History movies

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Action | Drama | History | War
Countries: USA
Actors: Ryan Phillippe | Jesse Bradford | Adam Beach | John Benjamin Hickey | John Slattery | Barry Pepper | Jamie Bell | Paul Walker | Robert Patrick | Neal McDonough | Melanie Lynskey | Thomas McCarthy | Chris Bauer | Judith Ivey | Myra Turley
Directors: Clint Eastwood
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In February, 1945, one of the fiercest battles of the Pacific theater of World War II occurs on the tiny island of Iwo Jima. Thousands of Marines attack the stronghold maintained by thousands of Japanese, and the slaughter on both sides is horrific. Early in the battle, an American flag is raised atop the high point, Mount Suribachi, and a photograph of the raising becomes an American cause celebre. As a powerful inspiration to war-sick Americans, the photo becomes a symbol of the Allied cause. The three surviving flag raisers, Rene Gagnon, John Bradley, and Ira Hayes, are whisked back to civilization to help raise funds for the war effort. But the accolades for heroism heaped upon the three men are at odds with their own personal realizations that thousands of real heroes lie dead on Iwo Jima, and that their own contributions to the fight are only symbolic and not deserving of the singling out they are experiencing. Each of the three must come to terms with the honors, exploitation, and grief that they face simply for being in a photograph.

War and Peace (1956)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History | Romance | War
Countries: Italy | USA
Actors: Audrey Hepburn | Henry Fonda | Mel Ferrer | Vittorio Gassman | Herbert Lom | Oskar Homolka | Anita Ekberg | Helmut Dantine | Tullio Carminati | Barry Jones | Milly Vitale | Lea Seidl | Anna-Maria Ferrero | Wilfrid Lawson | May Britt
Directors: King Vidor
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At the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon’s forces controlled much of Europe. In Russia, one of the few countries still unconquered, the army prepares to face Napoleon’s troops in Austria. Among the soldiers are Nicholas Rostov (Jeremy Brett) and Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer). Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), a friend of Andrei’s and self-styled intellectual who “knows what’s right but still does wrong,” is not interested in fighting. Pierre’s life changes when his father dies, leaving him a vast inheritance. He is attracted to Natasha Rostov (Audrey Hepburn), Nicholas’s sister, but gives in to baser desires and marries the shallow, materialistic Princess Helene (Anita Ekberg). The marriage quickly ends when Pierre discovers his wife’s true nature. Andrei is captured and later released by the French, and returns home only to watch his wife die in childbirth. During a visit to the country months later, Pierre and Andrei meet again. Andrei sees Natasha and falls in love, but his father will only permit the marriage if they postpone it for one year. While Andrei is away in Poland on a military mission, Natasha is drawn to Anatole Kuragin (Vittorio Gassmann), a scoundrel and libertine. Pierre tells Natasha of Anatole’s past before she can elope with him. Napoleon (Herbert Lom) invades Russia. Pierre visits Andrei on the eve of the battle, and observes the battle that follows. Traumatized by the carnage, he vows to kill Napoleon himself.

The Game of Their Lives (2005)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History | Sport
Countries: USA
Actors: Gerard Butler | Wes Bentley | Richard Jenik | Jay Rodan | Louis Mandylor | Jimmy Jean-Louis | Zachery Ty Bryan | Nelson Vargas | John Rhys-Davies | Gavin Rossdale | Maria Bertrand | Terry Kinney | Joe Erker
Directors: David Anspaugh
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In 1950, few soccer players in the United States played the game with any particular degree of expertise. Most Americans had heard about the soccer only by hearsay, even though it was the world’s most popular sport, and when the United States was invited to compete in the World Cup in Brazil, the country turned out to have no soccer team to call their own. The U.S. set out to recruit players in the soccer breeding ground of St. Louis, Missouri, where they found a group of young friends with almost absolute lack of an appropriate experience, only an unabashed love of the game.

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History | Thriller
Countries: Canada | Germany | UK | USA
Actors: Harrison Ford | Sam Spruell | Peter Stebbings | Christian Camargo | Roman Podhora | Sam Redford | Steve Nicolson | Liam Neeson | Ravil Issyanov | Tim Woodward | Lex Shrapnel | Shaun Benson | Kristen Holden-Reid | Dmitry Chepovetsky | Christopher Redman | Tygh Runyan
Directors: Kathryn Bigelow
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The story of USSR’s first nuclear ballistic submarine, which suffered a malfunction in its nuclear reactor on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic in 1961. The submarine’s crew, led by the unyielding Captain Alexi Vostrikov, races against time to prevent a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster which threatens not only the lives of his crew, but has the potential to ignite a world war between the super powers.

