What historical events or people would make a good film?

You don't have to portray him as a flawless hero, but you don't have to portray him as a complete villain either. He wasn't an evil man. As another user said, you're acting as if every waking minute of Jackson's life was spent trying to screw over Native Americans.

edited 24th Sep '15 12:59:41 PM by Jenaiqueserasera

If it's what Doush said and the film takes the Warts and All approach, that's also fine. Then it would be a biography seeking to show the historical truth. But that's not what was initially suggested, which was a straight-up action hero film with a straight-up action hero that wants audiences wishing to be like him. Instead let him not be portrayed as Rambo, or as Hitler, but as Jackson, and then the audience can make up their own minds.

edited 24th Sep '15 1:04:33 PM by Tuckerscreator

That's the idea.

Regarding underrepresented wars, are there any films based on the War of the Triple Alliance or the second Congo War?

Two words: Mariya Oktyabrskaya.

Summary: Soviet lady's husband is killed in WW 2. She flips her shit, sells all her possessions, buys and donates tank to Soviet army on the condition she drives it. She did, and goddamn she kicked ass.

The fact Hollywood HASN'T made a movie about her is appalling.

ENTIRELY AGREED. And there was that amusing fanart of her a couple months ago.

Give her a scene too where she meets Alexandra Boiko (another tank warrior) and Lyudmila Pavlichenko, even if it's in the afterlife.

edited 24th Sep '15 3:46:30 PM by Tuckerscreator

I'm Argentinian, I'd like the war of the triple alliance to be adapted to film, yes, with Warts and All.

Since we're talking about south america, most of our independence wars and the Argentinian Civil War would be extremely interesting to watch.

I haven't ever seen a movie about the Paraguayan War, no. I have seen a few movies that end up marginally talking of it due the fact it's set around the same period (like Brazilian biopic Neto Loses His Soul, which follows the career of Neto who fought in said war, but never showcases the war directly).

But it's a war far too big to show with just one event. If I had to pick, I'd have a movie about the Battle of Ytororo.

Picture this: In the time of the most destructive war of modern age, the armies stand in a standstill, thousands of young men and civilians die. In this time of despair the Brazilian Empire calls Marquis of Caxias, their most brilliant military mind, retired and weary of war, back into the battlefield. Marquis of Caxias is old and frail (and suffering from severe liver problems), but yet he must put the Allied forces back into shape and develop a daring stratagem to crush the Paraguyan stronghold in a mad gambit that leads up to a mighty battle that takes up in a bridge.

The Battle includes ridiculous shit like Col. Gurjão riding towards a hail of gunfire while shouting "See how a Brazilian man dies!" and subsequently dying, then the Allied troops retreating en masse only for Marquis Caxias, aged 65, to ride through the troops screaming "THOSE WHO ARE TRUE BRAZILIANS, FOLLOW ME!" and riding, alone, towards the Paraguayans, prompting his army to go "holy shit" and do a 180 from a retreat to a charge.

Anyone want to make one on King Sejong?

So uh, since this thread has a concentration of people who know a lot about history, wondered if anyone could help me with this book I inquired about in You Know That Show.

So, there's this book I checked out when I was in college that was about a British (I think Irish but could have been English, Scottish, or Welsh) mercenary who served abroad (I think in Germany and/or Russia). The book was either a biography or autobiography or somewhere in between- IIRC it had a modern editor.

I've tried to do some googling and Patrick Gordon sort of sounds like the person, but doesn't seem to fit the book I'm remembering.

I believe the book referenced the person being a rogue or scoundrel and what stood out to me is how the guy sounded a lot like Barry Lyndon, but was a real person (assuming that the book isn't fiction presented as a real memoir along the lines of Flashman).

I've thought the life of Nancy Spungen would be an interesting movie. But it would be pretty heartbreaking as well as having loads of [1], especially if told from her mother's perspective (I got the idea while reading her book).

edited 8th Oct '15 2:28:32 AM by DreamCord

edited 7th Oct '15 8:26:22 PM by DreamCord

Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. It's the first ever tank vs tank conflict, as well as the largest (and one of the only) German tank attack of the war.

Better yet, the tank battle eventually comes down to a one-on-one duel between the lead German tank under Lt. Wilhelm Blitz and the lead British tank under Lt. Frank Mitchell. Mitchell won the battle, but saw his tank knocked out soon afterwards. Then that night he and Blitz snuck back through their respective lines to retrieve their tanks.

John W. Brinkley, a charlatan and quack who rose to prominence and great riches in the 1920s and 30s by convincing people that sticking the testes of goats into their bodies would increase their sexual virility.

When the medical board of the state of Kansas revoked his license, he ran for governor, and nearly won.

When the FCC tried to put his radio station out of existence, he built a 100,000 watt blaster across the border in Mexico.

Killed a few dozen people, never punished for it.

There's an immensely entertaining book called "Charlatan" by Pope Brock. The tone of the book is rather snarky and sarcastic. It would be good for the Coen Brothers if the Coen Brothers ever did a movie based on real life.

Good suggestion.

Speaking of that era, I was thinking about Roy Olmstead, subject of a famous Supreme Court case. What's interesting about the guy is he's like the antithesis of the traditional gangster narrative. He was a cop turned bootlegger but seems to have been an all around good person and never used violence. And he sold good quality stuff smuggled from Canada.

Because of his personality and the fact that the Pacific Northwest is an unusual setting for a Prohibition film, I was thinking Wes Andersen would be well suited for a film of him- or if a more sentimental angle was pursued, Steven Spielberg (especially if the movie focused on the Supreme Court case and the aftermath).

Oddly, the episode of The Simpsons where Homer became the "Beer Baron" is a reasonably accurate telling of Olmstead's story.

Edit- Another that came to mind was Morris "Two-Gun" Cohen. He'd be a great subject for a Cohen Brother's film (pun not intended).

edited 9th Oct '15 4:28:06 PM by Hodor2

Are there any movies about the Ming Dynasty?

Battle of Caen.

George Remus! Lawyer, bootlegger. Murdered his wife after she threw him over, shacked up with another man, and stole all his money. Got away with it when the jury let him off. Was a Third-Person Person. Briefly portrayed in Boardwalk Empire.

1944 or 1346?

Recently I thought of a hypothetical one about the two hurricanes that devastated the Mongol Empire's navy and saved Japan.

I'd like a Biopic about Emperor Norton.

Emperor Norton is a brilliant idea.

The homeless guy who tried to abolish Congress, outbuy China, and annex Mexico?

edited 14th Oct '15 9:17:39 AM by Tuckerscreator

If that aint a good Hollywood biopic, I dont know what is.

Anyways, another suggestion: L Ron Hubbard. Regardless of what you think of him and of what he inspired, you cant deny that seeing how it all went down would be intriguing. That, or the potential controversy over whether making this movie is a good idea as it may rattle the cages of "a certain group" who do have a few fingers in Hollywood's pie.

edited 14th Oct '15 9:33:24 AM by nervmeister

30,000 San Franciscans turned out for his funeral. There is a for-real effort to rename the Bay Bridge the Emperor Norton bridge (he called for one in his proclamations).

He once issued a proclamation specifically banning the term "Frisco."

Brilliant. Someone needs to call Spielberg.

edited 14th Oct '15 10:34:20 AM by gallium