I sometimes wish that I had the money to make a Hollywood movies about history – or even several of them. I have all kinds of ideas about historical movies that would be great for this. Some of them might even make money – at least, if they were done right. But since I don't think I'll be able to do this myself, I'll put these ideas out there, and hope that some Hollywood producer will take some of my best ideas. (They wouldn't even have to give me screen credits for them … )
“Crusader”: Frederick Douglass's years as a slave, and his escape to the North
For example, I think a biopic about Frederick Douglass would make a great movie. You could dramatize his experiences as a slave, then his escape to the North, and then his early years as an abolitionist. The material's there – he has an awesome autobiography called “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (written by himself).” It's dramatic stuff, much like a Dickens novel, and might make for a great movie.
Frederick Douglass, an antislavery leader who was himself a former slave
“Grant”: Ulysses S. Grant's years as a Union general in the Civil War
For the war movies market, I think a biopic about Ulysses S. Grant could make a great movie. You wouldn't have to do his whole life (in “cradle-to-grave” fashion), but just his years as a general in the Civil War. That's the most dramatic part of his life, I think, and the portion that receives the most coverage in his memoirs. The material's there, because his memoirs were a bestselling book, written while he was dying of throat cancer. One could even start the movie at the time when he started writing his memoirs, and tell all of the rest of the story in a flashback to his Civil War days. If done right, I think that such a movie would have enormous potential.
Ulysses S. Grant writing his memoirs on his front porch, while dying of throat cancer
“Lewis and Clark”: The epic journey of exploration that included Sacajawea
You could do a fascinating movie about Lewis and Clark. The journey involved 33 people, and lasted for more than two years. It involved frontier exploration, political diplomacy, and scientific discoveries. When Ken Burns made a documentary about it for PBS, it was the second-most-popular film in PBS history, surpassed only by “The Civil War.” There are diaries from the expedition members, including those from Lewis and Clark themselves. There are race relations angles here, too, from both the presence of Sacajawea and from the expedition's diplomacy with the Indians. I'm surprised that Hollywood hasn't already made something about it, since it's such a fascinating story.
Meriwether Lewis (left) and William Clark (right)
“Saratoga”: The battle that was the turning point of the American Revolution
Another possibility for the war movies market would be to cover the Battle of Saratoga (technically two battles). This was the turning point of the Revolutionary War – since before it, Americans were fighting on their own against the British. After the battle, the French saw that the Americans could win, and thus decided to enter the war on the American side. You could dramatize Benjamin Franklin's diplomacy with France at the beginning and end of the movie, showing the stark contrast in how he was received before Saratoga versus afterwards. On the British side, one could cover the surrender of General John Burgoyne to the Americans, or the death of General Simon Fraser at Bemis Heights. You could also cover their Hessian (German) allies, led by Baron Riedesel. And on the American side, you could cover the incompetent general Horatio Gates, the future traitor Benedict Arnold (who ironically fought quite well for the Americans during this particular battle), and rifleman Daniel Morgan – one of the real heroes of Saratoga, and one of the unsung heroes of the entire American Revolution.
Benedict Arnold at Battle of Bemis Heights (Saratoga)
“Gadfly”: The trial, imprisonment, and execution of Socrates
For ancient history, I think a dramatization of the trial of Socrates could make a great movie. You could show the events leading up to his arrest, where he angered the local “powers that be” in Athens by making them look stupid. You could depict the trial itself, and incorporate both the eyewitness testimony and the secondhand testimony. You could depict the attempts of his friends to get him to escape from prison, with his refusal to even attempt to escape. You could depict the execution, as he drank the hemlock poison that was the means of execution. And finally, you could depict his martyrdom after his death, as Socrates finally began to be looked upon as a heroic figure. (You could even adapt the Broadway play “Socrates on Trial,” and purchase the rights from them to adapt it into a film.)
The execution of Socrates, which was by drinking hemlock poison
“1983”: Three crises from the Cold War, including two close brushes with nuclear war …
And for more modern subjects, I'd love to see someone dramatize a crucial period for the Cold War in a single movie. You could call it “1983,” and dramatize three of the critical events of that year. These would be when the Soviets shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (a major international incident), the Soviet nuclear false alarm incident of that year (where they thought that they were under attack by the Americans), and “Able Archer 83” (where the Soviets thought that the American simulation of a nuclear war might be a prelude to the real thing). You could even tell much of that story from the Russian side (you'd almost have to do that), and make quite a movie about it.
A Soviet Sukhoi SU-15 Interceptor, of the kind that shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007
Closing thoughts, and invitation to give some suggestions of your own
I hasten to add that these aren't the only great ideas for a possible history movie. But I believe that these ideas have potential, and that Hollywood should consider using them. (If you want to add your own suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or two on this post.)
Has Hollywood history always been so bad?
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