the President's Men count as historical? I watched the movie yesterday (will be in my top 15) but I only found out after watching it that the movie was set 4 years before it released. Wouldn't it have technically been considered a contemporary film when it released? 

It’s kind of on the hazy line of being close to its event but also being close to the approximately 5 year separation guideline (especially since it does cover a significant historical event).

 

I’ll leave that one up to people’s judgement as it’s hazy.  After some reflection, I’m personally taking it off my list because it is more of a contemporary film.

Edited April 24, 2020 by The Panda

[CoolioD1]

hey does this one count?

 

[baumer]

I don't understand why back the future would not count. He goes back in time to the 1950s and there is a pure contrast between what the 50s are like and what the eighties are like. It gives you a glimpse into the life of what it was like in 1955. Isn't that what this list is supposed to be about?

[baumer]

2 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

Yeah that is definitely not a historical film

 I don't understand why Back to future definitely is not a historical film when it definitely gives you a glimpse into what it's like to live in the 50s.

[baumer]

So @The Panda tell me which films to take off my list.