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Film
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Film Details
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Historical Accuracy
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Middle Ages, France, England, Nationalism, Technology, Feudalism, Manorialism, and Religion
- While working at the site of an archaeological dig,Professor Johnston stumbles into a wormhole and plunges back in time to 14th-century France. Mad scientist Robert Doniger who accidentally created the wormhole while developing a teleportation device, sends the professor's son, Chris, and protégé back in time to retrieve him. Unfortunately, their rescue mission is sidetracked by a bloody battle between France and England.
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- Timeline (2003)
- Rated “PG-13”
- 116 Minutes
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Depictions of Battle in the 100 Years War Between England & France
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France, England, 1 CE - 20th Century CE, Technology, and Religion
- A murder in Paris' Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that -- should it come to light -- could rock the very foundations of Christianity.
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- The Da Vinci Code (2006)
- Rated “PG-13”
- 174 Minutes
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Da Vinci Code What's Real & What's Fake
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World War I - Nationalism, Technology, Imperialism, Social Classes
- War Horse is a 2011 American war drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis, based on English author Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel of the same name and its 2007 play adaptation. The film's ensemble cast includes Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, and Tom Hiddleston. Set before and during World War I, it tells of the journey of Joey, a bay Thoroughbred horse raised by British teenager Albert (Irvine), as he is bought by the British Army, leading him to encounter numerous individuals and owners throughout Europe, all the while experiencing the tragedies of the war happening around him.
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- War Horse (2011)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 146 minutes
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War Horse – The True Story
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World War I - Technology, Nationalism, Human Rights
- Flyboys is a 2006 war drama film set during World War I, starring James Franco, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, David Ellison, Abdul Salis, Philip Winchester, and Tyler Labine. It was directed by Tony Bill, a pilot and aviation enthusiast. The screenplay about men in aerial combat was written by Phil Sears, Blake T. Evans and David S. Ward with the story by Blake T. Evans. Themes of friendship, racial prejudice, technology in WWI, Nationalism, revenge and love are also explored in the film. The film follows the enlistment, training, and combat experiences of a group of young Americans who volunteer to become fighter pilots in the Lafayette Escadrille, the 124th air squadron formed by the French in 1916. The squadron consisted of five French officers and 38 American volunteers who wanted to fly and fight in World War I before the United States' entry into the war in 1917.[5] The film ends with an epilogue that relates the fate of each American pilot to the real-life Lafayette Escadrille pilot upon whom each character was based.
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- Flyboys (2006)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 138 minutes
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The Real Flyboys of WWI
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Pre-World War II - Resistance Movements, Nationalism, Fascism, Totalitarianism, Human Rights
- Swing Kids is a 1993 American musical drama film directed by Thomas Carter, and stars Christian Bale, Robert Sean Leonard and Frank Whaley. In pre-World War II Germany, two high school students, Peter Müller and Thomas Berger, attempt to be swing kids by night and Hitler Youth by day, a decision that acutely impacts their friends and families.
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- Swing Kids (1993)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 112 minutes
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Music & The Holocaust - Swing Kids
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World War II - Start of War/Japanese Attack
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (Japanese: トラ・トラ・トラ) is a 1970 Japanese-American biographical war drama film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku and stars an ensemble cast, including Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, Sō Yamamura, E. G. Marshall, James Whitmore, and Jason Robards. The "tora" of the title is the two-syllable Japanese codeword used to indicate that complete surprise had been achieved: "to" is the initial syllable of "totsugeki (突撃)", meaning "assault", while "ra" stands for "raigeki (雷撃)" ("torpedo attack"). Being Japanese, a language with many homophones, it is a coincidence that "tora" also means "tiger (虎)".
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- Tora, Tora, Tora (1970)
- Rated "G"
- 144 minutes
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DailyHistory.org - Tora,Tora, Tora
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World War II - Turning Point of WWII in the Pacific
- In this dramatization of the Battle of Midway during World War II, U.S. Navy Adm. Chester Nimitz (Henry Fonda) leads an outnumbered unit in the Pacific to break Japanese encryption codes. They soon discover that Adm. Yamamoto (Toshirô Mifune) plans an ambush of the U.S. base on the island of Midway. Capt. Matt Garth (Charlton Heston) helps devise the Navy's strategy, while his pilot son, Tom (Edward Albert), falls in love with a Japanese-American woman who is headed for an internment camp.
