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.
Loved Zulu. Great soundtrack too.
Gimme Shelter
Son of the Morning Star about Custer. Ruined only by the occasion whiney Indian women narration.
Idiocracy.
You mean Full Metal Jacket, right?
Wasn’t that the movie that accused LBJ and the Mafia of killing Kennedy?
Yes, everyone that corrected me is right. That’s what I get for posting after a 60 hr work week. Extra hours ya know, got several families of illegals I’m paying for healthcare for don’t ya know. ;-)
Depicts the events prior to the election of Barak Obama.
Only the race was changed.
I love that movie, of course (chick flick HELLO!) and I did read the book.
But I think the book has a lot more in it that got into the movie. But I’d have to see the movie again to really judge.
I was tempted to say what I usually do, that you’d understand the Russians a lot more once you read that book and realize they went through 3 major wars in such a short period, but then I remembered Putin, stirring the hornet’s nest again and I’m thinking: who can really understand the Russians? Such an emotional people, they leave the Irish and the Italians behind in the dust.
Yep...and Lawrence had enormous difficulty accepting that and attempted to fight this through those higher up he could reach...that proved fruitless. Even when it was evident Faisal was on board with the French and British he couldn't seem to grasp the reality. They simply “entertained” Lawrence while they went ahead with the plans laid out all along....and Lawrence knew that too....he simply wanted the glory he felt due him...and it was given via media and movies etc.
There was a second movie as a followup to Lawrence... with Fienes playing his role....”After Lawrence of Arabia” or something like that. It was interesting but again veered from the true story...however was a good watch anyway.
I listened to several documentaries and read a couple books about Lawrence.....some say peter O’ tool was closer to Lawrence then Fines...but neither portrayed him as he was. However he was an interesting character just the same....rather much a gay blade sort of fellow.
The Final Countdown. I was on the Nimitz when we hit this storm, and by damn, the whole Jap fleet was sitting out there. I was just a cook, so they didn’t tell me if we got them or not.
John Adams, the HBO mini series.
“Spinal Tap” was a pretty accurate...”
Ok, I’ll never live this down in my own mind, but I reveal it, when I first saw that movie I thought it was real.
OK, OK, I was high, drunk, stoned, etc. But still, it fooled me.
There, OK, I said it.
“The first part of his hillbilly life might have been exaggerated.”
That part of his life was probably over modernized
“...the first time I saw Tombstone.”
LOL, now you are making me think.
The first time I stayed awake through Tombstone something really overly gay/gender bending came on the TV and I said to hubby: can’t you find something where men are men and women are women? And he clicked the remote up one channel and I finally “got” tombstone!
And this is also making me think of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. Now that is a very silly movie, but I always felt that a lot of the scenes esp. those at the beginning must be pretty accurate as to life back in those days.
And who doesn’t love the scene of the commie peasants? “Now you see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! I’m being repressed!”
There’s your occupy Wall Street movement, right there!
Sorry, I don't buy Burt Lancaster as an Indian.
“...fifty years from now they will be left intact and unedited.”
And I will still lose interest as soon as Sonny is killed.
Sorry, but I am IN LOVE with James Caan in that movie and must always state it whenever I can.
Thanks for your post about the complete inaccuracy about “The patriot”, a lot of people were very upset about it when it first came out.
But Abe Lincoln on a five, now that is just s.t.u.p.i.d.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” was right on the money
I think Stone tried to pin it on nasty, reactionary conservatives. It was so screwy, it was difficult to keep up with the weirdness.
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