Top 10 Historically Accurate Movies

A subversive response to a long history of Soviet war propaganda films, “Come and See” was written by director Elem Klimov with the help of an ex-partisan who fought against the Nazis, along with numerous eyewitness accounts. The production of this objective and the realistic portrayal of the German occupation of Byelorussia was almost as brutal as the subject matter. Aleksei Kravchenko, playing the lead role, was a non-professional actor who endured fatigue and hunger during filming, all the while dodging live ammunition used instead of blanks for the filming. Meanwhile, wartime documentary-style footage made the film a stunning testament to the suffering endured by ordinary people fighting for their lives on the Russian front.

In 1945, Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photograph of US marines raising the Stars and Stripes on the captured island of Iwo Jima brought fame to its subjects. Clint Eastwood’s epic war film was based on a best-selling book written by the son of one of the men in the photo, James Bradley, who also provided narration and interviews with veterans for the movie. “Flags of our Fathers”’ depiction of the horrors of warfare and the tragedy of what comes after was praised by the US Marine Corps’ chief historian for its attention to detail and historical verisimilitude, particularly the depiction of the harsh terrain where the Marines fought.

Historians and critics gave a warm reception to this painstaking recreation of President Lincoln's fight to have the 13th Amendment passed in the closing months of the American Civil War. The film was shot in Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Petersburg in Virginia where historical architecture from the period remains today. Daniel Day-Lewis received widespread accolades for his masterful performance as President Lincoln, paying attention to key character details like the President's unexpectedly high voice and propensity as a master storyteller. Tommy Lee Jones was also praised for his performance as Thaddeus Stevens, a 19th century master of insults and sarcastic wit.

This claustrophobic depiction of wartime life aboard a German U-boat submarine was based on a novel by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, who served as a naval war correspondent on the U-96 during WWII’s Battle of the Atlantic. With the commander of the U-96 as technical advisor, an obsessively accurate replica of the vessel interior was built, which could be hydraulically rocked, shaken and tilted up to 45 degrees. Realism was also enhanced by location shooting at the wartime boat pen at La Rochelle. “Das Boot” is a stunning depiction of the confinement, tedium and terror of ordinary men caught in the war beneath the waves.

This documentary-like account of the attack on Pearl Harbor showed both sides of the battle, emphasizing the historical context and detailed planning of the attack. Producers and directors from Japan and the United States filmed their perspectives separately, which were then combined into a single film. Technical advisors from both sides were spared no expense to make the sets and scenes as true-to-life as possible. Full-scale replicas of naval vessels were built, and American training planes were made to resemble wartime Japanese planes, which added to the realism of what was being shown on screen.

Based on the 1853 biography of freed ex-slave Solomon Northup, this film was praised by historians and critics alike for its brutal depiction of the reality of slavery in Louisiana. Steve McQueen's distinct directorial style and the unforgettable performances of Chiwetel Ejiofor and others helped to bring the cruelty and barbarity of slavery to horrific life. “12 Years a Slave” vividly portrays the social and historical realities of a past where men and women were used and abused as chattel, while emphasizing Solomon Northup's astonishing achievements.

This film was closely based on an autobiographical book by the pianist and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman. However, director Roman Polanski had additional motivation to respect the history on which “The Pianist” draws, as he himself survived the Holocaust in Krakow. This story of one talented man's struggle to survive in the Warsaw ghetto is heartbreaking and poignant, and a testament to Polanski's effort to recreate the setting in every detail, from the oppression of the ghetto streets to specific songs Szpilman played. “The Pianist” is a haunting vision of suffering, made more disturbing by the beauty of the music.

Steven Spielberg’s award-winning movie is considered by many to be the greatest film about horrors of the Holocaust ever made. This tale of German industrialist Oskar Schindler’s strategy to save Jews from mechanized extermination is a showcase of the highs and lows of the human condition. Holocaust survivor Leopold ‘Poldek’ Pfefferberg spent years working to have this story - of one man's struggle to save those caught in the maw of a destructive hate machine - made, and Spielberg's grim and realistic portrayal helps ensure it will never be forgotten.

The paranoia and surreal madness of Adolf Hitler's last ten days holed up in his bunker were masterfully recreated in “Downfall,” a war flick known in Germany as “Der Untergang.” Based on extensive historical research, the film features fearsomely factual depictions of some of modern history's most vile figures. In fact, many of Hitler's lines were derived from actual quotations taken from his writing. Bruno Ganz gave a terrifying performance as Hitler, both at his most monstrous and his most human. This film shows how, at the end of the day, even the most despicable man in history is still just a man.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions
- “Gettysburg” (1993)
- “Milk” (2008)
- “The Imitation Game” (2014)
- “City of God” (2002)

This tale of a brush with fatal disaster in orbit was based on a book written by science writer Jeffrey Kluger and Apollo 13 mission commander Jim Lovell, as well as first-hand testimony of other astronauts. Made with the technical support of NASA, the historical docudrama was praised for its exact reproduction of Apollo 13 modules and control rooms. Zero gravity scenes were even filmed in the same KC-135 plane, also called the Vomit Comet, used to simulate weightless during astronaut training. The tense tale of survival in space against the odds gained universal praise from real astronauts and earned the filmmakers 2 Oscar wins out of 9 nominations.

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