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- Midway (1976)
- Rated "PG"
- 131 minutes
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Puttering in the Study - Midway
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World War II - European Theater
- Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, who based their screenplay on the biography Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago and Omar Bradley's memoir A Soldier's Story.Patton won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Scott won Best Actor for his portrayal of General Patton, but declined to accept the award. The opening monologue, delivered by George C. Scott as General Patton with an enormous American flag behind him, remains an iconic and often quoted image in film. The film was successful,and in 2003, Patton was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive preserved Patton in 2003.
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- Patton (1970)
- Rated "PG"
- 170 minutes
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DailHistory.org - Patton
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World War II - European Theater - Resistance Movements
- Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) serves Germany with loyalty and pride but fears that Hitler will destroy his country if allowed to run unchecked. With time running out for Germany and the rest of Europe, von Stauffenberg joins a group of like-minded, high-ranking men who want to overthrow the Nazi regime from within. With everything he holds dear in the balance, von Stauffenberg becomes the trigger man in a plot to assassinate the evil dictator.
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- Valkyrie (2008)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 124 minutes
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The CinemaHolic - Valkyrie
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Human Rights Violations/Genocide - Holocaust
- Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella [la ˈviːta ˈɛ ˈbɛlla]) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian book shop owner, who employs his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. The film was partially inspired by the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì and by Benigni's father, who spent two years in a German labor camp during World War II.
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- Life is Beautiful (1997)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 116 minutes
- Eng Subtitle
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Project Muse - Life is Beautiful
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Human Rights Violations/Genocide - Holocaust
- Walking with the Enemy is a 2014 American action drama film directed by Mark Schmidt, and scripted by Kenny Golde and Mark Schmidt. The film stars Jonas Armstrong, Ben Kingsley, Simon Kunz, Hannah Tointon, Simon Dutton, Burn Gorman, and Charles Hubbell. It is inspired by the true story of Pinchas Tibor Rosenbaum. Set in Budapest and nearby villages, it depicts the German occupation of Hungary during the final months of the Second World War. The story is about a young man, Elek Cohen (played by Jonas Armstrong) who dons an SS uniform to pose as an officer to find out the fate of his family and to rescue fellow Jews from the Holocaust.
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- Walking With the Enemy (2014)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 127 minutes
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Human Rights Violations/Genocide - Rwandan Genocide
- Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 British-Italian-South African historical drama film directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay written by both George and Keir Pearson. It stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana. Based on the Rwandan genocide, which occurred during the spring of 1994, the film, which has been called an African Schindler's List, documents Rusesabagina's acts to save the lives of his family and more than a thousand other refugees by providing them with shelter in the besieged Hôtel des Mille Collines. Hotel Rwanda explores genocide, political corruption, and the repercussions of violence.
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- Hotel Rwanda (2004)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 121 minutes
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Communist China - From Republic to Communism, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution
- Fugui's (Ge You) gambling leads him to lose everything, including his wife, Jiazhen (Gong Li), and his home. Over the following decades, he struggles to live as a peasant. He tries joining a theater troupe, and then he enlists in the Chinese army in hopes of being a good citizen. Yet, just as things get better -- and Jiazhen and their baby daughter return to him -- the Cultural Revolution begins and tragedy continues to strike his family. Despite numerous hardships, Fugui never gives up hope. The film was banned in mainland China by the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television due to its critical portrayal of various policies and campaigns of the Communist government.
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- To Live (1994)
- Rated "NR"
- 133 minutes
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Cold War - Technology, Spies, Cold War Tensions, Ideologies
- Bridge of Spies is a 2015 historical drama legal thriller film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, written by Matt Charman, Ethan and Joel Coen and stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda. Set during the Cold War, the film tells the story of lawyer James B. Donovan, who is entrusted with negotiating the release of Francis Gary Powers—a U.S. Air Force pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960—in exchange for Rudolf Abel, a convicted Soviet KGB spy held under the custody of the United States, whom he represented at trial. The name of the film refers to the Glienicke Bridge, which connects Potsdam with Berlin, where the prisoner exchange took place. The film was an international co-production of the United States and Germany.
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- Bridge of Spies (2015)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 144 minutes
- Subtitle
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Human Rights Violations - Apartheid
- Invictus is a 2009 American-South African biographical sports drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. The story is based on the John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The Springboks were not expected to perform well, only recently returning to high level international competition following the dismantling of apartheid – the country was hosting the World Cup, thus earning an automatic entry. Freeman and Damon play, respectively, South African President Nelson Mandela and François Pienaar, the captain of the South Africa rugby union team, the Springboks.
