The Historical Movies Podcast

Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon takes centre stage in this week’s episode of the Historical Movies Podcast. We talk through the history of the period, what makes this such a great movie and what it gets historically right and wrong. Plus the difficulty of actually ripping a sink off the wall, the latest hot gossip about Mini Driver and having th...

Aubrey and Maturin - best friends forever! We take a look through the brilliant Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The number one movie that deserved a sequel that it never got. We talk through the life and times of Thomas Cochrane – the real life inspiration behind Jack Aubrey and revel in the historical age of Enlig...

We talk through Mississippi Burning, starring Gene Hack, Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand and take a look at the real history behind the events shown in the movie. We analyse the controversies surrounding it and ask whether it’s fundamentally racist, of it’s time, misunderstood or a luvvies’ version of a middle class angst-ridden redemption. Plus the genius of the great Gene Hackman, the world’s...

We take a look at Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch (2015) AKA 'The VVitch' – starring Anya Taylor-Joy in her breakout role, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie and Harvey Scrimshaw. We talk through the history of witchcraft in early modern Europe and how it inspired this movie – with much of the dialogue being lifted directly from historical sources. Plus: fans of Black Philip, the best witch’s fa...

Amongst the Wolves releases in Ireland and the UK on 2nd May 2025! We're joined by acclaimed director Mark O'Connor - writer and director of Between the Canals and Cardboard Gangsters - shortly before the release of his new film Amongst the Wolves. We go through Mark's favourite historical movies, his process and experience as a writer director and some of the possible future projects he's working...

We go through Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans (1992) starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Wes Studi and Steve Waddington and look at the history of the French and Indian War (the North American theatre of the the 7 Years War) which gives this film it's intriguing backdrop. We go into the background of James Fenimore Cooper's mid-eighteen century 'Leatherstocking Tales' which inspire...

Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren star in Anthony Mann's epic knight's tale El Cid. We take a look through the history behind the real Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid), the Reconquista and the Almoravid dynasty and ask whether El Cid was actually a chivalrous knight or ruthless mercenary? Plus: Heston and Loren's epic spat on set, the reason why Francisco Franco loved this movie and Raf Valone's comm...

Is this still the best Vikings movie ever made? We take a look at 1958's The Vikings starring Kirk Douglas (fufilling his childhood dream of playing a viking on screen), Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine. We take a look at how the production got a lot of the historical stuff right, how they were limited by their knowledge in 1950s and what aspects of this movie are complete Hollywood bu...

Are the Brits simply too evil in this movie? And should we expect anything else from a Roland Emmerich/Mel Gibson movie? We take a look at The Patriot (2000) in this episode, going through the history, discussing the accuracies, inaccuracies and this movie's astonishing portrayal of slavery in 18th Century America. We take a look at the depiction of the British, particularly Jason Isacc's Tavingto...

Loved by terrorists and screened by the Pentagon, we talk through Gillo Pontecorvo's masterpiece of cinema; The Battle of Algiers. We go through the history this movie's based on and discuss its long-lasting influence and legacy; from initially being banned in France to being praised by directors such as Kubrick and Herzog. Plus; is this the antidote to Hollywood cinema, French male horniness stri...

Prehistorical or prehisterical? We discuss Roland Emmerich's bizzare box office hit 10,000 BC from 2008. We rattle through the litany of (pre)historical inaccuracies from anachronistic Pyramids to the sextant (invented in 16th century AD) and ponder how this movie burnt through its eye-watering $105 million budget. Plus: Graham Hancock, 3 spurious impalings and Roland Emmerich's truly odd art coll...

The Greatest war movie of all time? Steven Spielberg's revolutionary reimagining of the war film which influenced action cinema and war movies ever after. We take a look at some of the real history that inspired this movie and run through the unconventional yet ingenious way it was shot. Plus Tom Sizemore's career-best performance, Tom Hanks' love of typewriters and whether this is this actually a...

This film doesn't have fans, just fanatics, although it seems like not man people have heard of it. Terrence Malick's wonderful movie The New World takes center stage for this episode. We talk through the history that provides the backdrop of this film: Pocahontas, John Smith and the founding of Jamestown. The clash of civilisations, what we've lost by becoming so decoupled from nature and why has...

