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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 02 2011 at 6:08pm | IP Logged
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I know there are a ton of history DVD threads out there coordinating various movies to various historical eras... But I'd like to start a thread that lists only the BEST OF THE BEST history DVD's. I'm talking about the rock stars of living history.
These can be ANY time and place, any genre (documentary, docudrama, historical fiction), WHATEVER as long as they grab you by the heart and transport you to some place in time and leave you with a real sense of what that place/time was all about.
They can also be for any age group, just specify, esp if they are for older high school only by putting 16+ beside the title.
My examples would be:
Hotel Rwanda (16+): Gut wrenching depiction of the genocide in that area.
Black Hawk Down (16+): Heartbreaking. Left me with such a greater appreciation for all our troops go through.
Gettysburg (the one with Jeff Daniels)(12+): Wow. Just Wow. The Civil War in all it's trial and triumph. No sugar coating.
The Crossing (8+): A wonderful depiction of George Washington at a significant turning point in the American Revolution. Leaves you really admiring the man and his leadership.
I can think of many more, but hopefully these examples will give you a good idea of what I am looking for. I'd love to hear about history DVDs that ROCK YOUR WORLD!!!
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Theresa
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 02 2011 at 6:17pm | IP Logged
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Oh, and they don't have to be all gloom and doom, blood and guts to be ROCKIN'.
Movies like Pride and Prejudice (whichever version floats your boat) that give an excellent feeling for a specific era are also exactly what I'm looking for.
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Theresa
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stellamaris
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Personally, I was impressed with Glory Road. For older students, this is a realistic and eye-opening look at discrimination in the United States and the reasons for the Civil Rights Movement.
Also, I love the Horatio Hornblower series with Ioan Gryffyd (sp?). Really captures authentically life in the British Navy during the early 1800's.
Again, both these are for older teens.
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Caroline
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Mary's daughter
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Saving Private Ryan (16+) This movie really shows the horror of war and the true sacrifice these men and women make. It is very gory with terrible language.
The Longest Day(12+) Shows what happens in the 24 hours of D-Day.
Ben-Hur, Ten Commandments both with Charlton Heston are very enjoyable for the entire family.
Stephanie
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KackyK
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Schindler's List...however even though I have a 16yrold we still haven't decided when she can see it. It left dh and I so drained after watching it, we aren't sure when she'll watch it.
Glory - Civil War, Cinderella Man - Great Depression, All Quiet on the Western Front - WWI, Blood Diamond - Sierra Leone
That's all we got for now! We'll keep thinking!
Oh here is a musical, but we really really like it, and it's pretty informative too, 1776.
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KackyK
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CrunchyMom
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Not trying to start a debate, but just throwing this out there for consideration.
I recall listening to Rush Limbaugh one day back when Saving Private Ryan came out. Bear with me because this has nothing to do with politics, lol, I just wanted to be sure to credit. But he was talking about a conversation he had with his dad about realistic war movies. His dad fought in WWII, and I'm pretty sure it was said he was at Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
I can't remember the details, but basically the reaction I took away was that his dad didn't like for war movies to be so horrifically realistic in their depictions. He felt he fought in order to save his children from the horrors of war and thought no one should be subjected to it that wasn't forced to.
I have no idea what the line is that makes something too realistic. I think that many of the older war movies (like The Longest Day or Battle of Britain) do an excellent job of letting you know enough of what they went through to appreciate it without being traumatized yourself (I've had images from movies haunt me for years and years).
Anyway, since Kacky mentioned discerning whether she would allow her 16 year old to see Schindler's List, I thought I would throw that out for consideration in the discernment process. Given my own sensitivity, I felt his perspective gave me permission to be sensitive, if that makes sense. That part of a soldier's sacrifice is to shield others from many horrors and that I wasn't devaluing that sacrifice by avoiding vivid imagery from it.
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Lindsay
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 11:54am | IP Logged
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Excellent suggestions! Love them all!
Keep them coming!
I thought of a few more:
Master and Commander
Grapes of Wrath
Pearl Harbor
Gandhi
Born into Brothels (16+) Not so much about the actual brothels as about the struggle to get these children some education.
Slumdog Millionaire (16+) Fantastic depiction of life in the slums of modern India.
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Theresa
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lapazfarm
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CrunchyMom wrote:
but basically the reaction I took away was that his dad didn't like for war movies to be so horrifically realistic in their depictions. He felt he fought in order to save his children from the horrors of war and thought no one should be subjected to it that wasn't forced to.
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Totally agree. If you are sensitive to such imagery, best to stay away.
Please keep in mind that although war movies tend to be very emotionally powerful, and this list may tend to lean heavily that way because they are such a popular genre, they are not necessarily what I am looking for.
For instance, Slumdog Millionaire is not a war movie. But it is a powerful depiction of a time and place and leaves you feeling as if you have in some way experienced that time/place after watching. That's what I am looking for.
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CrunchyMom
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All that said, we like a lot of historic movies here!
Battle of Britain is a favorite. Preview for littles, but our children are able to watch it from a young age.
Another more mature one for language and such but really good is A Bridge Too Far.
My husband just watched one that he loved and we'd never seen, Zulu. It is about the British fighting the Zulus in Africa. Since I haven't seen it, I'm not sure about ages.