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- Invictus (2009)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 133 minutes
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Cold War - Class, Gender, Great Britain Post WWII
- In her twilight years, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) reflects on her life and career as she finally prepares to dispose of the belongings of her late husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent). Daughter of a Grantham grocer, she successfully broke through a double-paned glass ceiling of gender and class. Thatcher became the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom and remained as such for 11 consecutive years, until declining popularity forced her to resign.
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- The Iron Lady (2011)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 105 minutes
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Imperialism, Nationalism, Technology, Social Class, Ethnicity, Race, Gender, Masculinity/Femininity
- After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T'Challa's mettle as king -- and as Black Panther -- gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.
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- Black Panther (2018)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 135 minutes
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Segregation, Civil Rights Movement
- Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy), an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie (Dan Aykroyd), arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman). Daisy and Hoke's relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.
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- Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
- Rated "PG"
- 100 minutes
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Legal System, Social Class, Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Stereotyping
- Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6,and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.
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- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- Rated "G"
- 130 minutes
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Segregation, Civil Rights Movement
- Three brilliant African-American women at NASA -- Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) -- serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world.
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- Hidden Figures (2016)
- Rated "PG"
- 127 minutes
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Segregation, Civil Rights Movement
- Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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- Selma (2014)
- Rated "PG"
- 128 minutes
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Enlightenment, 17th Century France, Louis XIV, Three Musketeers
- The former musketeer Athos (John Malkovich) swears vengeance after despotic King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) causes the death of his son. Summoning his old comrades Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) and Aramis (Jeremy Irons), he hatches a plan to liberate a shackled prisoner rumored to be the king's twin brother, and then install him on the throne. But the three musketeers must also contend with their old friend D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), who has remained in the king's service.
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- Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 132 minutes
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Social Anxieties, Social Class, Ethnocentrism, Capitalism, Socialism
- A sweet boy from a poor family dreams of finding one of five golden tickets hidden inside chocolate bar wrappers which will admit him to the eccentric and reclusive Willy Wonka's magical factory. One after another, tickets are discovered by ghastly children - but will the lad find the last remaining one and have all his dreams come true?
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- Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Rated "G"
- 89 minutes
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1970s America, New York City (Harlem), Civil Rights
- When Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy (Diana Ross) tries to save her dog from a storm, she's miraculously whisked away to an urban fantasy land called Oz. After accidentally killing the Wicked Witch of the East upon her arrival, Dorothy is told about the Wiz (Richard Pryor), a wizard who can help her get back to Manhattan. As Dorothy goes in search of the Wiz, she's joined by the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), the Tin Man (Nipsey Russell) and the Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross).
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- The Wiz (1978)
- Rated "G"
- 136 minutes
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Technology, American Dream, American Exceptionalism
- This Hollywood drama is based on the events of the Apollo 13 lunar mission, astronauts Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) find everything going according to plan after leaving Earth's orbit. However, when an oxygen tank explodes, the scheduled moon landing is called off. Subsequent tensions within the crew and numerous technical problems threaten both the astronauts' survival and their safe return to Earth.
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- Apollo 13 (1995)
- Rated "PG"
- 140 minutes
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World War II, Stolen Art, Art Restitution
- During World War II, the Nazis steal countless pieces of art and hide them away. Some over-the-hill art scholars, historians, architects and other experts form a unit to retrieve as many of the stolen masterpieces as possible. The mission becomes even more urgent when the team learns about Hitler's "Nero Decree," which orders destruction of the artworks if the Third Reich falls. Caught in a race against time, the men risk their lives to protect some of mankind's greatest achievements.
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- The Monuments Men (2014)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 120 minutes
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World War II, Stolen Art, Art Restitution, U.S. & World Legal System, Holocaust
- Sixty years after fleeing Vienna, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), an elderly Jewish woman, attempts to reclaim family possessions that were seized by the Nazis. Among them is a famous portrait of Maria's beloved Aunt Adele: Gustave Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." With the help of young lawyer Randy Schoeberg (Ryan Reynolds), Maria embarks upon a lengthy legal battle to recover this painting and several others, but it will not be easy, for Austria considers them national treasures.
