Movies accurately based on true stories - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

C Roberts · 10-03-2002, 08:20 PM

What are some good movies that are accurately based on true stories? Or at least 90% accurate.

What are movies that could pass for documentaries of other cultures if not for the fact they're scrited and acted?
For example: Himalaya seems to be an accurate depiction of life in that part of the world.

rtcpenguin · 10-03-2002, 09:40 PM

Black Hawk Down, k-19 and October sky are all pretty accurate as far as I have heard....

***Istagi*** · 10-03-2002, 10:50 PM

Apollo 13, just listen to the Jim Lovell commentary.

tomdkat · 10-03-2002, 10:55 PM

These are guesses as I have no way of verifying them:

Star 80
Rated X
13 days
Blow
Malcolm X
Ali

Peace.....

run1 · 10-03-2002, 11:31 PM

Tricky question actually. I see rtcpenguin mentioned black hawk down and k-19. I think I heard that survivors of k-19 protested the movie, and I'm not sure a somalian would agree on 'black hawk down' being an accurate description of the situation....... I'm sure you will find people who disagree with Ali, Malcolm X, Blow etc as well. I would say that the moment the film-makers pick which characters will be the 'heroes' (in lack of a better word) they most likely start to drift away from the objective "accurate truth". Whether or not they pass your 90%-limit I guess is just a personal opinion...

Porkchop · 10-03-2002, 11:59 PM

How about "All the President's Men"?

Buffalo Bill · 10-04-2002, 12:27 AM

The Waterdance

Been there, done that. The author was a spinal chord injury victim & the movie truly pegged life in rehab from the day you arrive until the day you are released. Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, Helen Hunt et al were magnificent in it too.

jeffallee · 10-04-2002, 01:24 AM

I read a book about the heavenly creatures murder called "parker and hulme" and everything peter (lord of the rings) jackson put in was true. This just got released on dvd uncut for the first time and is a really incredible movie.

Lo Pan · 10-04-2002, 02:18 AM

I would say that Fargo and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are the most faithful recreations of actual events I have ever seen.

Welles and Ford Fan · 10-04-2002, 02:22 AM

Tricky question actually. I see rtcpenguin mentioned black hawk down and k-19. I think I heard that survivors of k-19 protested the movie, and I'm not sure a somalian would agree on 'black hawk down' being an accurate description of the situation....... I'm sure you will find people who disagree with Ali, Malcolm X, Blow etc as well. I would say that the moment the film-makers pick which characters will be the 'heroes' (in lack of a better word) they most likely start to drift away from the objective "accurate truth". Whether or not they pass your 90%-limit I guess is just a personal opinion...

I don' t think he meant true from an opinion point of view. I think he meant true from depicting a story as reported, or just making up a lot of shit. Opinion or interpretation is hardly relevant. For example-a movie about Hitler will be accurate if it depicts the crimes he committed. From Hitler's "point of view", a movie about him might not be "truthful" if it depicted his slaughter of the Jews as anything other than as a favour for mankind. So while "Black Hawk Down" might not be the "true story" from a Somali point of view-it never attempted to be. It is certainly accurate from the point of view of the Rangers involved (which was the main point of view portrayed). No matter what "side" you are on, the events did "go down" pretty much as portrayed.

At least, Ridley Scott did not make up some entirely fictional story and try to pass it off as truth.

Riedenschneider · 10-04-2002, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lo Pan
I would say that Fargo and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are the most faithful recreations of actual events I have ever seen.

robarnold99 · 10-04-2002, 04:42 AM

Shackleton starring Kenneth Branagh.

dvdjedi · 10-04-2002, 09:22 AM

JFK

run1 · 10-04-2002, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Welles and Ford Fan
No matter what "side" you are on, the events did "go down" pretty much as portrayed.

At least, Ridley Scott did not make up some entirely fictional story and try to pass it off as truth.

Scott may not have made up the situations, but he certainly used cinematic 'tricks of the trade' to make the movie work dramatically. Slight alterations from the actual events to make sure we get who the 'heroes' in the story are. Whether or not that removes it too far away from accurate telling the real story is debatable.

newt · 10-04-2002, 02:20 PM

A Cry in the Dark & Alive.

C Roberts · 10-04-2002, 02:28 PM

Some movies I've never heard of here. I'd forgotten about Alive. That's a good one.

