Home

About the Author

Contact Cathy Schultz

Recently Released Historical Movies

Upcoming Historical Films

Resources for teaching with historical films

FILM LIST

300
The Alamo
Alexander
Amazing Grace
American Gangster
The Aviator
Becoming Jane
Charlie Wilson's War
Cinderella Man
Cold Mountain
DaVinci Code
Dreamgirls
Domino
Elizabeth: the Golden Age
Finding Neverland
Flags of our Fathers
Flyboys
Glory Road
The Great Raid
Hidalgo
Hollywoodland
Invincible
Jarhead
King Arthur
Kingdom of Heaven
Kinsey
Last Samurai
Master and Commander
Memoirs of a Geisha
Miss Potter
Motorcycle Diaries
Munich
National Treasure
National Treasure 2
The New World
Oliver Twist
The Other Boleyn Girl
Passion of the Christ
Pride and Prejudice
Pirates of the Caribbean 2
Ray
Troy
United 93
Vanity Fair
Walk the Line
We are Marshall
World Trade Center

 

 


 

This site is for everyone who loves historical films: epics, biopics, period pieces, and true-life stories, but who also wants to know: Did it really happen that way?

Cathy Schultz is a history professor at the University of St. Francis in Illinois, and writes the syndicated column, History in the Movies, which has been featured on NPR.org and reaches over a million readers in newspapers nationally. On this site, you'll find her commentary on the accuracy of recently released (2004 -2008) films, her thoughts on upcoming ones, and links (see below) for news on both.

There's a new column posted every month or so. If you'd like an email notification for new columns, just send an email with "Column List'' in the subject line to this address . If you're a newspaper editor and wish to add the column to your paper, contact Cathy Schultz at this address

Dr. Schultz is also available to lecture on topics of popular history. Subjects include: "Is Hollywood's History Good for You?" and "Historical Myths of the Left and Right." Email her for more information.

Enjoy the site, and please, send us your comments.


RECENT NEWS AND LINKS

A Review of The Other Boleyn Girl

A scientific look at the beasties of 10,000 B.C

Leatherheads, a film that explores
football in the 1920s, opens this April


EARLIER HEADLINES

Breakfast with the real American Gangster

American Gangster scores with the critics

Expect some hokey history fun with National Treasure: Book of Secrets

An historian's take on the Persians of 300: "Imagine a Xerxes who [says]: 'I am Xerxes, Emperor of Persia... My grandfather Cyrus liberated the Jews from their Babylonian exile and let them return to Judea and rebuild their temple. My father Darius urged our people to revere the ‘God of Daniel.’ I myself married Esther, a Jew.”

Set in the early 1970s, The Hoax looks at writer Clifford Irving, who scams publishers by writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes

Liam Neeson talks about his role as Lincoln in Spielberg's biopic

Oscar-winning Adrien Brody will play a real-life bullfighter with a tragic end in Manolete,

The original story of survival which inspired World Trade Center

Walk the Line's quest for truth

Good Night, Good Luck: Slate slams its history

Strong review of Spielberg's Munich...

...And a review that's more negative

Top Ten list: What you need in a period film

Christian critique of Kingdom of Heaven

Arabs praise even-handed treatment of
Kingdom of Heaven

And for a different take....Egyptian paper has highly critical take on Kingdom of Heaven

Ron Howard talks about Cinderella Man

Russell Crowe's boxing lessons for Cinderella Man

Historical Films in India

Hitler: That fellow with the nice little dog...(NYT)

In praise of Hotel Rwanda

Thoughts on Unforgiven: Gender and the Western

The Aviator fudges Hughes's relationship to money

Was Melvin Dummar (of Melvin and Howard) telling the truth about his meeting with Howard Hughes?

Background on the real Alfred Kinsey

James Braddock, the actual Cinderella Man

Mel Gibson's Braveheart doesn't get
much love from Brits

Stars work hard to play real people

Biopics: Portrait of the artist, Hollywood style

"I have let Alexander the Great down:"
Oliver Stone regrets his mistakes in his film.

Making Howard Hughes's life dramatically exciting

'The Aviator' vs. The real Howard Hughes (from NPR)

The 'anxious epic:' What film epics can reveal about our current political realities (from Boston Globe)

Telling lives: Why are so many biopics coming to theaters? Because when this tricky genre is done right, truth can be stronger than fiction (Boston Globe)

The greatest epics of all time

NEW! Two Boleyn sisters have a fling with a King in 'The Other Boleyn Girl

More goofy fun with National Treasure 2

Charlie Wilson's War has fun with Afghanistan

Denzel and Russell bring back the mean streets of 1970s New York City.

Cate acts queenly in 'Elizabeth: the Golden Age.'

Becoming Jane takes on the true-life tale of Jane Austen

300: Manly Spartans vs. Sissy Persians.

Amazing Grace: An excellent movie about (gasp!) a heroic politician.

Miss Potter: A sweet take on the life of Beatrix Potter

Dreamgirls: How close is it to the real story of the Supremes?

NEW! We are Marshall: Picking up the pieces after a real-life tragedy

Flags of our Fathers:

'Flyboys': Those magnificent men in their flying machines

'Hollywoodland' looks at George Reeves's mysterious death

Other Movie Links

The Flick Filosopher
One of the best sites for reviews.
Insightful and very funny!

Box0fficemojo
For all you numbers geeks.
Shows U.S. and international returns

Comingsoon.net

Great site for all upcoming
and recent films

History on Film
Andrew Allen's wonderful resource for history on film. Check it out!

History in Film
Internet Movie Database
Movie City News
Oscar Watch
Rotten Tomatoes

 


© 2004-2005 History in the Movies
cschultz@stfrancis.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit Counter
BestBuy Coupons

 

Add Me! - Search Engine Optimization