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- The Woman in Gold (2015)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 169 minutes
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Cold War, Nuclear Technology
- Based on the popular Tom Clancy novel, this suspenseful movie tracks Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) as he abandons his orders and heads for the east coast of the United States. Equipped with innovative stealth technology, Ramius' submarine, "Red October," is virtually invisible. However, when an American sub briefly detects the Russians' presence, CIA agent Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) sets out to determine Ramius' motives, fearing he may launch an attack on the U.S.
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- The Hunt for Red October (1990)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 135 minutes
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High School Football, Segregation, Civil Rights Movement
- In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, an institution revered, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, each playoff distinguished more grandly than any national holiday. And with such recognition, comes powerful emotions. In 1971 high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the local school board was forced to integrate an all black school with an all white school, the very foundation of football's great tradition was put to the test.
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- Remember the Titans (1990)
- Rated "PG"
- 140 minutes
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American Dream, American Exceptionalism, Social Classes
- Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a small-time boxer from working-class Philadelphia, is arbitrarily chosen to take on the reigning world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), when the undefeated fighter's scheduled opponent is injured. While training with feisty former bantamweight contender Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), Rocky tentatively begins a relationship with Adrian (Talia Shire), the wallflower sister of his meat-packer pal Paulie (Burt Young).
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- Rocky (1976)
- Rated "PG"
- 122 minutes
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American Dream, American Exceptionalism, Social Classes, Economic Segregation
- Although working-class Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) lost his high-profile bout with the cocky world champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), his Cinderella story has caught the national sports media's attention, and he now has the opportunity to capitalize on his sudden fame. Meanwhile, Creed is still smarting from nearly losing to some palooka no one has ever heard of, and arrogantly prods his newfound nemesis into getting back into the ring.
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- Rocky II (1979)
- Rated "PG"
- 140 minutes
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American Dream, American Exceptionalism, Social Classes, Economic Segregation
- Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born. However, boxing is in his blood, so he seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and asks the retired champ to be his trainer. Rocky sees much of Apollo in Adonis, and agrees to mentor him, even as he battles an opponent deadlier than any in the ring. With Rocky's help, Adonis soon gets a title shot, but whether he has the true heart of a fighter remains to be seen.
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- Creed (2015)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 133 minutes
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India, Poverty, Orphans, Adoption, Social Class
- Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of miles across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.
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- Lion (2016)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 129 minutes
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Apocalypse, Social Class, Gender, Race, Ethnicity
- Complex sociological themes run through this science-fiction classic about three astronauts marooned on a futuristic planet where apes rule and humans are slaves. The stunned trio discovers that these highly intellectual simians can both walk upright and talk. They have even established a class system and a political structure. The astronauts suddenly find themselves part of a devalued species, trapped and imprisoned by the apes.
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- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Rated "G"
- 115 minutes
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Victorian Britain, British Empire, Monarchy, Racism, Social Class, Ethnicity, Religion
- Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favour with the queen herself. As Victoria questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance that her household and inner circle try to destroy. As their friendship deepens, the queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity.
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- Victoria & Abdul (2017)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 112 minutes
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Music History, Americana, American Exceptionalism, Social Class, American Dream, Society & Culture 1950s
- Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend (Danielle von Zerneck) whose parents didn't want her to date a Latino boy. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob (Esai Morales), and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw).
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- La Bamba (1987)
- Rated "PG-13"
- 109 minutes
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American Dream, Ethnicity, Social Class, Masculinity/Femininity, Gender, Society & Culture
- Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula (Nia Vardalos). Still unmarried at 30 years old, she works at Dancing Zorba's, the Greek restaurant owned by her parents, Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan). After taking a job at her aunt's travel agency, she falls in love with Ian Miller (John Corbett), a teacher who is tall, handsome and definitely not Greek. Toula isn't sure which will be more upsetting to her father, that Ian is a foreigner or that he's a vegetarian.
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- My Big Fat Greek Wedding(2002)
- Rated "PG"
- 96 minutes
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American Dream, Ethnicity, Social Class, Masculinity/Femininity, Gender, Society & Culture, New York City 1800s
- Growing up in the early 1800s, P.T. Barnum displays a natural talent for publicity and promotion, selling lottery tickets by age 12. After trying his hands at various jobs, P.T. turns to show business to indulge his limitless imagination, rising from nothing to create the Barnum & Bailey circus. Featuring catchy musical numbers, exotic performers and daring acrobatic feats, Barnum's mesmerizing spectacle soon takes the world by storm to become the greatest show on Earth.
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- The Greatest Showman(2017)
- Rated "PG"
- 96 minutes
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