I was thinking the events portrayed and not the point of view. As we all learned from Rashomon all stories are seen from a different point of view by everyone involved. But that doesn't change the facts.

manigrasso · 10-04-2002, 05:19 PM

Larry Clark's "Bully" is pretty faithful to the non-fiction true-crime novel on which it's based. From what I understand, most of the script was jettisoned and dialogue would be pulled straight from the book. Now, whether the book was faithful to the facts, I don't know.

caligulathegod · 10-04-2002, 07:39 PM

Will there really be a morning? I seem to recall being truer to the real story of Frances Farmer than the Jessica Lange movie Frances (Which was great, too).
There was another TV movie based on Houdini called The Great Houdini that was closer to real life than the Tony Curtis version in the 50s.

limacharliewhiskey · 10-04-2002, 07:41 PM

Music of the Heart, with Meryl Streep.

Deez108 · 10-04-2002, 08:04 PM

How about Thirteen Days.

Much of the dialogue was taken from tapes from meetings during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Great movie, if you haven't seen it.

Edit:

Also, Gettysburg, from what I understand about the battle itself, was very accurate.

And the beach invasion of D-Day in Saving Private Ryan.

Crow331 · 10-04-2002, 08:23 PM

Midnight Express !!!

OK well the Turks think that it's fictionalized

and the TNT Movie James Dean was pretty accurate, available on DVD .... GREAT FLICK!

dvds'r'us · 10-05-2002, 12:54 AM

The Color Purple.

Disco Stu · 10-05-2002, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by limacharliewhis
Music of the Heart, with Meryl Streep.

This movie couldn't be further from the truth. I've actually substituted at that school and my uncle is the guy the villain is based on . They have a scene in the movie where he is gleefully failing students, when in reality, they don't give grades to students at that age at that particular school. The music department existed years before Roberta got there. Miramax refused to include input from the school or its teachers and hardly stayed faithful to the documentary the film is based on ("Small Wonders").

In fact there were many articles written in the NY Times when the movie was released concerning the lack of factual accuracy, and those who were portrayed in the film thinking about suing for defamation of character.

**SidcupMartin** · 10-05-2002, 02:05 AM

Shadowlands is great... also Amadeus

redshifter · 10-05-2002, 02:45 AM

"amadeus" borders on fiction.

a great film, though.

elwood731 · 10-05-2002, 03:36 AM

I just got 9/11 last night. Although it is a doccumentary showing only one slice of that event, I would say it is the most accurate view we will ever get of that day's events. Incredible--a true treasure on film.

DrDetroit · 10-05-2002, 08:12 AM

I think Amadeus takes enough liberties to be safely called fiction.

the_GeForce · 10-06-2002, 01:38 AM

Amadeus
Apollo 13
Lawrence of Arabia

Riedenschneider · 10-06-2002, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crow331
Midnight Express !!!

OK well the Turks think that it's fictionalized

Pretty much every sane american critic thinks that too. I recommend Pauline Kael's "Movie Yellow Journalism."

tvboy · 10-06-2002, 03:09 AM

My Left Foot
Awakenings
The Killing Fields
Salaam Bombay
George Washington
Platoon

...oh yeah, and
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Superman (although they fictionized a bit about his parents)
and last but not least...
Forrest Gump

**aintnosin** · 10-29-2002, 05:47 PM

It's only been out on VHS and is probably long out of print:

Helter Skelter
(What I wouldn't give for a DVD edition of that movie)

Fluxus · 10-29-2002, 06:57 PM

What about Goodfellas or Casino? I don't know how acurate they are but I do know they are based on real events.

Musashi74 · 10-30-2002, 03:30 AM

I read the book that Black Hawk Down was based on. I realize this doesn't make me an authority or anything, but it seems that the film captures the essential elements of the story, though a lot of things were compressed or altered. Some events depicted in the film happened in a different order or under different circumstances, but the essential impression is about the same. As for the Somali points of view, the book is very good about reporting what the Somalis did and thought of the events. Mark Bowden, the author, interviewed quite a few of the Somalis who fought in the battle, and their side of the story is interesting as well.

I think Paul Schraeder's Mishima is an excellent biographical film. I wrote a review of it here. It uses the author's work to illustrate his life at many points, and is a terrific look inside one of Japan's greatest authors.

MrTony · 10-30-2002, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fluxus
What about Goodfellas or Casino? I don't know how acurate they are but I do know they are based on real events.

I can't comment on Casino, but I have read the book Wiseguy, which Goodfellas is based on. A lot of stuff in the book was left out of the script, but what is in the movie is pretty faithful to the events as described in the book. About the only thing they changed that I can think of off-hand was the last names of a few characters.

Of course, it's up to you how much faith you want to put into the true-life account of a mob turncoat.

Newbomb Turk · 10-30-2002, 04:40 AM

We Were Soldiers. According to the Colonel himself, Hollywood "finally got it right."

