The Great Escape
It may be a classic but can it live up to history? In this episode Gaz and Mel take on one of Hollywood’s classic war movies, The Great Escape (1963). How does it compare to the true story? How difficult was it directing Steve McQueen? We also discuss the true military experiences of Donald Pleasence, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, and Hannes Messemer.
Directed by the legendary John Sturges and starring Steve McQueen as Virgil Hilts in the role that would make him a Hollywood icon.
Real Movies Fake History is hosted by two friends, Gaz (the film nerd) and Mel (the history expert), who each episode discuss, debate and laugh about the real history behind diverse and important cinema.
We seek to discover the true story behind films apparently based on a true story. With a particular interest in gender and cultural representation, we love nothing more than to speak on how a particular film represents the world around us.
Join us as we talk about movies, history, and the truth in between. New episodes launch every month.
As sign-posted by the unfairly maligned girl-power scene in Avengers: Endgame, having three female leads in a $270 million dollar blockbuster is a step in the right direction, if a lately plotted one. It’s a shame the enormous and over-compensated human machinery of the Marvel Studios empire have simply fumbled the task of placing them in a story that illustrates their talents. As we watch the effective charisma of each performer fly across the screen, we’re assaulted with an abundance of dull, gentrified storytelling from a studio suffering from it’s own success.
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Unfortunately The Matrix Resurrections is another reminder that this series has only ever had enough strong narrative ideas for a single entry. While Lana Wachowski provides some throwback moments for fans of the original 1999 release, what is incredible is how dated the execution feels.