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What Are the Most Factually Accurate Movies?
Self | November 7, 2014 | PJ-Comix

Posted on 11/07/2014 5:43:15 PM PST by PJ-Comix

I remember reading about an interview with journalist Lowell Thomas. He was asked what he thought about the movie "Lawrence of Arabia" since he knew T.E. Lawrence and one of the characters in the film was loosely based on him. Thomas replied that he began to take notes when the movie came on the screen but quickly put his notes aside because the Lawrence he knew personally and the one he saw on the screen bore no factual resemblance to each other.

In fact most movies supposedly based on fact in reality are quite inaccurate so it would be easy to ask for your list on factually inaccurate movies. Instead, I am asking for your list of factually accurate movies. That is movies based on real events to come closest to factual accuracy.

Okay, I'll lead off. Because I read the book before seeing the movie, I would say "The Right Stuff." Some liberties with truth were taken but in general the facts of the space program were pretty accurate. Also "Nicholas and Alexandra" for the same reason as before, I read the book and the movie was mostly truthful except perhaps it did not show what a vacuous idiot Nicholas II was.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: g42; movies
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To: Perdogg

Tom Bombadil


61 posted on 11/07/2014 6:12:21 PM PST by EEGator
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To: PJ-Comix

“Spinal Tap” was a pretty accurate representation of the average heavy metal band.


62 posted on 11/07/2014 6:12:24 PM PST by aomagrat (Gun owners who vote for democrats are too stupid to own guns.)
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To: PJ-Comix

Twelve O’Clock High

Memphis Belle

The Battle of Midway (John Ford)

Add:

Jim Thorpe, All American

and of course, Knute (with Ronald Reagan)


63 posted on 11/07/2014 6:12:34 PM PST by Varsity Flight (Extortion-Care is the Government Work-Camp: Arbeitsziehungslager)
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To: Varsity Flight
Memphis Belle

NOOOOOOO!!!! I actually met the pilot of the Memphis Belle, Robert Morgan, and spoke to him at length because he was signing autographs for his book "The Man Who Flew The Memphis Belle" in a booth next to mine at an air show. He told me he HATED the move because it was horribly inaccurate.

64 posted on 11/07/2014 6:12:40 PM PST by PJ-Comix (Coakley 2016!!!)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

“Battle of the Bulge” was pretty accurate. Not a great war flick but it was underrated.


Uh, that’s a joke, right? Did you not catch that the battle went from being in a snowbound forest to a Spanish desert?
Also, consider the ending. Pretty sure the Germans didn’t just run out of gas and walk home.

That being said, Robert Shaw gave a great performance.


65 posted on 11/07/2014 6:13:40 PM PST by rbg81
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To: ZinGirl

I think Sgt. York was accurate in general but a lot of the details were wrong. For instance in the movie he had a brother and sister but in actuality came from a very large family.

Minor errors I can think of off hand are they had him use a Luger instead of the correct 1911 and a Springfield while he actually used a 1917 Enfield.

I bet there are a lot of other odds and ends that are wrong but in general it is right.


66 posted on 11/07/2014 6:14:45 PM PST by yarddog (G)
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To: defconw

Yes


67 posted on 11/07/2014 6:15:21 PM PST by garryowenartillery (RVN 1/21FA, 1st Cav Div (Airmobile) Alaska FT. Greely (ATC) Gerstle River Project)
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To: defconw

“I have heard from someone who was there, that “We Were Soldiers” is fairly accurate.”
I was until the end. The 7th Cav. took a real kicking when they marched out from LZ Xray to LZ Albany.


68 posted on 11/07/2014 6:15:41 PM PST by MCF (If my home can't be my Castle, then it will be my Alamo.)
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To: ThunderSleeps

A buddy of mine said the boot camp parts of Apocalypse Now we’re pretty much spot on to his time.


Do you mean “Full Metal Jacket”? Don’t know of any bootcamp scenes in “Apocalypse Now”.


69 posted on 11/07/2014 6:17:11 PM PST by rbg81
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To: yarddog

“In Cold Blood” ignored the homosexual relationship between the pair of murderers.


70 posted on 11/07/2014 6:17:50 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Rip it out by the roots.)
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To: yarddog

thanks.....yup...came across all that in reading about him. I reckon the movie changed in bits which the director knew would translate better on the screen. Glad to know others are aware of Sgt York’s contributions. :)


71 posted on 11/07/2014 6:18:06 PM PST by ZinGirl (kids in college....can't afford a tagline right now)
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To: ThunderSleeps

It didn’t hurt that R. Lee Ermey was a DI in that time period and the director let Ermey ad-lib his lines to make them sound realistic.

CC


72 posted on 11/07/2014 6:19:10 PM PST by Celtic Conservative (sufficient unto the day are the troubles therof.)
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To: PJ-Comix

From The War Department, Photographed by the 8th US Air Force and Combat Crew members


73 posted on 11/07/2014 6:19:22 PM PST by Varsity Flight (Extortion-Care is the Government Work-Camp: Arbeitsziehungslager)
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To: PJ-Comix

Conan the Barbarian. The ancient sites they’ve been finding in Turkey make it seem more and more accurate all the time.


74 posted on 11/07/2014 6:19:24 PM PST by TigersEye (ISIS is the tip of the spear. The spear is Islam.)
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To: catnipman

Yes, Fargo probably deserves an award as the most audaciously fake movie ever. Sort of have to give them credit for brazenness tho.

It did seem so real especially after they told you it was.


75 posted on 11/07/2014 6:20:22 PM PST by yarddog (G)
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To: defconw

My neighbor agrees


76 posted on 11/07/2014 6:20:25 PM PST by redangus
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To: DIRTYSECRET

“Battle of the Bulge” was pretty accurate. Not a great war flick but it was underrated.


That was one of the very worst WW II movies of all time for many reasons.

Maybe you mean The Longest Day.


77 posted on 11/07/2014 6:22:41 PM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: PJ-Comix

Definitely Ed Wood. Definitely.


78 posted on 11/07/2014 6:22:46 PM PST by americas.best.days... ( I think we can now say that they are behind us.)
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To: vetvetdoug

I’ve heard it said that survivors of D day left the opening scene of “saving private ryan” shaking and in a cold sweat due to the level of accuracy.

CC


79 posted on 11/07/2014 6:22:55 PM PST by Celtic Conservative (sufficient unto the day are the troubles therof.)
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To: Celtic Conservative

I WAS a DI at Parris Island, and Ermey was spot-on with his role


80 posted on 11/07/2014 6:23:08 PM PST by AbnSarge
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