The sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of the most famous tragedies in human history. Its most famous modern depictions are James Cameron’s “Titanic” and Roy Ward Baker’s “A Night to Remember.”
“A Night to Remember,” focuses more on the people of different classes who were on the ocean liner and how they struggled through the night to survive the disaster. The film portrays events in a gritty and realistic manner through the eyes of the ship’s second officer.
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain, based on the book of the same name, tells the tale of a wounded Confederate army deserter at the end of the Civil War, who travels home to reunite with his beloved. The characters are fictional, but the time and events depicted are not.
The film also gets high marks for its portrayal of what Southern women went through during the war. The film was a surprise hit at the box office, was well-received by critics, and won an Academy Award.
Zodiac
During the 1960s in Northern California, there was a serial killer famously dubbed the Zodiac Killer. Until this day he has never been identified or caught. The movie Zodiac tells the story of the hunt for him as it occurred.
Many viewers did appreciate the 18 months of research that went into the film, and the numerous details which shaped it into what some believe is Fincher’s best work.
Goodfellas
Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese picked up the book Wiseguy, a non-fiction novel on the life of mafia mobster-turned-informant Henry Hill, by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi and immediately knew he wanted to make a movie out of it.
Scorsese co-wrote the screenplay with Pileggi and they based everything that took place on Pileggi’s news reports and the famous Lufthansa airline heist in 1978. They tried to change the book as little as possible, but only make the adjustments necessary so that it would work on the big screen.
Joyeux Noel
French film Joyeux Noel tells the story of the World War I Christmas truce from the point of view of French, British, and German soldiers. It is a touching film about an informal truce that took place on the Western Front on Christmas Day in 1914.
The story may be hard to believe, but it is completely true. The characters in the film may be fictional, but everything else is based on fact. The film was even shot in three languages, French, English, and German.