The one-take (that's actually at least 35 takes) wonder! We discuss Sam Mendes' 1917 and whether this movie fuctions better as an action movie than a war movie, in the traditional movie canon sense at least... Indiana Jones in the trenches or something deeper? Plus we go through the hisory that inspired the film, Operation Alberich, discuss why we like this movie (well, Ros at least) and whether i...

We chat through one of our all time favourite movies, Michael Collins (1996) and whether Hollywood's need for a hero means that Éamon de Valera gets unnecessarily cast as the villain. We discuss what makes this movie so great, go through the history between 1916 to 1922, discuss whether the recreation of Bloody Sunday (1920) went over the top and discuss what happened after Collins' death. Plus: R...

The movie that marooned Marlon Brando's career and signalled the start of his 'lean period', 1962's Mutiny on the Bounty. We talk through the differences between the real history and what the film portrays plus we discuss Marlon Brando's legendary on-set antics, what life was actually like in the 18th century navy and whether the ending of the movie does a disservice to the spirit of the history....

We love Historically inspired movies and if you do too, you’ll love the Historical Movies Podcast! I’m your host Ros Evans, I’m an editor with a background in archaeology and I’m joined in every episode by my brother, professor of modern history Bryce Evans. In every episode we have a good old chat about a historically inspired movie, going through the historical facts fusing them with the best mo...

The most accurate Titanic movie ever except for Cameron's Hollywood Marxism? We talk about the 90s event that was Titanic and what director James Cameron was trying to say by focussing on (and making up?) the class issues on board RMS Titanic. Plus Billy Zane's eyeliner addiction, the power of nostalgia, the great Titanic door debate, and did the ship have to sink for the film to function? Have yo...

Over 3 million views on YouTube can't be wrong can it? We find out as we cover 'The Sniper', an Iranian movie following the exploits of legendary sniper Abdolrasoul Zarrin, who has the highest recorded kill count of any sniper in history with 740. We delve into the history of the Iran/Iraq war and the myths and truths about Zarrin. Plus we discuss the cult of the sniper in movies, the world of Sac...

Mel Gibson's no stranger to historical inaccuracy but did he go too far in his depiction of the Maya in his brilliant, visceral jungle chase movie Apocalypto? We discuss the history behind this blockbuster, plus: is this the best loincloth movie of all time? Mel's subtle Midnight Cowboy reference and which exotic jungle death would Bryce prefer? Happen to know what a Tapir actually sounds like, or...

Is this the most historically accurate film of all time? Quite possibly and we'll tell you why in this week's episode; Apollo 13. Plus: what being in space smells like. Is this the greatest nerds fixing problems movie of all time? Were there any members of Ron Howard's family NOT cast in this movie and the perfect sequel to Apollo 13 that you've probably never heard of! Do you know how to build th...

The rise to power, reign and assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the subject of Raoul Peck's 2000 movie Lamumba. We discuss the complex and facinating history behind the movie and discuss everything from Eriq Ebouaney's fine performance to anachronistic airplanes. Do you know where we can get our hands on a nice cold Polar beer, or...

“Are you not entertained?” To coincide with the release of Gladiator 2 this week, we take a trip back to the year 2000 and revisit Ridley Scott’s original swords and sandals classic. We talk through the history that inspired the movie, ask how accurate it is and get on to the important topic of Oliver Reed’s booze-fueled pugilistic antics with the crew of HMS Cumberland. Plus Commodus’ 5 back-to-b...

"Zulus sir! Thousands of 'em!" Stanley Baker, Michael Caine and Jack Hawkins star in Cy Endfield's depiction of the Battle of Rorke's Drift in this classic of '60s cinema. We discuss the real Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879 and the causes and outcomes of the Anglo-Zulu War. Plus what make '60s movies so unique and brilliant, is Hook the film's hero, and is this the best sideburn movie ever made? D...

Ep. 003 Marie Antoinette (2006) Let them eat cake, let them wear blue converse sneakers? We discuss Sofia Coppola's movie, based on the biography 'Marie Antoinette: The Journey' by Antonia Fraser and the life and times of the real Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. Is this lavish, over the top, some times anachronistic movie actually the most honest and accurate depiction of Marie Antoine...