creekdipper

Considering that the film industry often seems at a loss for interesting or original plots, I'm sure that everyone in this forum has run across lots of great historical subjects for engaging films. I could mention a ton of them. Realizing that budgetary concerns or audience interest are essential factors in getting films made, what films would you like to see made? Assume a decent budget that would allow for an experienced director, cast, and crew.

To start off, I'd like to see the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was one of Russia's female snipers during WWII. Here are a few things that might make her film-worthy:

A. She is credited for 309 German kills including 36 snipers.

B. She was the first Soviet citizen to be received in the White House by an American President (FDR).

C. She was the subject of a popular folk song at the time ("Miss Pavlichenko")...written & performed by Woody Guthrie.

I'd think those stats alone provide the basis for an interesting story. The little bit I could find on her related an instance in which she managed to get her wounded male comrade back to their lines (his wounds were so severe that he succumbed). She has been on two Russian stamps, and she survived the war (I believe the brass pulled her out of fear of losing her propaganda/PR value (after she had been wounded by mortar fire), which is why she ended up in the U.S. giving speeches. She didn't make the top ten in terms of Russian sniper kills, but I believe #10 wasn't that far ahead of her (the top guy had about 779 confirmed kills).

Anyway, I know Enemy At the Gates featured a similar story of Russian snipers and a based-upon-a-true-story duel between Russian Jude Law & German Ed Harris, but seems that her story is just as or even more fascinating. There were several thousand female snipers in the Russian forces during the war...some with over 100 kills. I think what I read said that about 3/4 of them were killed. Pavlichenko was around 24 in 1941; some of the females were as young as 17 (maybe one was 15?), and their recruitment and training would make for some dramatic scenes. Youtube had a good clip of a female sniper team from a Russian film, and the scene was pretty intense.

BTW...Elizabeth Moss from Mad Men bears a very close resemblance to Lyudmila. There are clips of her making speeches in the U.S. I saw one pic that resembled Kiera Knightly, but most pics were closer to Moss (and she'd be more affordable, anyway!). Also, for Hollywood purposes, the pics of some of the snipers reveal some very attractive women, even by modern standards. Probably not what many would envision when imagining Russian female soldiers of that era. Check out the last pic below with the big smile and nice set of teeth!

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/pavlichenko.jpg
http://sooz.ru/uploads/posts/2011-07...snaiyper_1.jpg
http://fabiusmaximus.files.wordpress...avlichenko.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5129/5...ccf35921_z.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/zswdqh.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QwCdgissTg.../mankiller.jpg
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/20...ms-d6hs0if.jpg

Hiro11

This is a great idea for a thread. I'll take:

Jimi Hendrix. It's about time someone makes a movie about this guy. He was hugely influential but remains almost a total mystery. He was Otis Redding's guitarist, somehow wound up in the UK and went from a session musician to the most influential rock guitarist ever in about six months. Plays huge concerts, blows everyone's mind and then within four years he was dead.

Greg Noll and the birth of the modern North Shore of Hawaii. Lots of macho adventures featuring low rent housing, beat up pick-ups, early rock-n-roll, giant waves, pineapples and hot chicks. More Hell's Angels, less Gidget. Could make for a wild and fun movie if accurately portrayed.

Sam Giancana and his dealings with the movie industry, the CIA, JFK, Castro etc. We need a more factual history of this period than the one Oliver Stone made up. Giancana is a fascinating character that keeps popping up all over the place in history.

Pre-medieval silk road / central Asia. Byzantium, early Persia, Kievans, Khazars, Tartars, Franks, Rus, Mongols, Han, even Vikings were hanging around down there. Read "Gentlemen of the Road" by Michael Chabon or the Mongoliad for stories set in this incredibly fascinating time and place. This was arguably the cross roads of the world for a thousand years, there's immense amounts of history, lots of fascinating characters and interrelationships. The ancient world was much more mobile, nimble and complex than popularly believed. None of this is well known and you could easily write a bunch of good movies about the time.