Glory (1989)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Action | Drama | History | War
Countries: USA
Actors: Matthew Broderick | Denzel Washington | Cary Elwes | Morgan Freeman | Jihmi Kennedy | Andre Braugher | John Finn | Donovan Leitch | JD Cullum | Alan North | Bob Gunton | Cliff De Young | Christian Baskous | RonReaco Lee | Jay O. Sanders
Directors: Edward Zwick
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Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw. Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History | Romance
Countries: USA
Actors: Suzuka Ohgo | Togo Igawa | Mako | Samantha Futerman | Elizabeth Sung | Thomas Ikeda | Li Gong | Tsai Chin | Kaori Momoi | Zoe Weizenbaum | David Okihiro | Miyako Tachibana | Kotoko Kawamura | Karl Yune | Eugenia Yuan
Directors: Rob Marshall
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In 1929 an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo from a fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto’s Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is rescued by and taken under the wing of Hatsumomo’s bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha’s mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society. As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue. As World War II looms Japan and the geisha’s world are forever changed by the onslaught of history.

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History
Countries: USA
Actors: David Strathairn | Robert Downey Jr. | Patricia Clarkson | Ray Wise | Frank Langella | Jeff Daniels | George Clooney | Tate Donovan | Thomas McCarthy | Matt Ross | Reed Diamond | Robert John Burke | Grant Heslov | Alex Borstein | Rose Abdoo
Directors:
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In the early 1950’s, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator ‘Joseph McCarthy (II)’ (qv) of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter ‘Edward R. Murrow (I)’ (qv) and his producer ‘Fred W. Friendly’ (qv) decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.

Amistad (1997)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History | Mystery
Countries: USA
Actors: Morgan Freeman | Nigel Hawthorne | Anthony Hopkins | Djimon Hounsou | Matthew McConaughey | David Paymer | Pete Postlethwaite | Stellan Skarsgård | Razaaq Adoti | Abu Bakaar Fofanah | Anna Paquin | Tomas Milian | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Derrick N. Ashong | Geno Silva
Directors: Steven Spielberg
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AMISTAD is about a 1839 mutiny onboard a slave ship that is traveling towards the Northeast Coast of America. Much of the story involves a court-room drama about the slave who led the revolt.

Flesh & Blood (1985)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War
Countries: Netherlands | Spain | USA
Actors: Rutger Hauer | Jennifer Jason Leigh | Tom Burlinson | Jack Thompson | Fernando Hilbeck | Susan Tyrrell | Ronald Lacey | Brion James | John Dennis Johnston | Simón Andreu | Bruno Kirby | Kitty Courbois | Marina Saura | Hans Veerman | Jake Wood
Directors: Paul Verhoeven
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In 1501, in the Western Europe, in a period when the black plague is jeopardizing the populations, an army of mercenary peasants leaded by Martin (Rutger Hauer) fights side-by-side with the noble Arnolfini (Fernando Hilbeck) to retrieve his castle, with the promise of a huge reward. However, the band is betrayed by Arnolfini, and decides to pay him back, assaulting and stealing a caravan under the command of Arnolfini and his son and student, Steven (Tom Burlinson). In one of the wagon is traveling the fiancée of Steven, Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is accidentally kidnapped and later raped by the group. Agnes becomes Martin’s mate, and the mercenaries decide to invade a castle, without knowing that the army of Arnolfini is chasing them.

The Killing Fields (1984)

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Genres: Drama | History | War
Countries: UK
Actors: Sam Waterston | Haing S. Ngor | John Malkovich | Julian Sands | Craig T. Nelson | Spalding Gray | Bill Paterson | Athol Fugard | Graham Kennedy | Katherine Krapum Chey | Oliver Pierpaoli | Edward Entero Chey | Tom Bird | Monirak Sisowath | Lambool Dtangpaibool
Directors: Roland Joffé
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Sydney Schanberg is a New York Times journalist convering the civil war in Cambodia. Together with local representative Dith Pran, they cover some of the tragedy and madness of the war. When the Americans forces leave, Dith Pran sends his family with them, but stays behind himself to help Schanberg cover the event. As an American, Schanberg won’t have any trouble leaving the country, but the situation is different for Pran; he’s a local, and the Khmer Rouge are moving in.