The films on historical topics are usually closely observed under the magnifying glass of their accuracy with respect to reality. While absolute realism is not the only metric by which a film should be judged, those that are historically accurate become truly immersive, as a glitch can immediately break the suspension of disbelief and cause the audience to have difficulty connecting with the story. .
The debate over historical accuracy in films often focuses on small details like clothing and language, but other, no less important, aspects can come into play as well. Below, we recommend three films acclaimed by critics and science thanks to their historical accuracy; all available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and MAX.
Recommended
The Man from the North (2022)
Available in Amazon Prime Video, the film is based on Vita Amlethi, an oral story that was passed down for hundreds of years before being definitively recorded sometime around the year 1200. The story spread throughout Europe and ended up forming the basis for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Despite the mythical elements, much of the film is based on real events.
The medieval historian, David M. Perry, recognized that the film would fit into the tradition of Norse literature due to its structure and rules and also praised its portrayal of Viking culture, not only in its mythology and political structures, but also in people’s clothing, housing and belongings.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Apollo 13 It is considered one of the best space travel films of all time. In a video for vanity fair, astronaut Chris Hadfield evaluated the film’s historical and scientific accuracy, and concluded that it succeeded on both fronts. Director Ron Howard spent a lot of time working with different people at NASA to get a holistic picture of operations in mission control and aboard the lunar craft.
Ron Howard attempted to use official transcripts as a basis for dialogue between astronauts and mission control. The most famous line from Apollo 13, “Houston, we have a problem,” is just one example of this. Apollo 13 recreates events that occurred only 25 years earlier, but great care must still be taken to get the history and science correct.
The Brave (2016)
The Brave One stars Matthew McConaughey in the role of a man who leads a rebellion against the Confederate government in Mississippi. The film received mixed reviews and failed to recover its budget at the box office. However, it earned praise from historians for some aspects of its portrayal of royal history. Civil War historian Garry Adelman admired the film’s portrayal of the Battle of Ellesville, in which a small militia of former Confederate soldiers took up arms against their corrupt local government.
