History movies

Bloody Sunday (2002)

Sunday, August 26th, 2007
Genres: Drama | History
Countries: Ireland | UK
Actors: James Nesbitt | Allan Gildea | Gerard Crossan | Mary Moulds | Carmel McCallion | Tim Pigott-Smith | Nicholas Farrell | Christopher Villiers | James Hewitt | Declan Duddy | Edel Frazer | Lindsay Lohan | Mike Edwards | Gerry Hammond | Jason Stammers
Directors: Paul Greengrass
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Documentary-style drama showing the events that lead up to the tragic incident on January 30, 1972 in the Northern Ireland town of Derry when a protest march led by civil rights activist Ivan Cooper was fired upon by British troops, killing 13 protesters and wounding 14 more.

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Saturday, August 18th, 2007
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.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Sunday, May 6th, 2007
Genres: Action | Drama | History | War
Countries: Germany | Spain
Actors: Martin Hancock | Eva Green | Michael Sheen | Brendan Gleeson | Nathalie Cox | Jeremy Irons | Edward Norton | Eriq Ebouaney | Jouko Ahola | David Thewlis | Liam Neeson | Philip Glenister | Orlando Bloom | Bronson Webb | Kevin McKidd | Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | Steven Robertson | Marton Csokas | Alexander Siddig
Directors: Ridley Scott
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It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages - the world shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. A blacksmith named Balian has lost his family and nearly his faith. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealing himself as Balian’s father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. In Jerusalem at that moment–between the Second and Third Crusades–a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military restraint of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin. But Baldwin’s days are numbered, and strains of fanaticism, greed, and jealousy among the Crusaders threaten to shatter the truce. King Baldwin’s vision of peace–a kingdom of heaven–is shared by a handful of knights, including Godfrey of Ibelin, who swear to uphold it with their lives and honor. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacred oath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmony between religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth. Balian takes the sword and steps into history.

War and Peace (1956)

Sunday, May 6th, 2007
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.

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

Saturday, May 5th, 2007
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.

The Game of Their Lives (2005)

Saturday, May 5th, 2007
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.

Munich (2005)

Saturday, May 5th, 2007
Genres: Crime | Drama | History | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Eric Bana | Daniel Craig | Ciarán Hinds | Mathieu Kassovitz | Hanns Zischler | Ayelet Zorer | Geoffrey Rush | Gila Almagor | Michael Lonsdale | Mathieu Amalric | Moritz Bleibtreu | Valeria Bruni Tedeschi | Meret Becker | Marie-Josée Croze | Yvan Attal
Directors:
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During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Saturday, May 5th, 2007
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.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Saturday, May 5th, 2007
Genres: Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War
Countries: USA
Actors: Russell Crowe | Paul Bettany | James D'Arcy | Edward Woodall | Chris Larkin | Max Pirkis | Jack Randall | Max Benitz | Lee Ingleby | Richard Pates | Robert Pugh | Richard McCabe | Ian Mercer | Tony Dolan | David Threlfall
Directors: Peter Weir
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During the Napoleonic Wars, a British frigate, HMS Surprise, and a much larger French warship, the Acheron, with greater fire power, stalk each other off of the coast of South America. Russell Crowe brings great intensity to the role of Captain Jack Aubrey. Lucky Jack, as he is referred to by his crew, is well regarded by his men, who trust him implicitly, even after the first devastating battle and an apparent personal vendetta against the French captain. While the naval battle sequences are quite fantastic, the film is successful because director Weir chose to build the story to get to know the men who are locked aboard the tight quarters of a small ship and how they interact everyday. The officers and the mates are well-known by the time the final battle comes. Paul Bettany offers a strong performance as the surgeon and naturalist who balances the violence of his chosen life with the quiet demeanor of the scientist. He is the captain’s friend and confidant, the two frequently playing violin and cello duets together. The horrors of the injuries from the war are frequently implied, but vividly depicted in the reactions of the characters.

The Alamo (2004)

Friday, May 4th, 2007
Genres: Drama | History | War | Western
Countries: USA
Actors: Craig Erickson | Dennis Quaid | Billy Bob Thornton | Jason Patric | Patrick Wilson | Emilio Echevarría | Jordi Mollà | Leon Rippy | Tom Davidson | Marc Blucas | Robert Prentiss | Kevin Page | Joe Stevens | Stephen Bruton | Laura Clifton | Ricardo Chavira
Directors: John Lee Hancock
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Historical drama detailing the 1835-36 Texas revolution before, during, and after the famous siege of the Alamo (February 23-March 6, 1836) where 183 Texans (American-born Texans) and Tejanos (Mexican-born Texans) commanded by Colonel Travis, along with Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie, were besieged in an abandoned mission outside San Antonio by a Mexican army of nearly 2,000 men under the personal command of the dictator of Mexico, General Santa Anna, as well as detailing the Battle of San Jacinto (April 21, 1836) where General Sam Houston’s rag-tag army of Texans took on and defeated Santa Anna’s army which led to the indepedence of Texas.