From historical epics through to little-known but nevertheless engrossing real-life events, basing a film on a true story has always been a brilliant way to shine a light on humanity and, in many cases, prove that truth really is stranger than fiction. It can also add some authenticity and emotional punch, whether the movie in question is largely accurate (1967’s Zulu, 2014’s Selma and 2013’s F1 drama Rush, which you’ll also find in the Movies Based on a True Story Collection), kind-of accurate (Mel Gibson’s Oscar-scooping 1995 hit Braveheart, 2014 Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game, 2015 Oscar-winning drama The Revenant), or not a true story whatsoever, even if it claims to be (1996 Coen brothers hit Fargo, 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1999’s The Blair Witch Project).
Here's we take a look at the degrees of truth in some of the fantastic titles in our , and marvel at some of the incredible real events that have taken place…
Foxcatcher
In this gripping sports thriller, super-wealthy wrestling fan John du Pont (Steve Carell, proving his dramatic acting chops) builds a private wrestling training facility and invites Olympic gold medal-winning siblings Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave (Mark Ruffalo) Schultz to join ‘Team Foxcatcher’ and train for the World Championship. The brothers grow wary of du Pont’s increasingly erratic behaviour, which eventually turns deadly.
The broad strokes of the story are true, including the (spoiler alert!) murder of Dave by du Pont, with the real-life Mark Schultz tweeting in 2014 “Foxcatcher’s scenes are mostly straight out of my book [Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold], except a few. But the relationships and personalities are complete fiction.”
Foxcatcher is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Foxcatcher
Crime drama • docudrama • 2014
Crime drama • docudrama • 2014
The Professor and the Madman
Like your movies with a stellar cast and a dash of “wait - that really happened?!” The Professor and the Madman has got you covered.
In 1879 England, Professor James Murray (Mel Gibson) is given the job of compiling words for what will become the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. 10,000 of the included words are submitted by Dr William Chester Minor (Sean Penn), an inmate at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum who was found not guilty of murder due to insanity.
Although the film embellishes a romance between Minor and Eliza Merrett, the widow of the man Minor killed (worth noting the pair did become friendly, with Merrett gifting Minor several books), this is all true - including the fact that Winston Churchill takes pity on Minor and eventually deports him to America.
The Professor and the Madman is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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The Professor and the Madman
biography • Historical drama • 2019
biography • Historical drama • 2019
The Duke
Another strange-but-true one: In 1961, unemployed 60-year-old Kempton Bunton (a typically excellent Jim Broadbent) steals the painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya from the National Gallery in London. He then sends a series of ransom notes to the government, saying the painting will be returned if the elderly will be made exempt from having to pay for a TV licence (they were made free for over-75s in 2000).
Incredibly, this all happened, and caused quite a stir in the media and popular culture. The theft was referenced in an episode of TV’s The Goodies, as well as in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No during a scene where Bond spots the Portrait of the Duke of Wellington on the wall of villain Dr. No’s lair, pointing to him as the thief.
The Duke is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Ip Man
A hugely successful, action-packed biopic that spawned three sequels (find them in our ), this tells the story of Ip Man (played by Donnie Yen), a Wing Chun grandmaster who taught Bruce Lee the martial art. Set during the Sino-Japanese War, the movie depicts Ip confronting various hardships and engaging in duels with the Japanese, including going up against Consul General Miura Yoshiaki.
The filmmakers say they only planned to touch on the broad elements of Ip’s life, which they successfully achieve, while taking some dramatic license with the rest (for example, a few of the martial arts showdowns Ip has with the Japanese).
Ip Man is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Ip Man
action • biography • 2008
action • biography • 2008
The Forger
This inspiring, nail-biting true story centres on Cioma Schönhaus (Louis Hofmann), a 21-year-old Jew who evades the Gestapo in World War II Berlin - and saves the lives of countless others - thanks to his skill at forging identity documents that fool the Nazis. Using the identity of a marine officer that he creates for himself, Schönhaus hides in plain sight, plotting to escape the city as his forgery puts him in increasing danger.
This all happened, and real-life hero Schönhaus eventually escaped Berlin by utilising his forged identity and riding a bicycle to Switzerland, where he became a graphic designer and writer until his death in 2015.
The Forger is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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The Forger
Historical drama • 2022
Historical drama • 2022
Sissi
This delightful historical romance tells the story of Bavarian Princess Elisabeth “Sissi” Amalie Eugenie (Romy Schneider), a 16-year-old whose older sister Nené (Uta Franz) is set to marry their first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (Karlheinz Böhm). When Franz claps eyes on the livelier Sissi, he decides to marry her instead, causing a rift between the sisters.
While the film and its sequels, and , focus on the sweeping romance between Franz and Sissi, they also don’t shy away from some of the factually correct tougher elements of Sissi’s life, such as having her daughters taken away from her by domineering mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie (Vilma Degischer). The Empress's life has also been captured in three seasons of the drama series Sisi, also .
Sissi is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Sissi
Romantic comedy • 1955
Romantic comedy • 1955
Word of God
Based on Danish author and playwright Jens Blendstrup’s popular 2004 autobiography Gud Taler Ud (Word of God), this darkly comic film looks at Blendstrup’s childhood growing up with self-proclaimed ‘God’, his oddball psychologist father Uffe (Søren Malling). When Uffe decides to write a memoir, he creates chaos by inviting an assortment of rambunctious patients into the family home.
Blendstrup’s book spans over 20 years and is a collection of short stories and anecdotes, whereas the film (with Blendstrup played by Marcus Sebastian Gert) wisely focuses on an incident-packed 12 months, with a few separate events from other time periods, including a wedding, thrown in for dramatic effect.
Word of God is streaming at SBS On Demand.