Solid Snake

I couldn't remember her name but I remembered her kills. That is very impressive especially when comparing it to those who have high kills today. I'd argue that she was probably better than the best now. She does look like Moss a bit.

creekdipper

^ ^ ^

Those are some great ideas. There is actually a 2000 movie about Jimi (titled "Hendrix") featuring Wood Harris (mostly known for The Wire) in the title role. I've got the DVD but haven't ever watched it.

Solid Snake

I didn't get into Assassin's Creed Revelations much, got tired of AC a bit after trucking through AC1 (that's a hard one to be patient with) and the first 2 Ezio games. But it was neat that it took place in the region.

inri222

Iran–Contra - Bush, Reagan, North, weapons, rebels, cocaine

Fulgencio Batista - And you thought Castro was an asshole.....

Chilean coup of 1973 - How Pinochet got into power with help from the good 'ole US

Tarantino

Here's a thread about this same topic with lots of good answers in it:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/...ies-about.html

Tarantino

There's a biopic of Jimi Hendrix coming out this year. Andre 3000 is playing Hendrix.

Ash Ketchum

Back in high school, I was so turned on by THE WILD BUNCH that I cut school one day and went to the library to read up on the Mexican Revolution. (I ended up choosing it as a topic for my World History paper in Junior year.) One story I came across that would have made a great film is Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico, and General Pershing's expedition into Mexico to get him--which didn't have the desired result and the U.S. troops came back empty-handed. At the time I read about it, we were at the height of the Vietnam War and this subject would have allowed scenes that would have made an interesting parallel to the quagmire of Vietnam.

Solid Snake

... I think they made a film about this. Or maybe I'm just confusing it with the other Pancho Villa flicks.

inri222

Emmett Till

dugan

Emperor Justinian 1
The Battle of Tours
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest

Abob Teff

Checked out the last pick ... meh. Definitely looks like Madonna though!

Abob Teff

General Robert E. Lee's March to the Sea.

duff beer

^you mean Sherman

One guy attempted it but it ended up being a story of his love life or lack thereof in the 70s.

???? strange post??

Ash Ketchum

There's already a movie about that:

Groucho

cleaver

Simo Hayha AKA White Death, credited with the most confirmed sniper kills in modern war. Invented techniques such as chewing on snow so his breath wouldn't be visible and using iron sights rather than telescopic to remain lower to the ground and not reflect the sun. Killed 505 Soviets in the Winter War speeding up the process of the Nazis turning on the USSR and thus could be argued sped up WWII as much as any single person. Got his jaw shot off and lived to 92.

Bass Reeves (just ask Art from Justified) - the first black US Marshall. Born a slave he eventually was recruited to be a deputy in his late 30s and served the Marshall service for over 30 years during which he reportedly arrested over 3000 felons, including his own son. Never wounded though his hat and belt were shot off on multiple occasions.

Hiro11

BNot only was he not known, I'll bet 95% of Americans don't even know the Winter War was fought. Long story short: Finns are ridiculous badasses, don't mess with them. You thought the Battle of the Bulge was rough...

majorjoe23

Cars don't march, they drive. And sometimes make sweet jumps off ramps randomly placed around Hazzard County.

Decker

I've said before in this forum in some other thread : there should be a movie about the whole life of Charles Lindbergh. Yes, there's The Spirit of St Louis, but that's just up to the transatlantic flight. There's so much after : the kidnapping, the appeasement and isolationism, the years in solitude.
Seriously, he's one of the most iconic figures of the 20th Century and check out his IMDB page. Pretty minimal really.

dugan

They'd better use this song:

duff beer

I just read about this guy, impressive, when everyone thought the barbarians took it all over, he was like "i don't think so" and basically retook all the lost lands.

Abob Teff

Wait ... Sherman ... Lee ... now I am confused. One would be a good movie; the other would be a good Mel Brooks movie.

TheySentYou

a biopic on Ira Einhorn, the environmentalist and anti-war activist who was instrumental in the creation of what we know now as "Earth Day".. who murdered and hacked up his girlfriend and hid her body in a truck for over a year. creepy story.