The Historical Movies Podcast

Wolfgang Petersen’s Das Boot (1981) is widely regarded as one of the greatest submarine films ever made: a claustrophobic, technically obsessive portrayal of life aboard a German U-boat during the Battle of the Atlantic. But how historically accurate is it really?
Could a submarine actually survive the terrifying punishment shown in the film? Is it too sympathetic to the submariners fighting on the wrong side of history? And is it guilty of airbrushing out support for the regime?
In this episode of Historical Movies, we dive deep into the history and engineering behind Das Boot — from the real experiences of German U-boat crews to the astonishing technical detail that made the film feel unlike any other WWII movie.
How accurate were the cramped conditions, combat tactics, and mechanical systems aboard a Type VIIC submarine? Could U-96 really have survived those crushing depths and relentless depth-charge attacks? Or would the pressure hull have catastrophically failed long before? We also explore the real Battle of the Atlantic, the psychology of submarine warfare, and why veterans and naval historians still praise Das Boot more than 40 years later.
We discuss:
• The real history behind U-96 and Germany’s U-boat campaign
• Life aboard a WWII Type VIIC submarine
• Test depth, crush depth, and whether the film’s final dive is remotely survivable
• Diesel-electric engines, battery systems, and underwater endurance
• Historical inaccuracies, Hollywood exaggerations, and details the movie gets shockingly right
• Why Das Boot still feels more authentic than most modern war films
Plus: the morality of submarine warfare, the exhaustion and fear experienced by real crews, and whether Das Boot is ultimately an anti-war masterpiece disguised as a naval thriller.

📩 Think U-96 could really have survived the final dive? Have a favourite submarine film or historical movie we should cover? Email us at [email protected] or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social. #DasBoot #WWII #MilitaryHistory #Submarines #NavalHistory #WolfgangPetersen #UBoat #FilmHistory #HistoricalMovies #WarMovies

Fitzcarraldo (1982), directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski, is one of the most infamous productions in film history — a movie about obsession that was itself created through obsession. But how much of this Amazonian fever dream is rooted in real history?
We explore the true story behind Fitzcarraldo, from the rubber boom in Peru to the real-life figure who inspired the film, Carlos Fermín Fitzcarrald. What drove European entrepreneurs deep into the jungle in search of fortune? And how accurately does the film depict the brutal economic and colonial realities of the late 19th-century Amazon?
We also go behind the scenes of Herzog’s legendary production — from hauling a real steamship over a mountain to the volatile relationship between Herzog and Kinski. Was this filmmaking genius, reckless ambition, or something closer to madness? And does the story of the film’s creation ultimately overshadow the story it’s trying to tell?
Plus: opera in the jungle, cinematic obsession taken to the extreme, the fine line between art and exploitation, and whether Fitzcarraldo is the ultimate “impossible film” ever made.
📩 Think Herzog crossed the line — or created a masterpiece? Have a favourite story about chaotic film productions? Email us at [email protected] or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

The Crying Game (1992), written and directed by Neil Jordan and starring Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Forest Whitaker and Jaye Davidson, became one of the most talked-about films of the 1990s — largely because of a twist that audiences were begged not to reveal. But how well does it hold up, and how does it sit within the real history of The Troubles?
We explore the historical background behind The Crying Game, from the IRA’s campaign in Northern Ireland to the politics of hostage-taking, informers and splintered loyalties in the late twentieth century. How accurately does the film depict the Provisional IRA? What does it get right about the psychology of paramilitarism — and where does it lean into thriller convention?
We also dig into the famous twist: why it landed with such force in 1992, how it was marketed, and whether it overshadowed the film’s deeper themes of identity, performance and belonging. Was this really a shock for shock’s sake, or something more subversive?
Plus: accidental love stories, 90s awards-season politics, the strange art of spoiler campaigns, and whether this is actually one of the most misunderstood historical films of its decade.
📩 Remember the first time you saw The Crying Game? Think the twist still works? Or want to talk about cinema and The Troubles more broadly? Email us at [email protected] or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

An Extra few minutes discussing what we didn't get around to covering in the main episode.
📩 Stormed an island lately? Got thoughts on wartime ethics or your favourite men-on-a-mission classic? Email us at [email protected] or find us @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

The Guns of Navarone (1961) - the greatest commando movie ever made - was, despite the swashbuckling adventure and high body-count, conceived as an anti-war, pacifist movie.
We uncover the little-know fact that producer Carl Foreman (blacklisted from Hollywood) wrote the screen play as a strongly anti-war movie and was backed-up by stars of the movie Gregory Peck and Stanley Baker who both wanted to make a pacifist film.
Directed by J. Lee Thompson and also starring David Niven, Anthony Quail and Anthony Quinn we explore the real history behind The Guns of Navarone. From the Dodecanese Campaign in the Aegean during World War II to the real life inspiration for the gigantic guns themselves. Plus we look at the fantastic job Carl Foreman undertook in adapting Alistair McLean’s book for the big screen.
Plus: Gregory Peck’s tortured eyebrow acting, David Niven weaponising sarcasm, exploding fortresses before CGI, and whether this really is the best commando movie ever.
📩 Stormed an island lately? Got thoughts on wartime ethics or your favourite men-on-a-mission classic? Email us at [email protected] or find us @hmpodcast.bsky.social.