Film reviews
U-571
It may be have the right period details, but this purely imaginary tale purporting to show that the Americans, and not the Brits, captured a vital Enigma codebook in 1942 fails to win over Daniel Lee.
Scandal
Aleks Sierz finds this version of the Profumo affair just a bit too rose-tinted.
- El Cid
Jonathan Phillips reveals that this 1961 biopic of the medieval Spanish hero portrays a man and an age that modern scholarship has left behind. - Cromwell
Claims for artistic licence do not warrant the misrepresentations of the Civil War hero in this 1970 film, says Blair Worden. - Witchfinder
General
According to Malcolm Gaskill, this 1968 film set in Civil War England – a period-piece about love and loss, exploitation and vengeance – self-consciously manipulates the known facts. - Restoration
A fun film that, according to Justin Champion, gives a slightly more plausible account of the culture of Charles II’s court than many others. - Waterloo
According to Gordon Corrigan, this 1970 commercial flop gives a good impression of the battle and deserved better. - The Charge of the Light
Brigade
Saul David argues that this 1969 film is marked by compression of chronology and the assigning of the deeds of some historical figures to others. - Zulu Dawn
This 1979 film about the 1879 battle of Isandlwana, says Ian Knight, sacrifices historical accuracy to commercial blandness. - Citizen Kane
Former war correspondent Christy Campbell looks at the truth behind Orson Welles’ exposé of an American press baron. - The Life and Death
of Colonel Blimp
While it caused a furore in wartime Britain, says Robin Cross, this 1943 film has grown in stature with each passing year. - Sink the Bismarck
If you want an accessible version of the dramatic pursuit of the Bismarck in May 1941, this 1960 film is, according to Dr Eric Grove, as good a place to start as any. - U-571
It may be have the right period details, but this purely imaginary tale purporting to show that the Americans, and not the Brits, captured a vital Enigma codebook in 1942 fails to win over Daniel Lee. - Saving Private Ryan
With only a few reservations, Matthew Reynolds gives the thumbs-up to this story of the D-Day landings and beyond. - Scandal
Aleks Sierz finds this version of the Profumo affair just a bit too rose-tinted.
