Some of the best films are based on historical landmarks, revealing often-overlooked aspects of the true narrative. It is difficult to create films based on historical events because filmmakers must strike a balance between engaging drama and historical accuracy. They are also susceptible to audience criticism if the story is not “correct.” Internet snobs are typically eager to point out a movie’s historical inaccuracies if it sacrifices what actually occurred for the benefit of the tale.
Filmmakers attempting to make a film about a real-life incident are (typically) not interested in making a documentary; some adaptability is required if the objective is to create a successful film. However, some films go over and above to guarantee that even the most obscure historical detail is represented while retaining an engaging plot. When this occurs, filmmakers have achieved the ideal balance of realism and watchability.
‘Spartacus’ (1960)
The vast majority of what we know about Spartacus, the true historical character who led a slave uprising in the first century B.C., comes from Roman historians’ descriptions. At times, Stanley Kubrick’s blockbuster starring Kirk Douglas as the title character sacrifices historical accuracy for entertainment.
Spartacus, in contrast to Douglas’s depiction, was a Roman soldier who was likely sold into slavery after falling out of favor with the Romans. The actual Spartacus perished in battle, contrary to the film’s conclusion.
However, the film makes up for this in other places that reflect the events accurately. The depiction of Spartacus’ stay at gladiator school, his rousing and leading the slave insurrection against Batiatus, and his and the other gladiators’ escape to Mount Vesuvius are historically true.
Spartacus is more historically accurate than many Hollywood blockbusters, despite not being entirely historically accurate.
‘All the President’s Men’ (1976)
Based on the 1974 nonfiction book of the same name, All the President’s Men is considered to be the most factually accurate film ever filmed. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman portray Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who investigate the Watergate affair that brought down Richard Nixon.
Although the film is an accurate depiction of the events and not a “Hollywoodized” version, it omits important real-life details, such as Washington Post editor Barry Sussman’s pivotal involvement. But its careful research (sometimes leading to information overload) and attention to detail make it a realistic depiction of the events that forever altered US politics, Americans’ trust in their government, and the significance of press freedom.
‘Apollo 13’ (1995)
When directing Apollo 13, Ron Howard attempted to adhere as closely as possible to actual events and was largely successful. NASA planetary scientist Rick Elphic lauded the film in a 2019 interview with Time magazine, stating that it “may be one of the most realistic when it comes to the science of space flight.”
The events of the actual space catastrophe are depicted faithfully in the film, which corresponds to the timeline outlined in Apollo 13 mission commander Jim Lovell’s book.
Where the film departs from reality is in Tom Hank‘s delivery of the now-famous line, “Houston, we have a problem” (Lovell actually said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem” or a variation of that phrase several times over a 16-second span) and Ron Howard’s creation of arguments between the crew to capture the emotion of the astronauts.
Minor flaws notwithstanding, Apollo 13 is as accurate a depiction of the actual events as audiences could hope for.
‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001)
Based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Mark Bowden, Ridley Scott’s war film is flawlessly accurate in its depiction of what became known as The Battle of Mogadishu, capturing the bleakness of “Third World” countries and the situations in which American soldiers find themselves.
Unfortunately, as is typical of Hollywood blockbusters, the film is only superficially accurate to Bowden’s book and fails to investigate America’s moral duties or the emotions of the soldiers involved in the battle. Despite this, Black Hawk Down is a realistic and historically accurate depiction of modern warfare.
‘Der Untergang (Downfall)’ (2004)
This German historical war play is an intelligent, meticulously researched examination of Hitler’s final days. Based on Hitler‘s confidential secretary Traudl Junge’s 2002 memoir and a book by historian Joachim Fest, the film is supposed to correctly portray Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) and the events surrounding the conclusion of World War II.
Other moments accurately portray reality. Rochus Misch, an eyewitness to the events in Hitler’s bunker, acknowledged that the horrific scene in which Magda Goebbels (Corinna Harfouch) crushes cyanide into the mouths of her children is very realistic.
Including documentary footage of Traudl Junge at the beginning and end of the film enhances its credibility. Due to the evidence of eyewitnesses, the film’s depiction of the Führer’s final days is historically accurate, despite criticism from some who believed it humanized Hitler.
‘Selma’ (2014)
The biopic directed by Ava DuVernay about Martin Luther King Jr.‘s (David Oyelowo) freedom marches is regarded as one of the most historically accurate films. According to the data-driven website, Information is Beautiful, the statement is 100% accurate.
The director used archive media photos, interviews, reports, and newspaper clippings to create a film that is founded in reality and accurately depicts events such as Bloody Sunday and King’s relationship with his wife (Carmen Ejogo). The resulting picture strikes a wonderful balance between historical accuracy and the audience’s need for escapism while preserving the truth.
‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)
The historical liberties taken in Hidden Figures are, for the most part, justifiable and create an entertaining depiction of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson’s (Janelle Monáe) contributions to the US space programme during a time of racial and sexual discrimination.
The overall plot of the film is largely faithful to the original material, a nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly published in 2016. The film took liberties with the women’s connections with each other; they were not best friends in real life. In addition, the order of events was altered, and the conclusion was dramatised for dramatic effect.
To further the plot, the fictional characters of Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) and Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons) were introduced. The caveat “based on true events” is accurate for this film. According to Shetterly, “There is history, there is the book, and then there is the film.”
‘Dunkirk’ (2017)
The historical accuracy of Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is quite impressive. Nolan appeared determined to tell the well-documented story of Dunkirk as authentically as he could. In the end, the director crafted an accurate depiction of the 1940 operation in which over 300,000 people were evacuated over the English Channel in nine days. This does not imply that the film was historically flawless.
Yes, both the dogfights between the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe and the sea clashes between destroyers and fighter aircraft are accurate. However, Nolan also made decisions that contradicted actual occurrences. Except for Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh), who is a composite character presumably based on numerous real people, all the characters are fictional.
The film’s depiction of the strength of the English naval fleet, which was significantly larger than the film suggests, and the lack of diversity among the troops, which in reality included Belgian, Canadian, and African soldiers, are important points of contention among historians. Overall, however, Dunkirk veterans have commended the film for its authenticity.
‘The Courier’ (2020)
Greville Maynard Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) was a middle-class British engineer-turned-businessman whose frequent travels to Eastern Europe caught the eye of Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) of MI-6, who recruited Wynne as an amateur spy. Or did he?
No. Dickie Franks was a genuine individual, but he had nothing to do with Wynne’s recruitment. But Wynne was responsible for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Soviet military intelligence he got from Colonel Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) led to the de-escalation of tensions between the United States and Soviet Union. Both The Man from Moscow: The Story of Wynne and Penkovsky (1967) and The Man from Odessa (1981), two self-aggrandizing volumes about Wynne’s travels, are filled with inaccuracies.
‘Against the Ice’ (2022)
In 1909, Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his mechanic Iver Iversen (Joe Cole) ventured far into the Arctic in an attempt to disprove the United States’ claim to northern Greenland.
Many of the incidents detailed in Mikkelsen’s 1912 novel Two Against the Ice are incorporated into the film. Sure, their crew abandoned them, and yes, all of their sled dogs perished. A very frightening sequence in which a polar bear attempts to break into Mikkelsen and Iversen’s cabin is played down at one point in the film. In the film, the pair manages to scare the bear away, but in reality, Iversen shot and killed the bear after it entered the hut.
In addition, the rescue squad comprises members of the expedition’s original crew, although a Norwegian whaling vessel was responsible for the rescue. But these modest alterations do not detract from an otherwise accurate representation of what actually transpired between Mikkelsen and Iversen.
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