Oh and Alien.

XXBigbeeXX · 10-30-2002, 04:50 AM

Three classic true crime movies:

The Onion Field
In Cold Blood (This one desperately needs a DVD release!!!)
Badlands

CruiseControl · 10-30-2002, 05:37 AM

Born on the Fourth of July is an accurate account, considering real life Vietnam Vet Ron Kovic wrote the script along with Oliver Stone. A truely touching film due in large part to Tom Cruise's heartfelt performance. See it if you haven't.

machine ghost · 10-30-2002, 06:05 AM

-The French Connection
-The Onion Field
-The Dish
-Serpico
-Sid and Nancy (Criterion edition only)
-The Killing Fields
Even tho some facts are still emerging about actual events during WWII (like that sunken Japanese sub found recently hinting that the US may have shot first...) I believe Patton is quite good, A Bridge Too Far, and of course Tora, Tora, Tora.. Pearl Harbour almost had it 100% accurate but they failed to mention that Ben Affleck invented the A-Bomb AND flew the plane that dropped BOTH of them an oversight that is unforgivable (he also killed Hitler).

MattmanOmega · 10-30-2002, 06:08 AM

Hey, wasn't O-Entertainment's "Thumbtanic" based on actual events? It seemed pretty real to me and always brings a tear to my eye.

10-03-2002, 08:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
C Roberts Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Multiple Account Ban	Movies accurately based on true stories What are some good movies that are accurately based on true stories? Or at least 90% accurate. What are movies that could pass for documentaries of other cultures if not for the fact they're scrited and acted? For example: Himalaya seems to be an accurate depiction of life in that part of the world.

10-03-2002, 10:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
*Istagi* Producer/Admin Speaks for himself Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha	Apollo 13, just listen to the Jim Lovell commentary. __________________ Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes Istagi's DVD's DDS 351

10-03-2002, 10:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
tomdkat Official Forum Warmonger "Dial Tone" Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hayward, CA, USA	These are guesses as I have no way of verifying them: Star 80 Rated X 13 days Blow Malcolm X Ali Peace..... __________________ My DVD Aficionado List "At last we shall reveal ourselves to the Jedi, at last we shall have revenge!"

10-03-2002, 11:31 PM	#5 (permalink)
run1 Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Norway	Tricky question actually. I see rtcpenguin mentioned black hawk down and k-19. I think I heard that survivors of k-19 protested the movie, and I'm not sure a somalian would agree on 'black hawk down' being an accurate description of the situation....... I'm sure you will find people who disagree with Ali, Malcolm X, Blow etc as well. I would say that the moment the film-makers pick which characters will be the 'heroes' (in lack of a better word) they most likely start to drift away from the objective "accurate truth". Whether or not they pass your 90%-limit I guess is just a personal opinion... __________________ My ever-growing collection "You cannot eat plutonium" -Colin Powell Last edited by run1 : 10-03-2002 at 11:36 PM.

10-03-2002, 11:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
Porkchop Actor Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada	How about "All the President's Men"? __________________ I've seen detergents that leave a better film than this.

10-03-2002, 09:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
rtcpenguin Actor Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Fairfax, VA	Black Hawk Down, k-19 and October sky are all pretty accurate as far as I have heard....

10-04-2002, 12:27 AM	#7 (permalink)
Buffalo Bill Hapless Actor Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Walden Puddle.	The Waterdance Been there, done that. The author was a spinal chord injury victim & the movie truly pegged life in rehab from the day you arrive until the day you are released. Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, Helen Hunt et al were magnificent in it too. __________________ "Brick Tamland is married with 11 children and is one of the top political advisors to the Bush White House." (now everything makes sense) "The fundamentals of the economy are sound" John McHoover.

10-04-2002, 01:24 AM	#8 (permalink)
jeffallee Actor Join Date: Sep 2002	heavenly creatures I read a book about the heavenly creatures murder called "parker and hulme" and everything peter (lord of the rings) jackson put in was true. This just got released on dvd uncut for the first time and is a really incredible movie.

10-04-2002, 02:18 AM	#9 (permalink)
Lo Pan Actor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Chinatown.	I would say that Fargo and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are the most faithful recreations of actual events I have ever seen. __________________ Stuff.