There are several really good Dickens novels on film produced by the BBC. They can be pretty dark, but one that is easier for a young audience is Nicholas NIckleby written and directed by the same man who did the Gweneth Paltrow Emma. Not sure it rocked my world, but it was good for many ages;)
We really enjoyed the BBC Mystery series Foyle's War--a real favorite! It can have some mature themes, but as these things go, its rarely graphic. The characters are wonderful, and it is fascinating having a WWII drama depicting the lives of those in the English villages during the war rather than the individual battles and fighting. I would think most people would find it suitable for teenagers.
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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CrunchyMom
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lapazfarm wrote:
CrunchyMom wrote:
but basically the reaction I took away was that his dad didn't like for war movies to be so horrifically realistic in their depictions. He felt he fought in order to save his children from the horrors of war and thought no one should be subjected to it that wasn't forced to.
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Totally agree. If you are sensitive to such imagery, best to stay away.
Please keep in mind that although war movies tend to be very emotionally powerful, and this list may tend to lean heavily that way because they are such a popular genre, they are not necessarily what I am looking for.
For instance, Slumdog Millionaire is not a war movie. But it is a powerful depiction of a time and place and leaves you feeling as if you have in some way experienced that time/place after watching. That's what I am looking for. |
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We really loved The King's Speech. 
I also thought that the movie Victoria was just wonderful! I think Suzanne said in the movie thread that she just didn't want it to end, and that was my feeling as well 
How Green Was My Valley is very moving as well.
My Man Godfrey is an excellent movie. It is actually a comedy, but it really explores a lot of class issues from the 1920's into the Great Depression era.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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stellamaris
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For Pearl Harbor, Tora!Tora!Tora! is very authentic.
Also, I remember liking A Bridge Too Far (about the crossing of the Rhine by the Allies at the end of WWII) a lot when I saw it as a teen. I don't remember details, though, so you might want to preview it. ETA: Just saw Lindsay mentioned this one already!
I have to mention Gone With the Wind for the Civil War. The scene in the railyard of Atlanta with all of the wounded soldiers left a great impression on me of the cost o this bloody.
Dr. Zhivago, basically a love story, but also dealing with the Russian Revolution and the takeover of the Communists. Some morally problematic content.
Sergeant York for WWI.
ETA: Another one similar to Zulu is The Four Feathers. Very intense, though. Definitely for older teens. Deals with the British efforts to colonize Africa.
The Wind and the Lion is a favorite here which even younger students can watch (maybe 9 and up). It recounts an episode during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt when a Berber kidnapped an American woman and America sent the Great White Fleet to rescue her. It was the first instance of the projection of American might overseas. The defeat of the Barbary pirates also was one of Teddy Roosevelt's significant accomplishments.
Nice for mom, too, with Sean Connery and Candice Bergen!
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I'm going to recommend the American Girl historic movies (Felicity, Samantha, Kit and Molly) While they're not totally realistic.. they give a nice glimp of the era and are appropriate for all ages. They are nice stories and you care about the characters. I think of them as a gentle introduction to some of the things that happened. Not too much for the younger kids and something that you can build on in the future. And I find it easier to learn history when I have that sort of background so that things aren't totally new. For instance.. seeing the little bit about how poorly the factory workers were treated in Samantha, makes it easier to learn more about how they were treated and why when the kids are old enough for the harsher reality of it.
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The Lion in Winter about Henry II and his family with Kathryn Hepburn. Definitely for older teens. The younger children just wouldn't get it.
I just checked wikipedia and the movie is NOT historical.
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh! I love that movie!
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Man for All Seasons about St. Thomas More. One of my absolute favorites.
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Wow Lindsay, I'm going to be pondering these words all day, powerful thoughts.
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JodieLyn wrote:
I'm going to recommend the American Girl historic movies (Felicity, Samantha, Kit and Molly) While they're not totally realistic.. they give a nice glimp of the era and are appropriate for all ages. They are nice stories and you care about the characters. I think of them as a gentle introduction to some of the things that happened. Not too much for the younger kids and something that you can build on in the future. And I find it easier to learn history when I have that sort of background so that things aren't totally new. For instance.. seeing the little bit about how poorly the factory workers were treated in Samantha, makes it easier to learn more about how they were treated and why when the kids are old enough for the harsher reality of it. |
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I wanted to mention these earlier (seeing as I have a very young group, but felt
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Here is my husband's contribution to the Western US time period. These would be his top four:
How the West Was Won
True Grit
Lonesome Dove
The Searchers
Off the top of my head:
THE RECKONING (16+) was FABULOUS showing 14th century England! A great medieval film!
We liked the John Adams HBO miniseries very much.
Sweet Land Immigrant, midwest America. Very slow, but a very beautiful film.
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Amazing Grace (about William Wilberforce)
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:: All the President's Men . A good introduction and food for thought about journalism, media, politics, etc.
:: For the youngers....pioneer/westerns --Love Comes Softly series.
And, we like the American girl movies as a good introduction into history time periods for the youngers.
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Suzanne in ID
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JodieLyn
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oh... not sure how accurate they are but the Sarash Plain and Tall movies are nice
Sarah Plain and Tall
Skylark
Winter's End
probably not for young kids but not inappropriate for them if that makes sense.
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: history DVDs that rock your world
