Oppenheimer (5*)
Society of the Snow (4.5*)
Maestro (4.5*)
Killers of the Flower Moon (4*)
The Zone of Interest (3.5)
Rustin (3*)
Golda (2*)
Napoleon (1.5*)
Flamin’ Hot (1.5*)
El Conde (1.5*)
History films have a big overlap with biography films for obvious reasons – history is the story of human events and biographies usually tell the stories of humans in some historical time. So the Biography genre review has already covered many of these films but we’ll go over them again. To add a different slant on things, I thought we’d take them in chronological order instead of in descending order of my rating. So…
The earliest times, although it is kind of hard to tell, might go to the black and white horror film, El Conde. The movie is also considered a comedy, a fantasy, and yes, a history film. It is the story of vampire, originating centuries ago, who is also involved in the South American dictator scene more recently and drinks smoothies made in a blender from beating human hearts. If that’s your thing, then go for it, but it wasn’t for me.
Next in time, would have to be another disaster of a movie, Napoleon. It is, obviously, about the French emperor. But even in more than three hours, the filmmakers attempt to relate his military successes, and failures, to his relationship with Josephine does not really cut it. The story is poorly written and you can understand why Joaquin Phoenix (as Napoleon) ran around the set saying “I don’t know what to do!”
The remainder of our films are all in the 20th century. Killers of the Flower Moon is the story of murder and greed as white men invaded Native American Oklahoma in the 1920s to plunder oil rights. The romantic interests spice up the narrative enough to make it interesting, but it could have been a better movie if it wasn’t so damn long.
Two of our films take place mostly before and during World War II. 2024’s Best Picture winner and one of my favorite movies of the year, was Oppenheimer. It is long, but gives what seems like an honest impression of a complicated man who is responsible for development of our atomic weapons. I liked it because of the way Nolan uses the film in subtle ways to portray complex physics – bouncing around in time and space the way atomic particles do. It may take two viewings to get everything out of this movie, but it’s worth it. Although it contains scenes from Oppenheimer’s earliest years as a physics student in Europe, it focuses primarily on the race to develop the atomic bomb and end World War II.
On the other side of the Atlantic, The Zone of Interest is the chilling story of how the family of the commandant at Auschwitz lived right next door to the death factory, smelled corpses burning, and heard the anguished sounds of people dying. It is a tense story stirring emotions of disgust to show how normalized cruelty can seem to those who perpetrate it.
Maestro tells the complicated story of Leonard Bernstein and his complicated relationship with his wife over a period of nearly fifty years starting in the 1940s. Most of the film is concerned with their growing relationship in the 50’s and 60s. This film is actually much better than audiences have rated it. But I suspect the disappointing rating is because the subject, a conductor of symphony orchestra’s, is not exactly popular material right now. And we can’t know for sure whether events between Bernstein and his wife really happened as portrayed – that is one of the limitations of historical fiction! But if viewed as a study in the emotional interplay between two people and how that affects their lives, then the film makes an intelligent contribution.
Taking us into the 60s, is Rustin, the film about the civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. Rustin was a smart, gay, man who had complex relationships in the early years of the civil rights movement. My fault with this movie is the introduction of a totally fictional character, rather than explore the real relationships the man might have had. It seems to paint an inaccurate picture of the man, while purporting to give us an accurate historical rendering!
Society of the Snow is the gripping story of survival of a group of rugby players whose plane crashes high in the Andes in 1972. Some of them die and others survive by doing things that are difficult to understand unless you have to make your own life and death decisions. A very difficult but worthwhile film.
Then Golda attempts to give us an understanding of Golda Meir by focusing on her conduct of the Yom Kippur war between Israel and some Arab states in 1973. While maybe it was the exact point they were trying to make, their portrait of Meir fell flat and unsympathetic; it wasn’t engaging.
And finally, our last movie of the year Flamin’ Hot, supposedly relates how the Mexican janitor, Richard Montanez, invented a new flavor-line of products for Frito Lay in the 1980s. He ends up leading the expanded marketing to the Hispanic community for the company in the 1990s. Unfortunately, the movie is manipulative, works like a Hallmark Christmas movie and is, most likely, based on some false notions.
In the 2023 cast of nominees, there were only two history films and only one that I could recommend. Argentina, 1985 (3.5*) spins an, at times, lighthearted story of the prosecutor of the Argentine junta members responsible for tens of thousands of “disappeared”.
History films not only overlap with biography films, but they also share some of the same drawbacks. When a film is a work of historical fiction, and not a documentary, it is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between what is really a true portrayal and what has been “enhanced” for dramatic effect. Because of issues like this, I often find films in these categories at fault for fudging the truth and misrepresenting real history. For me, that can reduce the movie’s appeal. If there is a doubt, maybe the best thing to do is to call it something like “historical fiction”!
1 thought on “2024 Oscar History Films”
Beautifully done, Michael! As usual!
I continue to be impressed by your ability to watch a movie & report on, react to, & make recommendations with great clarity, humor, and accuracy.
Makes choosing the movies I watch so much easier.
Thank you!