Historical Movies

[shirofoxes]

Well, since disscusion is getting a bit lax around here, I thought I'd add my two cents ^_^

Well, I watched 300 for the first time last night, and I have mixed opinions on it. As entertainment, it was awesome. As a historical fiction in some small way, it disgusted me. And yes, I know it was based on a graphic novel. I therefore pardon all monster appearances, 'cause I have never read a non-manga graphic novel that didn't have monsters.

However, I seriously wonder if anyone involved in this production (of the movie or the novel) did much research. They got all of the names right, as far as I can see, so I give them credit there. But come on, the Spartan clothing made me laugh. I remember thinking something along the lines of 'I'm sure your manties and huge pecs will save you in battle'. Really, people. The Spartans had enormous pride in their military ability, but they weren't stupid. They had armor. And the red cloaks were not widely worn until the Roman army started handing them out along with standard armor and weapons.

And the Immortals' costumes baffled me too. (Though like I said, I pardon monsters). Why are they dressed like a ninja/samurai crossover? The Persian empire was vast, but even then they had no idea China or Japan existed at that point. They wouldn't until long after Alexander the Great.

And Xerxes was dressed funny too. He was wearing like no clothes and pierced so much it made me laugh. A real Persian king would have been very modestly dressed, and would have a longish beard which would likely have been braided. Also, (excluding the whores, lol) the women in this movie were waaay under-dressed. In ancient Greece, women were not allowed to show skin. The Spartan queen in this movie would have been killed by her husband a long time ago for wearing clothes like that.

Alright, I digress. This has kinda turned into a rant. But my point is, it's not historically accurate at all. I understand all this has been done for entertainment, but that's kind of insulting to the historian in me.


On the totally other hand, has anyone seen the movie Alexander? It was the opposite of 300. It was almost perfectly historically accurate, but it had very little coherent plotline. I think the historical fiction-type directors need to refine their craft just a bit.



Now. Does anyone have a historical movie that they would recommend or rant about?  

[the grey seer]

braveheart ,alexander 4 ex.  

[Alonso Quijana]

Well, I can see my knowledge of the ancient world pales in comparison to yours, Shiro. I have not seen "300," but I would never have gotten all those mistakes. Of course, I'm not the most observant person, so I'd have to watch a few times before I could get much of anything (more than entertainment) out of a movie.  

[the grey seer]

thou fiction it's a decent flick 4 a guy/chicks  

[shirofoxes]

To gnomeguy: To be totally honest, I'm not that observant either. It's just that it seems to me that the mistakes were so huge...gah, it's gonna drive me insane. I'm glad I just rented it. If I had bought it, it would have been a huge waste of money. *sigh*

And....Thermopolae was shown as though it was right next to the ocean. It's INLAND, darn it >.<  

[the grey seer]

the movie was uncanon so worry about it blaugh  

[Skizio]

Best historical movie is Braveheart.
It's superior to 300 in every way.  

[the grey seer]

im not much of a gibson fan  

[PiercedPixie2]

I never saw 300, it just looked cheesy =|

My favourite were:

* Troy - Based on Homer's Iliad, movie is set in the Bronze Age, c. 1190 BC

* The Crucible- Based on Salem Witch Trials

* Glory - Tells the story of one of the first official African-American units in the United States armed forces which fought in the American Civil War in the mid-19th century (( It has Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington ;3 ))

* Saving Private Ryan - D-Day  

[Madeline Jackson]

My absolute favorite historical movie is actually a broadway musical called 1776. It is absolutely brilliant, is pretty accurate (although not entirely), and is extremely entertaining to watch. It also shows you why the Declaration of Independence was drafted in the first place: to stall for time. sweatdrop It is a brilliant play that shows the founding fathers for who they really were and it gives you a whole new perspective.

Now, as for 300, Alexander, and Troy...really? There was hardly any research involved and they are far from accurate by any means. I don't mean to offend anyone, but as far as historical movies are concerned, they do not count. They are more historical fiction with an emphasis on "fiction."

But, then again, each to his own.