Tags
Argo, Bobby, Bottle Shock, Clint Eastwood, Films, Frost/Nixon, History, Jersey Boys, Julie & Julia, La Vie en Rose, Saving Mr. Banks, The Iron Lady, The Queen, The Social Network, True Story
In the wake of the newly released, Jersey Boys, directed by Clint Eastwood, and based on the Broadway show, I learned a lot about a part of history I knew little about. With that in mind, I decided to make a short list of films that told me about events I didn’t know about previously. In hindsight, some are more famous true stories than others. But they are all based (in some way) on a true story.
- Bottle Shock. dir. Randall Miller. 2008. The story of the famous 1976 “Judgment of Paris” blind wine tasting that put California wines on the map. This film completely surprised me and stands as one of my top five favorite films.
- Argo. dir. Ben Affleck. 2012. Details the previously little-known story of the secret rescue of six American consulate workers who escaped the Iranian embassy during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Very suspenseful and engaging. What a cool plot!
- Saving Mr. Banks. dir. John Lee Hancock. 2013. Tells the story of two weeks of pre-planning for the production of Mary Poppins between Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers. I had heard a small bit about these events several years before but not enough to elicit as great of interest as I found after the film. The whole film is a delight to watch over and over again.
- Bobby. dir. Emilio Estevez. 2006. A fictionalized telling of the events surrounding the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles the day of the California primary and the evening in which Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Another one of my favorite films. The ensemble cast was certainly diverse and kept the film flowing and interesting.
- Julie & Julia. dir. Nora Ephron. 2009. A double-tale of Julia Child’s adventures in France and Julie Powell’s 2003 adventure cooking her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
- The Iron Lady. dir. Phyllida Lloyd. 2010. A retelling of the life of Margaret Thatcher, primarily during her time in Parliament and as Prime Minister of the UK.
- Frost/Nixon. dir. Ron Howard. 2008. Adapted from the stage play of the same name, it tells of the events surrounding the famous interview with President Richard Nixon three years after his unceremonious resignation from President of the United States. This film was beautifully directed and still contained the element of a stage play within it.
- The Queen. dir. Stephen Frears. 2006. The story of the Royal Family following the events of Diana, Princess of Wales’ untimely death in 1997.
- La Vie en Rose. dir. Olivier Dahan. 2007. The retelling of the life of singer Edith Piaf. Marion Cotillard was well-deserving of the Academy Award for this film.
- The Social Network. dir. David Fincher. When I first heard of the film about the story of the founding of Facebook, I thought it was a joke. Then I found out Aaron Sorkin was on board and figured it was worth a chance. It was good.
What films based on true stories had the most effect on you?