10-04-2002, 02:22 AM	#10 (permalink)
Welles and Ford Fan Actor Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Houston, TX USA	Tricky question actually. I see rtcpenguin mentioned black hawk down and k-19. I think I heard that survivors of k-19 protested the movie, and I'm not sure a somalian would agree on 'black hawk down' being an accurate description of the situation....... I'm sure you will find people who disagree with Ali, Malcolm X, Blow etc as well. I would say that the moment the film-makers pick which characters will be the 'heroes' (in lack of a better word) they most likely start to drift away from the objective "accurate truth". Whether or not they pass your 90%-limit I guess is just a personal opinion... I don' t think he meant true from an opinion point of view. I think he meant true from depicting a story as reported, or just making up a lot of shit. Opinion or interpretation is hardly relevant. For example-a movie about Hitler will be accurate if it depicts the crimes he committed. From Hitler's "point of view", a movie about him might not be "truthful" if it depicted his slaughter of the Jews as anything other than as a favour for mankind. So while "Black Hawk Down" might not be the "true story" from a Somali point of view-it never attempted to be. It is certainly accurate from the point of view of the Rangers involved (which was the main point of view portrayed). No matter what "side" you are on, the events did "go down" pretty much as portrayed. At least, Ridley Scott did not make up some entirely fictional story and try to pass it off as truth.

10-04-2002, 04:42 AM	#12 (permalink)
robarnold99 Wants a Body Massage Join Date: Feb 2002	Shackleton starring Kenneth Branagh. __________________ I saw three of these dusters a short time ago, they were waiting for a train. Inside the dusters, there were three men. Inside the men, there were three bullets.

10-04-2002, 09:22 AM	#13 (permalink)
dvdjedi Actor Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: In The Grotto at The Mansion	JFK __________________ WELL I SPEAK LOUD! AND I CARRY A BIGGER STICK! AND I USE IT TOO! - Yosemite Sam

10-04-2002, 02:20 PM	#15 (permalink)
newt Actor Join Date: Sep 2000	A Cry in the Dark & Alive. __________________ Friend of Dawn Davenport

10-04-2002, 02:28 PM	#16 (permalink)
C Roberts Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Multiple Account Ban	Some movies I've never heard of here. I'd forgotten about Alive. That's a good one. I was thinking the events portrayed and not the point of view. As we all learned from Rashomon all stories are seen from a different point of view by everyone involved. But that doesn't change the facts.

10-04-2002, 05:19 PM	#17 (permalink)
manigrasso Forum Sage Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: NJ	Larry Clark's "Bully" is pretty faithful to the non-fiction true-crime novel on which it's based. From what I understand, most of the script was jettisoned and dialogue would be pulled straight from the book. Now, whether the book was faithful to the facts, I don't know. __________________ manigrasso I used to have a little cropped mustache and wear brown shirts with swastika armbands. Then I read about this guy named "Hitler." Man, was my face red! No wonder why Inga was the only girl who'd go to Prom with me!

10-05-2002, 12:54 AM	#22 (permalink)
dvds'r'us Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: St. Louis Area	The Color Purple. __________________ Dave Matthews Band Forever! 31 Shows And Counting! 20,000 Miles travelled...Shows Seen

10-04-2002, 07:39 PM	#18 (permalink)
caligulathegod Actor Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Grove City OH USA	Will there really be a morning? I seem to recall being truer to the real story of Frances Farmer than the Jessica Lange movie Frances (Which was great, too). There was another TV movie based on Houdini called The Great Houdini that was closer to real life than the Tony Curtis version in the 50s. __________________ "Would you like to play spider with me?" ~Spider Baby

10-04-2002, 07:41 PM	#19 (permalink)
limacharliewhiskey FryMaster Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The O.C.	Music of the Heart, with Meryl Streep. __________________ "Believing oneself to be perfect is often a sign of a delusional mind." - Data in Star Trek: First Contact DVD Aficionado collection.

10-04-2002, 08:04 PM	#20 (permalink)
Deez108 Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Greenwich, CT	How about Thirteen Days. Much of the dialogue was taken from tapes from meetings during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Great movie, if you haven't seen it. Edit: Also, Gettysburg, from what I understand about the battle itself, was very accurate. And the beach invasion of D-Day in Saving Private Ryan. __________________ "I'm Making This Up As I Go"-Indiana Jones

10-04-2002, 08:23 PM	#21 (permalink)
Crow331 Actor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Los Angeles	Midnight Express !!! OK well the Turks think that it's fictionalized and the TNT Movie James Dean was pretty accurate, available on DVD .... GREAT FLICK!

10-05-2002, 02:05 AM	#24 (permalink)
SidcupMartin Director/Moderator Captain Paranoia Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Shadowlands is great... also Amadeus __________________ eternally putting the kettle on

10-05-2002, 02:45 AM	#25 (permalink)
redshifter Actor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: the emerald city	"amadeus" borders on fiction. a great film, though. __________________ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Did you ever hear of "The Seattle Seven"? That was me... and six other guys.

