Commentary: Hell on Wheels uses the construction of the transcontinental railroad to examine post-Civil War racism, conflict with native Americans and the need to make former enemies live in peace but the series does not always live up to its ambitions.
Review of the movie Fixed Bayonets (1951), about an American platoon struggling to survive during the Chinese offensive in the first winter of the Korean War.
Commmentary: Season Two of Boardwalk Empire balances the fine line between an entertaining soap opera set in Prohibition-era Atlantic City and a chronicle of bootlegging and the rapid social changes that made the 1920s such a turbulent period in American history.
Review of the movie The Howards of Virginia (1940), about the growing conflict between the American colonists and Britain that led to the American Revolution.
Review of the movie Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), about an American gunfighter who teams up with a nun to help the Jauristas during the Franco-Mexican War.
Review of the movie The Undefeated (1969), about groups of former Union and Confederate soldiers cooperating to fight the Jauristas during the Franco-Mexican War.
Review of the movie The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), about General Billy Mitchell's court-martial following his public criticism of the US Army's neglect of the air force during the 1920s.
Review of the movie St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), about the fight between Al Capone and Bugs Moran for control of the Chicago underworld during Prohibition.
Review of the movie Battle of Britain (1969), about the struggle of the Royal Air Force to defend Britain against the powerful German air force during WWII.
Review of the movie Last of the Mohicans (1936), about a romance between trappers and the daughters of the commander of Fort William Henry during the Seven Years' War.
Review of the movie The Buccaneer (1958), about the pirate Jean Laffite's contribution to the American victory at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Review of the movie Last of the Mohicans (1992), about a romance between trappers and the daughters of the commander of Fort William Henry during the Seven Years' War.
Review of the movie Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), about settlers in the mohawk Valley battling Indian allies of the British during the American Revolution.
This site is intended to help people use movies to understand history, or rather, understand the real history that has been covered in the Hollywood version. Many people do not have fond memories of their history courses in high school; so much of their view of the past is shaped by what they see on the screen.
Even people who are genuinely interested in history usually have too much a social life to wade through the hundreds of books necessary to understand what really happened. Therefore, I am reading these books in order to provide brief summaries of the historical background to movies, organize movies into historical eras such as WWII, American Revolution or the Crusades, and brief biographical sketches of the actors and directors who make the movies. I have no illusions about being either infallible or impartial, therefore I include mini-reviews of books about history, actors and directors so that you can learn more about each subject if you are interested.
Despite Hollywood’s flexible attitude towards history, the studios have done an admirable job of mining history for ready-made stories of adventure and romance that only require a little tweaking to add a happy ending. As a result, it is possible to study pretty much any period of history. All of this means that History on Film has an abundance of material to choose from and over time the site will attempt to cover as broad a range of "historical" films as possible.
