The Historical Movies Podcast

• Walk the Line (2005)

  Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon takes centre stage in this week’s episode of the Historical Movies Podcast.We talk through the history of the period, what makes this such a great movie and what it gets historically right and wrong.Plus the difficulty of actually ripping a sink off the wall, the latest hot gossip about Mini Driver and having the T-1000 as your Dad.Have you seen another movie starring Betsy Purvis, harried-mother specialist Natalie Canerday, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

  Aubrey and Maturin - best friends forever! We take a look through the brilliant Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The number one movie that deserved a sequel that it never got.We talk through the life and times of Thomas Cochrane – the real life inspiration behind Jack Aubrey and revel in the historical age of Enlightenment and the Napoleonic naval combat that serve as this film’s backdrop.Plus why we never got a sequel, the magic brain coin, Little Lord Blakeney’s quiet ghastly amputation and spliiiiice the mainbraaaaaace mister maaaaaate!Fancy rightfully redistributing some of Return of the King's 11 Oscars to Master and Commander, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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• Mississippi Burning (1988)

  We talk through Mississippi Burning, starring Gene Hack, Willem Dafoe and Frances McDormand and take a look at the real history behind the events shown in the movie. We analyse the controversies surrounding it and ask whether it’s fundamentally racist, of it’s time, misunderstood or a luvvies’ version of a middle class angst-ridden redemption.Plus the genius of the great Gene Hackman, the world’s most incomprehensible graph, sweaty, sweaty armpits and brow-line glasses, and an analysis of KKK bumper stickers.Have an opinion on whether the Hackman-nut-grab is the greatest prehension of the testicles in cinema history, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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• The Witch (2015)

  We take a look at Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch (2015) AKA 'The VVitch' – starring Anya Taylor-Joy in her breakout role, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie and Harvey Scrimshaw.We talk through the history of witchcraft in early modern Europe and how it inspired this movie – with much of the dialogue being lifted directly from historical sources.Plus: fans of Black Philip, the best witch’s familiars’ names, the true horror of Mathew Hopkins (Witchfinder General) and Bryce recalls our encounter with a possessed seminary!Wouldst thou like to live deliciously, or just get in touch? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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• Interview with director Mark O'Connor: Historical Movies, Amongst the Wolves and Barry Keoghan

  Amongst the Wolves releases in Ireland and the UK on 2nd May 2025!We're joined by acclaimed director Mark O'Connor - writer and director of Between the Canals and Cardboard Gangsters - shortly before the release of his new film Amongst the Wolves.We go through Mark's favourite historical movies, his process and experience as a writer director and some of the possible future projects he's working on, including a historical epic about the 1798 Irish uprising and a movie about the Dubliners.Plus he tells us how he found a young Barry Keoghan and gave him his first acting opportunity.We also touch on the world of guerilla film-making, the role of realism and morality in Mark's movies and we talk through his upcoming revenge drama Amongst the Wolves.We’d love to hear from you so drop us a line at [email protected] or leave us a comment on our YouTube Channel if you’d like to get in touch!00:00 El Vino did Flow00:27 Intro01:59 Mark's favourite Historical Movies05:15 Screen writing and directing10:39 1798 film project13:09 Realism in Mark's movies and in historical films15:37 Do directors make their best movies first?18:04 The Dubliners film project - how the Dubliners nearly died!20:09 How the movie industry is changing - cinemas close, AI expanding24:59 Movie budgets and how to make a movie on a shoestring29:20 How Mark 'discovered' Barry Keoghan34:02 Bryce praises The New World34:32 Ros obsesses over Barry Lyndon35:04 Amongst the Wolves - Mark's new film40:48 Outro

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