10-05-2002, 03:36 AM	#26 (permalink)
elwood731 Moderator Emeritus On a mission from God Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Kentucky	I just got 9/11 last night. Although it is a doccumentary showing only one slice of that event, I would say it is the most accurate view we will ever get of that day's events. Incredible--a true treasure on film. __________________ "Stupid people surround themselves with smart people. Smart people surround themselves with smart people who disagree with them." - Sports Night "You may not be a maniac, but neither should to remain an impotent!" - Damian

10-05-2002, 08:12 AM	#27 (permalink)
DrDetroit Actor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Vancouver	I think Amadeus takes enough liberties to be safely called fiction. __________________ And these Detroit women won't let Dr. Detroit rest. DVDs

10-06-2002, 01:38 AM	#28 (permalink)
the_GeForce Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nebraska	Amadeus Apollo 13 Lawrence of Arabia __________________ ...A continuing series of important classic and contemporary films. My DVD Collection

10-06-2002, 03:09 AM	#30 (permalink)
tvboy Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The Taxation Nation: Canada	My Left Foot Awakenings The Killing Fields Salaam Bombay George Washington Platoon ...oh yeah, and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Superman (although they fictionized a bit about his parents) and last but not least... Forrest Gump __________________ Always remember that Triumph of the Will is just like Pirates of the Carribean. Only in black and white. MacAndMe My DVD Collection

10-29-2002, 05:47 PM	#31 (permalink)
aintnosin Director/Moderator Not a fancy tickler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: People's Republik of Kalifornia	It's only been out on VHS and is probably long out of print: Helter Skelter (What I wouldn't give for a DVD edition of that movie) __________________ "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them." - Eowyn, The Two Towers DVD Profiler \| DVD Aficianado \| DVD Spot \| Movie Reviews \| Facebook

10-29-2002, 06:57 PM	#32 (permalink)
Fluxus Actor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Kingston, Canada	What about Goodfellas or Casino? I don't know how acurate they are but I do know they are based on real events.

10-30-2002, 03:30 AM	#33 (permalink)
Musashi74 Actor Join Date: Jun 2002	I read the book that Black Hawk Down was based on. I realize this doesn't make me an authority or anything, but it seems that the film captures the essential elements of the story, though a lot of things were compressed or altered. Some events depicted in the film happened in a different order or under different circumstances, but the essential impression is about the same. As for the Somali points of view, the book is very good about reporting what the Somalis did and thought of the events. Mark Bowden, the author, interviewed quite a few of the Somalis who fought in the battle, and their side of the story is interesting as well. I think Paul Schraeder's Mishima is an excellent biographical film. I wrote a review of it here. It uses the author's work to illustrate his life at many points, and is a terrific look inside one of Japan's greatest authors.

10-30-2002, 04:40 AM	#35 (permalink)
Newbomb Turk Actor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Downriver "Big Lake"	We Were Soldiers. According to the Colonel himself, Hollywood "finally got it right." Oh and Alien. __________________ Uhhh......FRAH-JEE-LAY. That must be Italian!

10-30-2002, 04:50 AM	#36 (permalink)
XXBigbeeXX Actor Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Venice Beach, CA	Three classic true crime movies: The Onion Field In Cold Blood (This one desperately needs a DVD release!!!) Badlands __________________ I'm shootin' pool Fats. When I miss you can shoot.

10-30-2002, 05:37 AM	#37 (permalink)
CruiseControl Actor Join Date: May 2002	Born on the Fourth of July is an accurate account, considering real life Vietnam Vet Ron Kovic wrote the script along with Oliver Stone. A truely touching film due in large part to Tom Cruise's heartfelt performance. See it if you haven't.

10-30-2002, 06:05 AM	#38 (permalink)
machine ghost Actor Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Vancouver/Canada	-The French Connection -The Onion Field -The Dish -Serpico -Sid and Nancy (Criterion edition only) -The Killing Fields Even tho some facts are still emerging about actual events during WWII (like that sunken Japanese sub found recently hinting that the US may have shot first...) I believe Patton is quite good, A Bridge Too Far, and of course Tora, Tora, Tora.. Pearl Harbour almost had it 100% accurate but they failed to mention that Ben Affleck invented the A-Bomb AND flew the plane that dropped BOTH of them an oversight that is unforgivable (he also killed Hitler).

10-30-2002, 06:08 AM	#39 (permalink)
MattmanOmega Banned Join Date: Oct 2002	Hey, wasn't O-Entertainment's "Thumbtanic" based on actual events? It seemed pretty real to me and always brings a tear to my eye.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode