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Historical Films March, 2019 Real life has provided the inspiration for numerous films, with recreations of important battles, biographies of historical figures, and the dramatization of past events becoming a mainstay of cinema. While no film can be a totally faithful recreation of the past, real life events and people given the "Hollywood treatment" have resulted in films that bear little resemblance to the historical facts. This month The Screening Room highlights those films that have successfully paired accuracy with entertainment.
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2828 North Clark Avenue, Chicago Information about this year-round film festival can be found at For more information visit IN/MOTION INTERNATIONAL DANCE FILM FESTIVAL March 22-24 Details about the festival can be found at CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL March 28 - April 11 Celebrating its 35th year this festival screens the best and most recent Latino themed films from around the world.
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Das BootDas Boot, based on a German novel, follows the daring patrol of U-96, one of the famed German U-boats known as the "gray wolves." One of the most expensive German films ever made, it has been hailed for its accuracy in depicting the excitement and boredom of life on a U-boat. In German. Rated R.
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DownfallThis German film dramatizes the final days of Hitler and his inner circle. While it may be known to many as the basis for numerous YouTube parodies, it is in fact a highly lauded film (it was nominated for Best Foreign Film) that has been praised not only for its performances, but also for its historical accuracy. In German Rated R.
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Gettysburg
Originally planned as a mini series, the resulting film is over four hours long, making it one of the longest films Hollywood has ever released. This depiction of the historical and personal events leading up to the decisive battle of the Civil War was partially filmed on the Civil War battlefield with Civil War reenactors portraying soldiers in both armies. Look for a cameo by filmmaker Ken Burns (he begs General Hancock to dismount from his horse during Pickett's charge). Rated PG).
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The Longest day /The Allied invasion in Normandy during World War II, including the D-Day landing, is shown from the points of view of those who participated. Featuring an international cast, including actors who served in World War II, the film has received praise for its accuracy in dramatizing the planning and execution of the the D-Day invasion. Rated G.
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Master and commander: The Far Side of the World
The film relates the story of a British naval captain (Russell Crowe), his ship, and his crew as they sail in pursuit of a French ship during the Napoleonic Wars. While the characters in the film are fictional, the attention to historic detail is notable. The ship, dialogue, and even the sounds of the battle are accurate depictions of life on the high seas at that time. Rated PG-13.
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A Night to RememberThis 1958 film is based on the book by Walter Lord, who interviewed 63 survivors of the disaster. While the film does contain several composite characters and does not show the ship breaking in two at the time of its sinking (that fact was not confirmed until the wreck was discovered), the movie has been praised as the most accurate film about the doomed liner. Unrated.
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StalingradThe battle of Stalingrad is shown from the German perspective through German officer Hans von Witzland and his battalion. The film has been praised as an accurate depiction of siege warfare and the horrors of war. In German. Unrated.
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Tora! Tora! Tora! /
Tora! Tora! Tora! is actually two separate films, one made in the United States, the other in Japan. The footage was later edited together to tell the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it from both American and Japanese perspectives. The film has been consistently cited as one that "gets history right." Rated G.
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Zodiac /A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. This thriller follows the obsessive investigations conducted by detectives and reporters trying to discover the identity of the killer who becomes known as the Zodiac. The film is notable for director David Fincher's attention to detail including recreating San Francisco in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as well as the clothing worn by the murder victims. Rated R.
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