Category Archives: Historical Film

Netflix’s Barbarians Series and German History

Posted on October 28, 2020 by briansandberg

A new Netflix series, entitled Barbarians, depicts warfare between the Roman Empire and Germanic peoples, culminating in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. According to The New York Times, “German nationalists, including the Nazis, have used the battle as an ideological … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Union, Historical Film, History in the Media, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Idea of Europe, Museums and Historical Memory, War and Society, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Historical Film

Posted on October 20, 2020 by briansandberg

I saw the new Aaron Sorkin film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, on Netflix over the weekend and would like to recommend the film to any students interested in historical film. Photo: Promotional poster for The Trial of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Comparative Revolutions, Crowd Studies, Historical Film, History in the Media, History of Violence, Human Rights, Illinois History and Society, Museums and Historical Memory, Northern Illinois University, Peacemaking Processes, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Revolts and Revolutions, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

D-Day 75th Anniversary

Posted on June 6, 2019 by briansandberg

Today is the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy during the Second World War.  So, the Second World War is front-page news today in news media around the world, and many of the reports have a direct link … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, Historical Film, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, War and Society, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Historians Consulting on Historical Films

Posted on February 17, 2019 by briansandberg

Historians often critique historical films through film reviews and newspaper articles that are written after the films are released or when Oscar nominations generate media buzz. Journalists sometimes ask historians to “fact check” and assess the “historical accuracy” of blockbuster … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers in History, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, European History, Historical Film, History in the Media, Museums and Historical Memory, Noble Culture and History of Elites, War in Film | Leave a comment

First World War Soldiers in Color

Posted on December 18, 2018 by briansandberg

Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old has been released in the United States, with screenings in selected cities this month. I was lucky to get to view the film yesterday in Chicago and want to offer some initial responses … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Film, History in the Media, History of Violence, War and Society, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Ken Burns Defends the Humanities

Posted on May 10, 2016 by briansandberg

Historical filmmaker Ken Burns delivered the Jefferson Lecture at the National Endowment for the Humanities on 9 May 2016. Inside Higher Ed reports that “Ken Burns, the documentary maker who brought the Civil War, the histories of baseball and jazz, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Historical Film, History in the Media, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History, War and Society, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Révoltes et révolutions à l’écran

Posted on July 21, 2015 by briansandberg

I am happy to announce that a new edited volume has been published on Révoltes et révolutions à l’écran. Europe moderne, XVIe-XVIIIe siècle (Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2015). My chapter, entitled “Les révoltes nobiliaires et les histoires confessionnelles : représentations … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, French Wars of Religion, Historical Film, History in the Media, History of Violence, Political Culture, Revolts and Revolutions, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Fear and Racism in Film

Posted on February 8, 2015 by briansandberg

Racism seems to feed on intense fears, portraying ethnic groups as representing an exaggerated threat to social order, employment, and family life. For over a hundred years, films have played an important role in the construction of racial stereotypes, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, European History, Historical Film, History of Violence, Human Rights, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

First World War in Film

Posted on July 31, 2014 by briansandberg

This week marks the centennial of the outbreak of the First World War. Numerous new books and articles are remembering the war and its terrible destruction. I was recently conducting research in France and was impressed by the crowded window … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Film, History of Violence, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Tanks in World War II Films

Posted on July 30, 2014 by briansandberg

Fury, a new World War II film, will be released this fall, presenting the perspective of United States tank crews fighting in Germany toward the end of the war in Europe. The film focuses on a Sherman tank named Fury … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, Historical Film, History of Violence, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment