100 Films Tell the History of the World, pt 3/3 (Gandhi-Zero Dark Thirty)

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Film, History, Movies

Here’s part 3 of 3, of an attempt to tell the history of the (mostly western) world through films. Here’s the last 80 or so years, via what I think to be the 35 movies that tell it best. (And yes there are a lot of WW2 films here, but people keep making them.)

 

66. Gandhi (1982) – 1930s-1940s: A little peace of history.

67. Land & Freedom (1995) – 1930s: The Spanish Civil War, as directed by Ken Loach.

68. Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) – 1930s: Three stolen girls follow the yellow-sand road in the land of Oz.

69. The Battle of Britain (1969) – 1940: In Britain, the Allies take to the skies.

70. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) – 1942-1943: In Burma, POWs battle with what’s right and wrong.

71. Saving Private Ryan (1998) – 1944: In occupied France, D-Day.

72. Schindler’s List (1993) – 1939-1945: In Germany, an industrialist works for his staff.

73. The Pianist (2002) – 1939-1945: In Poland, devastation.

74. Flags of our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) – 1945: In Japan, two sides to the Battle of Iwo Jima.

75. Downfall (2005) – 1945: In the Berlin bunker, the days of Fuhrer past.

76. The Right Stuff (1983) – 1947-1963: The Space Race is ace.

77. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) – 1953: McCarthy, Murrow, anti-Communist investigations and newscasters who’d smoke.

78. LA Confidential (1997) – 1953: The sign’s not the only thing about Hollywood that’s crooked.

79. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) – 1955-1967: Che (Guevara)’s the one

80. Thirteen Days (2000) – 1962: A missile crisis: Cuban, heals.

81. Dr Strangelove (1964) – 1960s: Another missile crisis, this one fictitious. But how close we came to: “The bomb, Dmitri…”

82. JFK (1991) – 1961-1966: Garrison does Dallas.

83. American Graffiti (1973) – 1962: A long time ago, in a Californian town far, far away…

84. Platoon (1985) – 1967: Mourning Vietnam.

85. Made in Dagenham (2010) – 1968: “Ford? A Few Dollars More…”

86. Apollo 13 (1995) – 1970: Hanks has a problem.

87. All The President’s Men (1976) – 1972: The Watergate Scandal: Break-in news.

88. The Ice Storm (1997) – 1973: Two families enlighten up.

89. The Killing Fields (1984) – 1973-1979: The Khmer Rouge’s genocide: tough but vital viewing.

90. Dazed & Confused (1993) – 1976: School’s out forever.

91. Goodbye Bafana (2007) – 1980s: The long stay before the long walk to freedom..

92. Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) – 1980s: His war, the Soviets’ war, the Afghans’ war, now our war.

93. The Lives of Others (2006) – 1984: A compelling tale of East German (click) life. Did you hear that?

94. Wall Street (1987) – 1985: Gordon Gekko cleans up, with two Mr Sheens.

95. Black Hawk Down (2001) – 1993: The Somali Civil War: the West intervenes.

96. Hotel Rwanda (2004) – 1994: The Rwandan genocide: the West doesn’t intervene..

97. World Trade Center (2006) – 2001: Towers fall; courage rises.

98. The Social Network (2010) – 2003: Mark Zuckerberg invites old friends to be unfriended.

99. Four Lions (2010) – 2000s: Dad’s Jihad’s Army.

100. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – 2001-2012: Do not mess with Special Forces…

 

So there you have it. You don’t agree with some choices? Of course you don’t. It’s a list. It’s there to be disagreed with. Just make sure you’ve watched all 100 films before you do though…

History via Films pt 2 (A Man For All Seasons – To Kill A Mockingbird)

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Films, History, Movies

It’s about time I posted part two of this, a churlish attempt to navigate the history of everything (alright, mostly Western culture, especially England, but I’ve only seen certain films.If I’d seen more Scandinavian cinema, there’d probably be more vikings in this) via 100 movies. So here’s part two of three, Henry VIII to Atticus Finch…

     

31.       A Man For All Seasons (1966) – 1525-1535: Henry VIII embarks on his film epic ‘Six Weddings & Several Funerals’.

32.       Seven Samurai (1954) – 1587: In Japan’s warring states, the magnificent Kurosawa.

33.       Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) – 1588: Cate Blanchett doesn’t give a ship, while the Spanish arm harder.

34.       Cromwell (1970) – 1640: Richard Harris as the bowl-cutted royal-rustler.

35.       The Red Violin (1998) – 1681: It begins life in Cremona, Italy, before heading to a Viennese orphanage in 1793, 1890s Oxford and 1960s Shanghai. May contain scenes of violins.

36.       The Crucible (1996) – Salem, 1692: It was this, Witchfinder General, or The Devils. Which witch is best?

37.       Catherine the Great (1995) – Russia, 1729-1796: The lovers of the Russian Queen; a Tsar is born.

38.       The Last of the Mohicans (1992) – 1757: During the French/Indian War, “I will find you.” Makes your hair stand on end.

39.    Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) – 1789: There’s a mutiny, on a ship named after coconut chocolate.

40.    Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) – 1803: During the Napoleonic Wars, Russell Crowe commands his ark. I mean ship. This one was a ship.

41.    Amazing Grace (2006) – 1807: Abolitionist William Wilberforce to be reckoned with.

42.    Waterloo (1970) – 1815: The short fella with the big hat vs the tall Brit named after a boot.

43.    Les Miserables (2012) – 1815-1832: Do you hear the people sing? Course you do, they don’t stop for the whole film.

44.    The Alamo (1960) – 1836: Remember the Alamo. You don’t? Then watch the film.

45.    The Young Victoria (2009) – 1837: Like Eastenders in the 80s, it’s the early days of the Queen Vic.

46.    12 Years a Slave (2013) – 1841-1853: Steve McQueen’s tour de force made him the film world’s greatest Steve McQueen since Steve McQueen.

47.    How The West Was Won (1962) – 1839-1889: …and where it got us.

48.    Gangs of New York (2002) – 1846-1863: The Big Apple was a small pip when Leo DiCaprio took on Daniel Day Lewis and his meat cleaver.

49.    Gone With The Wind (1939) – 1861-1877: The American Civil War, Rhett Butler and frankly my dear, Scarlett O’Hara.

50.    Lincoln (2012) – 1865: The later life of that guy from ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’.

51.    Dances With Wolves (1990) – 1870: The West is laid to rest.

52.    The Last Samurai (2003) – 1876: The East is laid to rest.

53.    Zulu (1964) – 1879: “Don’t throw… bloody spears… at me.”

54.    The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) – 1881-1892: The title’s a spoiler.

55.    Wyatt Earp (1994) – 1880s: All is not O.K. at the Corral.

56.    Titanic (1997) – 1912: Near, far, wherever you are, you’re bound to have seen Rose letting Jack go, just after she says she’ll never let him go.

57.    The Last Emperor (1987) – 1908-1960s: Small boy, big throne, a little trouble, in big China.

58.    Doctor Zhivago (1965) – 1912-1923: World War, Russian Revolution and sumptuous snow.

59.    War Horse (2011) – 1912-1918: The armed horses.

60.    All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) – 1914-1918: All is not quiet.

61.    Michael Collins (1996) – 1916-1922: Liam Neeson as the Irish resistance leader.

62.    The Artist (2011) – 1927-1932: They can walk the walk but can they talk the talk?

63.    The Untouchables (1987) – 1931: Al Capone becomes touchable.

64.    The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – 1930s: The Great Depression and the rocky road to recovery.

65.    To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) – 1930s: The Finch job & the lynch mob.

 

Part three will follow, which, yes, will be mostly the last 70 years. Cos that’s what people make films about.