The Industrial Revolution
Hard Times 1994 (TV)
Writing credit: Peter Barnes (I), With Alan Bates
Based on Dickens novel. There was also a 1977 TV series.
*Germinal 1993 [In French] 170 mins
Dir. Claude Berry. With Gerard Depardieu.
Sprawling film on Zola's novel about a strike in French mining village.
Modern Times 1936
Dir. Charlie Chaplin, With Charles Chaplin and Paulette Goddard.
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The 19th Century: The Conservative Order Transformed
*Frankenstein 1931, 71 mins, BW
Dir. James Whale. With Boris Karloff.
James Whale's version of Mary Shelley's story remains one of the best horror movies. The story illustrates many of the themse of Romanticism.
Victoria the Great 1937
Dir. Herbert Wilcox, With Anna Neagle
The "Great woman" approach to history. Compare with Mrs. Brown.
Mrs. Brown
Dir. John Madded, With Judy Dench and Billy Connolly.
#Disraeli 1929 90 mins.
Dir. Alfred E. Green. With George Arliss.
The story focuses on Disraeli's acquistion of the Suez canal.
Disraeli 1979 (TV) 76 mins.
Dir. Claude Whatham
Dante's Inferno (1967) TV 90mins
Dir. Ken Russell
About the Pre-Raphaelites -- the Dante in question being Dante Rossetti.http://www.rc.umd.edu/reference/ficrep/nassr-sf.html
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The 19th Century: The Liberal Tradition
*Les Misérables 1998
Dir. Bille August. With Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Claire Danes
-most recent of many versions.
Cousin Bette 1998.
Dir. Des McAnuff, With Jessica Lange and Elisabeth Shue.
Based Balzac’s novel set in Paris on the eve of the revolution of 1848.
*Juarez 1939 132mins
Dir. William Dieterle, With Bette Davis and Maul Muni.
On the reign the puppet-emperor Maximilian, his wife Carlotta (Bette Davis), and their chief antagonist, Benito Juarez, the so-called "Abraham Lincoln of Mexico"
*Life of Emile Zola 1937 116mins
Dir. William Dieterle, With Paul Muni
On the life of the great French liberal writer, and his involvement in the Dreyfus affaire. It won Oscar as best film in 1938. Although it alters history to some extent, it is well worth viewing. (Specifically: Zola's love life is cleaned up; his early career is heavily fictionalized; and portions of his "J'accuse" letter become courtroom speeches.) The major problem is that, except for one fleeting reference, the film completely avoids that central issue of Anti-Semitism in the Dreyfus affair.
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The 19th Century: The Nationalist Dream
*The Leopard [aka Il Gattopardo] 1963 205/165 mins cut
Dir. Luchino Visconti, With Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon.
Based on Giuseppe de Lampedusa’s novel, the film shows Sicilian life, landlord-tenant relations, and social unrest around 1860. Lancaster plays a Prince trying to work out he responds to the unification of Italy and the Risorgimento.
*Michael Collins. 1996 132mins
Dir. Neil Jordan. With Liam Nelson
Set in the 1920s, but just about the best film on Nationalism and Nationalists. Americans might find the accents tough going, but for those who know anything about Irish history, this is an excellent film.
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The 19th Century in America
*Amistad
Dir. Steven Spielberg., Wiith Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins,Djimon Hounsou
This film represented Steven Spielberg's response to what happened at a showing to young people in Los Angeles of Schindler's List - some of them laughed. In trying to understand why, Spielberg evolved this project on the Amistad revolt.
*Glory 1989 122 mins
Dir. Edward Zwick. With Denzel Washington
Highly praised account of Black soldiers in the US Civil War.
*The Day Lincoln was Shot TV 1998 95mins
Dir. John Gray
*Citizen Kane 1941 119mins
Dir. Orson Welles
Perhaps the most widely praised of all Hollywood movies, and not usually thought of as a history movie. Nevertheless, as an account of Golden Age capitalism, there is something for this.
America America 1963
Dir. Elia Kazan
The story of a Greek immigrant in America. The director was widely reviled for cooperating with McCarthy.
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The Socialist Analysis
Rosa Luxemburg 1986
Dir. Margarethe von Trotta, With Barbara Sukowa
*The Molly Maguires 1970 124mins
Dir. Martin Ritte. With Sean Connery.
Based on a US miners strike.
*1900 1976 [in Italian]
Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci, With Robert DeNiro
DeNiro learned to speak Italian for this 3-hour saga about the Italian Communist party and the rise of the Black Shirts.
