Category Archives: Historic

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Chaplin (1992)

Chaplin

When it comes to the stars of the silent era I must admit that I do not have a lot of knowledge about them and haven’t seen too many of their movies. Last year was the first time I saw a Buster Keaton (The General, which is one of the most amazing movies involving a train) or Charlie Chaplin movie. The first Chaplin movie I saw was actually a “talkie”, The Great Dictator which I absolutely loved and gave a 10. After this I wanted to see more of his movies (have seen City Lights, The Gold Rush and The Kid), but still love that movie the most. I didn’t know anything about Charlie Chaplin when he wasn’t in front of the camera and this biopic about the man filled in that blank. Continue reading →

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Schindler’s List (1993)


There are some movies which you know you really have to see, but somehow never had. The reason I didn’t watch Schindler’s List before was mainly because of its heavy subject matter and it’s length. Before you watch it you already know it’s going to be tough to watch and that you won’t be feeling very happy afterwards. It might have taken some years, but now I finally have seen it and what an amazing piece of cinema it is. Continue reading →

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The Elephant Man (1980)

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “The Elephant Man”? As I grew up in the eighties, my first response would be Michael Jackson as there were rumours then that he wanted to buy the bones of the elephant man. He even parodied it himself in his “Leave Me Alone” video. As it turns out it is also the name of this movie, which tells the story of John Merrick (John Hurt), a man who had many deformities and for a long time was lived his life as curiosity in a travelling carnival show. Continue reading →

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The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Joan of Arc’s story is an amazing one. She was a peasant girl who was sent on a relief mission when Orléans was under siege. She went against the cautious attitude of local war council and led several succesfull attacks to conquer new territory from the English. She managed to do this for a while but was captured. Although she tried to escape several times (one time jumping from a height of 21 metres (70 foot)) she didn’t succeed to do so. On 9 January 1431, when she was 19, her trial began and this is the focus of this silent film. Continue reading →

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Sonny Boy (2011)

Sonny Boy is a movie that is an adaptation of a book with the same title, written by Annejet van der Zijl. It tells the true story of Waldemar Nods (played by Sergio Hasselbaink) who left Surinam in the twenties last century to study in the Netherlands. It’s a big change in environment and people look at him differently because of his color. He meets Rika (Ricky Koole), a mother who has left her husband together with her children. As she struggles with her ex she also has issues being able to earn enough money to keep a roof above her head. Although the two of them initially don’t have a lot of contact, but their feelings for each other grow and together they try to build a life together. Turns out that this not very easy because of their different color of skin, preconceptions and a world war. Continue reading →

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Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Flags of Our Fathers showed the American side of the battle to conquer the island Iwo Jima, which was a very important island for strategic reasons as it would give the Americans a base to start their attack on Japan. Letters from Iwo Jima tells the other side of the story and focusses on how the Japanese prepared to protect their island. Continue reading →

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A Film Unfinished (2010)

Even though it’s already more than sixty years ago since the second world war happened, the events that took place during this war still make a big impression. It’s almost impossible to comprehend what the Nazis did with people and it has been the subject of hundreds of movies. A Film Unfinished is a documentary about the ghetto in Warsaw, one of the biggest that was created by the Nazis. Continue reading →

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Flags of our Fathers (2006)

Images can be very powerful. The can change someones opinion or generate a specific feeling about a war. Lots of war have one iconic image which people will remember when you mention it. If you think about Vietnam, a lot of people will know the picture of a man being executed by the army. If you think about the war in Iraq, the video of Sadam’s statue being taken down jumps to mind. Countries use these images effectively to shape an opinion, even though the reality might be different.

Flags of Our Fathers focusses on the picture of American soldiers raising the flag on the island of Hiroshima. It was a picture which was used to give the American people hope, but it was also used as something to raise money to fund the war. Continue reading →

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Bastards of the Party (2005)

Gangs have been around for several decades. Especially at the beginning of the nineties, when gangster rap was listened to all around the globe everyone started to learn more about them. Various movies were made about these groups and outside America gangs were formed with the same names as the original American gangs (in The Hague, Netherlands there is a Crips gang as well, which was subject of the 2009 documentary Crips, Strapped ‘n Strong). Bastards of the Party is a documentary which investigates the history of gangs and what caused these groups to form. Continue reading →