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The podcast about historically inspired movies! In every weekly episode hosts Ros and Bryce Evans romp through a historically inspired movie; exploring the history, celebrating the good, discussing the bad and asking a set list of questions of every film, all in around 40 minutes. As well as the intriguing history behind the blockbusters expect a lively chat about the pop culture impacts these films have, plus tales of production hell, on-set antics, directorial genius, box office bombs and ...
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Interview with Executive Producer Imogen Cooper: founder of NEW historical streaming serivce Yoreflix
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Yoreflix: the NEW streaming service for historical drama. Interview with founder Imogen Cooper Yoreflix founder Imogen Cooper talks to Ros about the new streaming service for historical dramas and movies and outlines what makes it unique in the field of streaming platforms. We talk about Imogen’s background as an executive producer and her passion …
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Amadeus (1984) takes centre stage for this episode of the Historical Movies Podcast: starring F. Murray Abraham as Antonia Salieri, Tom Hulce as ‘Wolfie’ Mozart and directed by Miloš Forman. Amadeus portrays Mozart as an arrogant, infantile, foul mouthed brat? But how historically accurate is that? And we also take a look at the supposed rivalry be…
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The Two Popes - starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, directed by Fernando Meirelles and written by Anthony McCarten - takes centre stage in this episode of the Historical Movies Podcast. We ask what the film makers got right and wrong in their depiction of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis and analyse the history of the Papacy shown in the mov…
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Legends of the Fall – is it the most ‘90s movies of all time? We take a look through this classic from 1994, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn and Julia Ormond. We discuss some of the history covered including the true story behind the World War I football in the trenches, why Americans went off to fight …
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The Historical Movies Podcast Mailbag! We answer (some of) your questions!
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After covering 25 movies on the podcast we take some time out to answer some of the comments and questions you've contacted us with - some of which may be of dubious origin but all of which stimulate our discussion. Enjoy! Contact us at [email protected] Ros and Bryce Evans
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Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon takes centre stage in this week’s episode of the Historical Movies Podcast. We talk through the history of the period, what makes this such a great movie and what it gets historically right and wrong. Plus the difficulty of actually ripping a sink off the wall, the…
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
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Aubrey and Maturin - best friends forever! We take a look through the brilliant Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The number one movie that deserved a sequel that it never got. We talk through the life and times of Thomas Cochrane – the real life inspiration behind Ja…
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We talk through Mississippi Burning, starring Gene Hack, Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand and take a look at the real history behind the events shown in the movie. We analyse the controversies surrounding it and ask whether it’s fundamentally racist, of it’s time, misunderstood or a luvvies’ version of a middle class angst-ridden redemption. Plus…
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We take a look at Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch (2015) AKA 'The VVitch' – starring Anya Taylor-Joy in her breakout role, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie and Harvey Scrimshaw. We talk through the history of witchcraft in early modern Europe and how it inspired this movie – with much of the dialogue being lifted directly from historical source…
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Interview with director Mark O'Connor: Historical Movies, Amongst the Wolves and Barry Keoghan
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Amongst the Wolves releases in Ireland and the UK on 2nd May 2025! We're joined by acclaimed director Mark O'Connor - writer and director of Between the Canals and Cardboard Gangsters - shortly before the release of his new film Amongst the Wolves. We go through Mark's favourite historical movies, his process and experience as a writer director and…
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We go through Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans (1992) starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Wes Studi and Steve Waddington and look at the history of the French and Indian War (the North American theatre of the the 7 Years War) which gives this film it's intriguing backdrop. We go into the background of James Fenimore Cooper's mid-eigh…
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Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren star in Anthony Mann's epic knight's tale El Cid. We take a look through the history behind the real Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid), the Reconquista and the Almoravid dynasty and ask whether El Cid was actually a chivalrous knight or ruthless mercenary? Plus: Heston and Loren's epic spat on set, the reason why Franc…
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Is this still the best Vikings movie ever made? We take a look at 1958's The Vikings starring Kirk Douglas (fufilling his childhood dream of playing a viking on screen), Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine. We take a look at how the production got a lot of the historical stuff right, how they were limited by their knowledge in 1950s and wh…
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Are the Brits simply too evil in this movie? And should we expect anything else from a Roland Emmerich/Mel Gibson movie? We take a look at The Patriot (2000) in this episode, going through the history, discussing the accuracies, inaccuracies and this movie's astonishing portrayal of slavery in 18th Century America. We take a look at the depiction o…
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Loved by terrorists and screened by the Pentagon, we talk through Gillo Pontecorvo's masterpiece of cinema; The Battle of Algiers. We go through the history this movie's based on and discuss its long-lasting influence and legacy; from initially being banned in France to being praised by directors such as Kubrick and Herzog. Plus; is this the antido…
