True Stories
True Stories are those based (sometimes loosely!) on fact. They cover topics as diverse as drug addiction, poverty, political unrest, the corruption of power, alcoholism, class divisions, sexual inequality, mental illness and other human struggles. Meet some of history's most intriguing characters, find out what it's really like to climb a mountain or paint a masterpiece. Truly, the True Story is one of cinema's most engaging and enthralling genres.
Bio-pics feature in this section and are also gathered together separately under the 'Biography' sublink left.
Pictured: Inside the Las Vegas mob, Scorsese's unromantic 'Goodfellas'
The Desert Rats (1953)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Wise
Starring: Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton
Richard Burton leads the hopelessly outnumbered, but stubbornly defiant, Australian 9th Division in their heroic stand against Rommel (James Mason) in... Read more
5 Fingers (1952)
7.8/10
Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Starring: James Mason, Michael Rennie, Danielle Darrieux
During World War II, the valet for the British ambassador in Turkey tires of his job and plans to photograph secret documents belonging to his employe... Read more
Joan of Arc (Bergman) (1948)
6.7/10
Director: Victor Fleming
Starring: Cecil Kellaway, Francis L Sullivan, Gene Lockhart, Hurd Hatfield, Ingrid Bergman...
The life story of one of history's most remarkable heroines is boldly brought to the screen in this Academy Award winning production, an epic tale of... Read more
The Perils Of Pauline (1947)
7.1/10
Director: George Marshall
Starring: Betty Hutton, John Lund, Constance Collier
Hold tight for this one! It's one harrowing escape after another. Betty Hutton comes on like fireworks in this witty comedy about the former star of t... Read more
Anna And The King Of Siam (1946)
7.1/10
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Lee J Cobb
A sumptuous production chronicling the experiences of a British governess in 19th Century Thailand and her battle of wits with a strong-willed ruler.... Read more
Dillinger (1945)
6.6/10
Director: Max Nosseck
Starring: Anne Jeffreys, Lawrence Tierney, Edmund Lowe
One of the first Hollywood crime dramas based on an actual figure (although the script strays somewhat from the true story), this bullet-riddled saga... Read more
Open City ( aka Rome, Open City ) (1945)
6.4/10
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Starring: Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi, Marcello Pagliero
Aka "Roma, Citta Aperta". A superb film based on the true story of Don Morosi, a priest and resistance worker shot by the Germans in wartime Rome. Fil... Read more
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
7.5/10
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Starring: Robert Walker, Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Phyllis Thaxter
This exciting true-life adventure is about the first bombing attack on Tokyo during WW II. It follows Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) and his m... Read more
Sergeant York (1941)
7.8/10
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: Gary Cooper, George Tobias, Joan Leslie, Walter Brennan
Torn between religious pacifism and patriotism, Alvin York of Tennessee went on to become World War I's most acclaimed hero. As the simple backwoods f... Read more
That Hamilton Woman (1941)
7.3/10
Director: Alexander Korda
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Alan Mowbray
AKA 'Lady Hamilton'. An excellent film about Nelson's lifelong relationship with Emma Hamilton that is somewhat glamorised and stiff but generally ex... Read more