Many films have tried dealing with the difficult subject of slavery in America, but making a well-balanced, thoughtful film is no easy task. The movie is an adaptation of the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup of the same name.
The memoir offers an unpleasant look at his time as a slave. Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen beautifully captures the horrific way in which Northup is treated, but also his complex relationships with other slaves, slave owners, and other free men.
Gangs of New York
While many of the characters in the film are based on actual people, some are fictional. The film, however, is accurate in its depiction of the realities of New York City in 1863. Many of the gangs that appeared in the film actually existed at the time.
Scorsese also spent a lot of time and money on making sure that the New York in the film was authentic. Historian Tyler Anbinder was impressed with the sets and said that they, "couldn't have been much better".
All the President's Men
This film recounts the exact chain of events that led to the discovery of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex, and the political aftermath that would eventually lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
The film is based on the book written by journalists Bob Woodard and Carl Bernstein, they are the ones who revealed the scandal to the public. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman even spent time in the newsroom where the story broke.
Apollo 13
The film gets the story as close to true events as possible in Ron Howard’s Apollo 13, it came out 25 years after the harrowing mission took place. Howard waited until film technology had improved enough so that he could capture the exact feeling of the Apollo 13 mission.
All the details of the spacecraft are spot on, and the actors manage to portray what the astronauts went through so convincingly, that viewers felt like they were right there with them.
Downfall
"Downfall," tells the story of the German Chancellor's last days and succeeds, at least partially, to make one of the most hated men in history somewhat relatable. This portrayal caused quite a stir because many people felt that the Chancellor should not be humanized.
Although not much information exists about what actually took place in the bunker in the last ten days of his life, director Oliver Hirschbiegel tried to be as accurate as possible.