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Prehistorical or prehisterical? We discuss Roland Emmerich's bizzare box office hit 10,000 BC from 2008. We rattle through the litany of (pre)historical inaccuracies from anachronistic Pyramids to the sextant (invented in 16th century AD) and ponder how this movie burnt through its eye-watering $105 million budget. Plus: Graham Hancock, 3 spurious …
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The Greatest war movie of all time? Steven Spielberg's revolutionary reimagining of the war film which influenced action cinema and war movies ever after. We take a look at some of the real history that inspired this movie and run through the unconventional yet ingenious way it was shot. Plus Tom Sizemore's career-best performance, Tom Hanks' love …
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This film doesn't have fans, just fanatics, although it seems like not man people have heard of it. Terrence Malick's wonderful movie The New World takes center stage for this episode. We talk through the history that provides the backdrop of this film: Pocahontas, John Smith and the founding of Jamestown. The clash of civilisations, what we've los…
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The one-take (that's actually at least 35 takes) wonder! We discuss Sam Mendes' 1917 and whether this movie fuctions better as an action movie than a war movie, in the traditional movie canon sense at least... Indiana Jones in the trenches or something deeper? Plus we go through the hisory that inspired the film, Operation Alberich, discuss why we …
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We chat through one of our all time favourite movies, Michael Collins (1996) and whether Hollywood's need for a hero means that Éamon de Valera gets unnecessarily cast as the villain. We discuss what makes this movie so great, go through the history between 1916 to 1922, discuss whether the recreation of Bloody Sunday (1920) went over the top and d…
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The movie that marooned Marlon Brando's career and signalled the start of his 'lean period', 1962's Mutiny on the Bounty. We talk through the differences between the real history and what the film portrays plus we discuss Marlon Brando's legendary on-set antics, what life was actually like in the 18th century navy and whether the ending of the movi…
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We love Historically inspired movies and if you do too, you’ll love the Historical Movies Podcast! I’m your host Ros Evans, I’m an editor with a background in archaeology and I’m joined in every episode by my brother, professor of modern history Bryce Evans. In every episode we have a good old chat about a historically inspired movie, going through…
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The most accurate Titanic movie ever except for Cameron's Hollywood Marxism? We talk about the 90s event that was Titanic and what director James Cameron was trying to say by focussing on (and making up?) the class issues on board RMS Titanic. Plus Billy Zane's eyeliner addiction, the power of nostalgia, the great Titanic door debate, and did the s…
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Over 3 million views on YouTube can't be wrong can it? We find out as we cover 'The Sniper', an Iranian movie following the exploits of legendary sniper Abdolrasoul Zarrin, who has the highest recorded kill count of any sniper in history with 740. We delve into the history of the Iran/Iraq war and the myths and truths about Zarrin. Plus we discuss …
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Mel Gibson's no stranger to historical inaccuracy but did he go too far in his depiction of the Maya in his brilliant, visceral jungle chase movie Apocalypto? We discuss the history behind this blockbuster, plus: is this the best loincloth movie of all time? Mel's subtle Midnight Cowboy reference and which exotic jungle death would Bryce prefer? Ha…
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Is this the most historically accurate film of all time? Quite possibly and we'll tell you why in this week's episode; Apollo 13. Plus: what being in space smells like. Is this the greatest nerds fixing problems movie of all time?Were there any members of Ron Howard's family NOT cast in this movie and the perfect sequel to Apollo 13 that you've pro…
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The rise to power, reign and assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the subject of Raoul Peck's 2000 movie Lamumba. We discuss the complex and facinating history behind the movie and discuss everything from Eriq Ebouaney's fine performance to anachronistic airplanes. Do you know where …
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“Are you not entertained?” To coincide with the release of Gladiator 2 this week, we take a trip back to the year 2000 and revisit Ridley Scott’s original swords and sandals classic. We talk through the history that inspired the movie, ask how accurate it is and get on to the important topic of Oliver Reed’s booze-fueled pugilistic antics with the …
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"Zulus sir! Thousands of 'em!" Stanley Baker, Michael Caine and Jack Hawkins star in Cy Endfield's depiction of the Battle of Rorke's Drift in this classic of '60s cinema. We discuss the real Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879 and the causes and outcomes of the Anglo-Zulu War. Plus what make '60s movies so unique and brilliant, is Hook the film's hero…
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Ep. 003 Marie Antoinette (2006) Let them eat cake, let them wear blue converse sneakers? We discuss Sofia Coppola's movie, based on the biography 'Marie Antoinette: The Journey' by Antonia Fraser and the life and times of the real Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. Is this lavish, over the top, some times anachronistic movie actually the m…
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Ep. 002 Braveheart (1995). "They'll never take our freedom!" rings out across the glens in Mel Gibson's take on the life of Scottish independence fighter William Wallace. There's no denying that Braveheart is a ripping 3 hours of fun but has Mel's gross flights of historically-inaccurate fancy gone too far or are they necessary for a ripping yarn? …
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Ep. 001 Napoleon (2023). Where better place to start this podcast than with possibly the biggest historical figure of them all - Napoleon. But is the incredible life of the Corsican general simply too grand to fit on the big screen? We discuss how the myth of Napoleon falls into the 'great man' theory of history. What director Sir Ridley Scott (fro…
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