“12 Years a Slave”, 2013
Director: Steve McQueen
Based on a true story, this film follows Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York, who is abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War United States.
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodard, Adepero Oduye;
Production year: 2013;
Genre: drama, biography, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 133 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,1;
“Saving Private Ryan”, 1998
Director: Steven Spielberg
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this critically acclaimed film portrays the D-Day invasion during World War II and a group of U.S. soldiers sent behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies, Matt Damon, Ted Danson;
Production year: 1998;
Genre: war, action, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 169 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,6;
More information about the film “Saving Private Ryan” on the website imdb.com
“Apollo 13”, 1995
Director: Ron Howard
This film, directed by Ron Howard, dramatizes the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission and highlights the efforts of the astronauts and the NASA team to safely return the spacecraft to Earth.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Emily Ann Lloyd, Miko Hughes, Max Elliott Slade;
Production year: 1995;
Genre: drama, adventure, history;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 140 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,7;
More information about the film “Apollo 13” on the website imdb.com
“Glory”, 1989
Director: Edward Zwick
Directed by Edward Zwick, this film tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the Union Army's first all-African-American units, during the Civil War.
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Jihmi Kennedy, Andre Braugher, John Finn, Donovan Leitch Jr., JD Cullum, Alan North;
Production year: 1989;
Genre: war, biography, history, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 122 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,8;
More information about the film “Glory” on the website imdb.com
“Amistad”, 1997
Director: Steven Spielberg
Another film by Steven Spielberg, “Amistad” is about the 1839 mutiny aboard the slave ship La Amistad, and the ensuing courtroom battle that captured the United States' attention and raised significant questions about slavery and freedom.
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, David Paymer, Pete Postlethwaite, Stellan Skarsgård, Razaaq Adoti, Abu Bakaar Fofanah;
Production year: 1997;
Genre: drama, biography, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 155 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “Amistad” on the website imdb.com
“Selma”, 2014
Director: Ava DuVernay
Directed by Ava DuVernay, this historical drama chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Lorraine Toussaint, Common, Giovanni Ribisi, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr.;
Production year: 2014;
Genre: drama, biography, history;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 128 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,5;
More information about the film “Selma” on the website imdb.com
“The Patriot”, 2000
Director: Roland Emmerich
Set during the American Revolutionary War, this film follows a peaceful farmer driven to lead the Colonial Militia after a British officer murders his son. Directed by Roland Emmerich.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo, Rene Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Tom Wilkinson, Donal Logue;
Production year: 2000;
Genre: action, drama, war, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 165 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,2;
More information about the film “The Patriot” on the website imdb.com
“JFK”, 1991
Director: Oliver Stone
Directed by Oliver Stone, this film examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.
Starring: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Jack Lemmon, Laurie Metcalf, Donald Sutherland, Michael Rooker;
Production year: 1991;
Genre: thriller, drama, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 181 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8;
More information about the film “JFK” on the website imdb.com
“Hidden Figures”, 2016
Director: Theodore Melfi
This film tells the untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Kimberly Quinn;
Production year: 2016;
Genre: drama, biography, history;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 127 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,8;
More information about the film “Hidden Figures” on the website imdb.com
These films not only educate but engage with the emotional and ethical complexities found within American history, providing a visual and narrative context that can enhance our understanding of the past.
Concluding, films about American history serve as a compelling medium through which contemporary audiences can engage with the complex tapestry of their nation's past. By weaving together the rich strands of drama, action, and emotional storytelling, such films bring to life the multi-layered narratives of striving and struggle, innovation and conflict, that have shaped the United States. Whether they meticulously reconstruct epic events or offer intimate portraits of influential figures, these cinematic works invite reflection, challenge perceptions, and perhaps most importantly, animate the lessons of history for a modern viewership. In doing so, they not only entertain but also educate and inspire, reminding us that history is not merely a series of dates and facts, but a resonant and ongoing story of human endeavor.
