Fall movies put history on screen
Sometimes, history can provide more genuine suspense and thought-provoking drama than a battalion of furious storm troopers. This fall, three movies based on events are opening at theaters. Here is a synopsis of each:
In the Heart of the Sea: Based on a book by Nathaniel Philbrick, In the Heart of the Sea, the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (Penguin; 2001), this is a classic story of survival. In 1820, the whaleship Essex from Nantucket, Massachusetts, was rammed by a sperm whale in the South Pacific. It sank, leaving its crew adrift. The tragedy inspired Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick. Directed by Ron Howard, the movie boasts a stellar cast -- led by Chris Hemsworth -- and eye-popping special effects. It opens Dec. 11.
Trumbo: The blacklisting of artists in the late 1940s and 1950s has been explored in books, movies and documentaries. But a new movie focuses on Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976), one of the Hollywood Ten -- motion-picture producers, directors and screenwriters who refused to answer the questions about their alleged Communist affiliations when called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947.
Trumbo and the others did time in jail. (Bertolt Brecht was the exception. He fled the country, according to Encyclopedia Britannica online.) Penalized for their beliefs by being blacklisted from the film business, some, including Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), continued writing using pseudonyms. The movie, based on the book, Trumbo, by Bruce Cook (Grand Central Publishing reissue; 2015), opens everywhere on Thanksgiving and is at select theaters Nov. 6.)
Truth: In 2004, a CBS news team’s explosive 60 Minutes II piece questioned whether President George W. Bush went AWOL while in the National Guard -- and got away with it. The story soon came under fire when questions arose about the authenticity of documents used in the report. In the fallout, Dan Rather, news anchor, resigned, and award-winning producer, Mary Mapes, was fired. Several others at the network were asked to resign.
Based on Mapes’s book, Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power, (St. Martin's Griffin; 2006), the movie convincingly offers an inside look at the pressure-cooker world of network news. But the best moments are offered by dialogue illuminating the premise underlying the controversial story: During the Vietnam War, prominent movers and shakers pulled strings to help their sons duck duty. It is also worth seeing to watch Robert Redford channel Rather. Cate Blanchett, as always, turns in a memorable performance, this time as Mapes. (Now playing.)
Related:
Bridge of Spies: A Cold War Thriller
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