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Hard Times 1994 (TV)
Writing credit: Peter Barnes (I), With Alan Bates
Based on Dickens novel. There was also a 1977 TV series.
*Germinal 1993 [In French] 170 mins
Dir. Claude Berry. With Gerard Depardieu.
Sprawling film on Zola's novel about a strike in French mining village.
Modern Times 1936
Dir. Charlie Chaplin, With Charles Chaplin and Paulette Goddard.
Back to Index
The 19th Century: The Conservative Order Transformed
*Frankenstein 1931, 71 mins, BW
Dir. James Whale. With Boris Karloff.
James Whale's version of Mary Shelley's story remains one of the best horror movies. The story illustrates many of the themse of Romanticism.
Victoria the Great 1937
Dir. Herbert Wilcox, With Anna Neagle
The "Great woman" approach to history. Compare with Mrs. Brown.
Mrs. Brown
Dir. John Madded, With Judy Dench and Billy Connolly.
#Disraeli 1929 90 mins.
Dir. Alfred E. Green. With George Arliss.
The story focuses on Disraeli's acquistion of the Suez canal.
Disraeli 1979 (TV) 76 mins.
Dir. Claude Whatham
Dante's Inferno (1967) TV 90mins
Dir. Ken Russell
About the Pre-Raphaelites -- the Dante in question being Dante Rossetti.http://www.rc.umd.edu/reference/ficrep/nassr-sf.html
Back to Index
The 19th Century: The Liberal Tradition
*Les Misérables 1998
Dir. Bille August. With Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Claire Danes
-most recent of many versions.
Cousin Bette 1998.
Dir. Des McAnuff, With Jessica Lange and Elisabeth Shue.
Based Balzac’s novel set in Paris on the eve of the revolution of 1848.
*Juarez 1939 132mins
Dir. William Dieterle, With Bette Davis and Maul Muni.
On the reign the puppet-emperor Maximilian, his wife Carlotta (Bette Davis), and their chief antagonist, Benito Juarez, the so-called "Abraham Lincoln of Mexico"
*Life of Emile Zola 1937 116mins
Dir. William Dieterle, With Paul Muni
On the life of the great French liberal writer, and his involvement in the Dreyfus affaire. It won Oscar as best film in 1938. Although it alters history to some extent, it is well worth viewing. (Specifically: Zola's love life is cleaned up; his early career is heavily fictionalized; and portions of his "J'accuse" letter become courtroom speeches.) The major problem is that, except for one fleeting reference, the film completely avoids that central issue of Anti-Semitism in the Dreyfus affair.
Back to Index
The 19th Century: The Nationalist Dream
*The Leopard [aka Il Gattopardo] 1963 205/165 mins cut
Dir. Luchino Visconti, With Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon.
Based on Giuseppe de Lampedusa’s novel, the film shows Sicilian life, landlord-tenant relations, and social unrest around 1860. Lancaster plays a Prince trying to work out he responds to the unification of Italy and the Risorgimento.
*Michael Collins. 1996 132mins
Dir. Neil Jordan. With Liam Nelson
Set in the 1920s, but just about the best film on Nationalism and Nationalists. Americans might find the accents tough going, but for those who know anything about Irish history, this is an excellent film.
Back to Index
The 19th Century in America
*Amistad
Dir. Steven Spielberg., Wiith Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins,Djimon Hounsou
This film represented Steven Spielberg's response to what happened at a showing to young people in Los Angeles of Schindler's List - some of them laughed. In trying to understand why, Spielberg evolved this project on the Amistad revolt.
*Glory 1989 122 mins
Dir. Edward Zwick. With Denzel Washington
Highly praised account of Black soldiers in the US Civil War.
*The Day Lincoln was Shot TV 1998 95mins
Dir. John Gray
*Citizen Kane 1941 119mins
Dir. Orson Welles
Perhaps the most widely praised of all Hollywood movies, and not usually thought of as a history movie. Nevertheless, as an account of Golden Age capitalism, there is something for this.
America America 1963
Dir. Elia Kazan
The story of a Greek immigrant in America. The director was widely reviled for cooperating with McCarthy.
Back to Index
The Socialist Analysis
Rosa Luxemburg 1986
Dir. Margarethe von Trotta, With Barbara Sukowa
*The Molly Maguires 1970 124mins
Dir. Martin Ritte. With Sean Connery.
Based on a US miners strike.
*1900 1976 [in Italian]
Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci, With Robert DeNiro
DeNiro learned to speak Italian for this 3-hour saga about the Italian Communist party and the rise of the Black Shirts.
Back to Index