Here are some good historically based movies for you to consider.
I want to start with World War II. First, I’m going to skip the obvious: “Saving Private Ryan†and “Band of Brothersâ€, both of which I really like. The first movie I want to suggest is “The Grey Zone.†It is the true story of Dr. Miklos Nyiszli, a Hungarian Jew selected to be the head pathologist at Auschwitz. Not a fun job. Nyiszli was a member of the Sonderkommandos. These were special squads of Jews selected by the Nazis to help exterminate incoming Jews rolling in every day on trains. In return they get to live a little longer. They soon learn that there have been previous groups of Sonderkommandos who were eventually executed. Each group only lasts a few months or so. The current group decides to organize a revolt. It would be the only one ever attempted at Auschwitz. This is not a movie for the faint of heart. The ending is as haunting and powerful as any movie I have ever seen.
The next WWII flick is one I hope most of you have seen, “The Pianist.†It starred Adrien Brody and it is another powerfully written and directed movie. Ronald Harwood won the Oscar for his screenplay and Roman Polanski did as well for direction. Another fairly unknown movie that I enjoyed dealt with the Pacific theater, “To End All Wars.†This heart wrenching and poetic movie about the railway of death in Thailand and Burma is one of my favorites. It’s at times intense, sad, and in the end uplifting. It is also based on a true story. The final WWII movie I want to point out is “Downfall.†This foreign (German) film about Hitler’s last days is riveting and intense. Bruno Ganz plays Hitler and his performance will send chills down your spine. A very interesting movie.
There’s a funny little movie that came out in 2002 called “The Emperor’s New Clothes.†It’s a funny and entertaining tale about Napoleon’s last days/months after being captured when he lost at Waterloo. It’s a movie that is hard to describe, and one I think you will enjoy.
Finally, and my thanks to Kevin, is the independent production “Wicked Spring.†I do not know how much the budget was, but I can guarantee that it looks bigger than it really was. Writer/director Kevin R. Hershberger uses his camera and handful of re-enactors well in an effort to capture some fairly intense combat scenes, albeit very short ones. But this story is not about combat, it’s about the soldiers. It centers on two men, each from the other side, who end up at night with a small group of other men isolated on the Wilderness battlefield. They share a campfire, food, and aid without knowing that they are enemies; that is until the morning. A very decent movie and probably one of the better Civil War films to be seen of late.
