History in Film

A look at the music scene of the 1960s as we see a young Bob Dylan help folk music go mainstream. The post A065: A Complete Unknown (2024) appeared first on .

The actual truth will likely never be known, but Oliver Stone here lays out his case that the official story of the JFK assassination is full of holes. The post A064: JFK (1991) appeared first on .

A film that perfectly encapsulates the terror and absurdity of the threat of nuclear war. The post A063: Dr. Strangelove (1964) appeared first on .

The first documentary we’ve tackled in over seven years of doing the show, but we felt it was too important to skip. The post A062: The Fog of War (2003) appeared first on .

A bit trivial compared to what we normally cover, but gives us an opportunity to discuss American culture and the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The post A061: Priscilla (2023) appeared first on .

Spike Lee’s biopic of Malcolm X attempts to include Malcolm entire life, short as it was. The post A060: Malcolm X (1992) appeared first on .

A wonderful form of biopic that chooses one event to focus in Truman Capote’s life as opposed to giving us his full biography. That event is the murder of the [ … ] The post A059: Capote (2005) appeared first on .

A few Hollywood changes, but based on the true story of Homer Hickam and his friends who built their own rockets as teenagers in the late 1950s in West Virginia. The post A058: October Sky (1999) appeared first on .

Mostly fictional, but Bloody Christmas is very much based on a real event. And it’s just a great movie! The post A057: L.A. Confidential (1997) appeared first on .

This Korean War movie features two real-life pilots on a mission in the early days of the conflict. The post A056: Devotion (2022) appeared first on .

Interesting look at one of the primary writers affected by the Blacklist in Hollywood during the second Red Scare. The post A055: Trumbo (2015) appeared first on .

Not the strongest version of this story we could have gotten, but Chadwick Boseman does a great job as Jackie Robinson. The post A054: 42 (2013) appeared first on .

This all-time cinema classic isn’t a true story, but still gives us plenty to talk about. The post A053: The Godfather (1972) appeared first on .

Best picture winner about three soldiers returning home from the war and struggling to rejoin society. The post A052: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) appeared first on .

Continuing our discussion of It’s a Wonderful Life! The post A051b: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), pt. 2 appeared first on .

This Christmas classic is obviously fictional, but there’s plenty of history and early-20th century Americana to discuss. We went long so this is part 1 of 2. The post A051a: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), pt. 1 appeared first on .

Set at the end of the samurai era in Japan, this movie oversimplifies and outright distorts the actual history. The post W045b: The Last Samurai (2003) appeared first on .

An instant classic that very closely parallels actual events from Japanese history. The post W033b: Shogun (2024) appeared first on .

A tale from Arthurian legend, so nothing historic. But it gives us a chance to talk about the history of Arthurian legend itself. The post W012b: The Green Knight (2021) appeared first on .

We continue our discussion of Robert’s Rebellion and how it set up the events of the Game of Thrones series. The post Robert’s Rebellion, pt. 2 appeared first on .

We previously discussed the history of House Targaryen. Now we take a closer look at the events leading to Robert’s Rebellion which, in turn, sets up the original Game of [ … ] The post Robert’s Rebellion, pt. 1 appeared first on .

Based on the Rudyard Kipling story, there are still several real life inspirations for aspects of the tale. The post W047b: The Man Who Would Be King (1975) appeared first on .

Happy Halloween! Not the scariest movie from Alfred Hitchcock, but definitely in the thriller category. It also fits right in our timeline at the end of World War II. The post A050c: Notorious (1946) appeared first on .

Arguably the weakest season of the series, but there’s still a lot to like. We talk about what they got right and wrong historically, and how the series ultimately stuck [ … ] The post C06: The Crown, season 6 appeared first on .

As we hit the halfway point in our American history timeline, we pause to reflect on our progress so far and talk about what’s coming up as we plan to [ … ] The post 1st half recap appeared first on .