Films

Here are some films I encountered in the course of creating the podcast, films set in the period and touching on topics we discussed that I found to be reasonably accurate and entertaining:

Nijinsky
directed by Herbert Ross

The script is witty (though a bit melodramatic), and the recreations of the Ballets Russes and of the historical period are topnotch. I only wish the ballet scenes were longer.

Nicholas and Alexandra
directed by Franklin Schaffner

The filmmakers kept the film as historically accurate as they could, even to the point of casting actors who closely resembled their characters. Of course, we know a few things today that we didn’t know in 1971.

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
directed by Ken Annakin

Loosely based on Lord Northcliffe’s cross-Channel challenge, the story of an international competition to be the first to fly from London to Paris. The Keystone Cops-style comedy relies heavily on stereotypes, but the airplanes are realistic reproductions of period aircraft.