A podcast series that examines the facts behind the movies that claim to be based on true events
Episode 27 Zodiac: this week we look at the 2007 true crime drama directed by David Fincher and starring Jake Gylenhaal and Robert Downey Jr examining the still-unsolved series of murders in California in the late 60s and early 70s. It’s a long film so this is a long show and we hope you enjoy our examination of how close to the known facts the movie managed to arrive.
This week we examine 1993’s Tombstone, starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kylmer as Doc Holliday and including the gunfight at the OK Corral. It’s very watchable but does the movie follow facts or myth? Tune in to find out
Episode 25: The Founder (1hr 09mins) This week we look at the 2016 biopic of Ray Kroc, the man credited with the meteoric expansion of the McDonald’s fast food chain. Starring Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, Nick Offermand and John Carrol Lynch as Dick and Mack McDonald it is a wonderfully entertaining movie but is it accurate? Tune in to find out.
(The time in brackets is the podcast episode’s duration, not the movie’s. We’ve just noticed that episode duration doesn’t always appear in listings. We will try to resolve this)
Episode 23: The World’s Fastest Indian. This week we examine 2005’s movie starring Anthony Hopkins in the lead role and covering eccentric Kiwi Burt Munro’s speed record attempts at Bonneville Salt Flats on a 1920s Indian Scout motorcycle. Set in the 1960s with Burt in his 60s, join us to discover the truth about this pretty remarkable character. We also apologise for the poor sound quality; as you will discover in the introduction it was due to pressing reasons that we had to improvise this week’s episode and we will return to the usual standard for the next show. We hope you bear with us and find this show as rewarding as the movie.
Episode 22b: Spartacus Part Two. We cover the remainder of the 1960 epic movie but most of this episode is spent examining the incredible achievements of Spartacus and his slave rebellion, plus his legacy in the modern world, from Marxist heroes to Life of Brian to famous football teams
Episode 22a: Spartacus (Part One). An epic film starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, covering only a part of the full dramatic history of Spartacus’ slave rebellion in ancient Rome. We examine the movie and fill in the gaps. Part Two coming next week
Episode 20: Seabiscuit. This week we look at 2003’s movie telling the 1930s Great Depression story of a horse too small, a jockey too big, a trainer too old and an owner too dumb to know. It’s a classic Hollywood underdog tale but how much did the movie get right? You may be surprised….
Episode 19: Glory
This week’s movie is 1989’s Glory, telling the story of the military achievements of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first black units to fight in the US Civil War. Starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Mathew Broderick, it tells a story worth knowing.
Episode 18: Apollo 13. In this week’s episode, we are amazed that Ron Howard’s movie of the dramatic Apollo 13 mission is 22 years old until we realise how young Tom Hanks looks in the film where he plays Jim Lovell, mission commander. Also starring Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Ed Harris, we have a close look at just how accurate the movie is to the real life events.
Episode 17: Selma
This week we take a detailed look at the 2014 movie covering the events surrounding the Civil Rights and Voting Rights marches in and around Selma, Alabama in the Spring of 1965 led by, amongst many others, Martin Luther King Jr. The movie reflects and portrays the struggle for equality that was endured by the black communities of the Southern states, 100 years after those states lost the US Civil War, fought largely over a disagreement about the abolishment of slavery.
History by Hollywood 
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