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Gladiator: A Culture of Death

In the Oscar-winning blockbuster Gladiator, General Maximus is the chosen successor of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, after winning victory over the Germanic "barbarian" tribes in 180 A.D. When the emperor is killed by his jealous son, Commodus, Maximus escapes execution only to find that his family has been murdered. He is taken prisoner and forced to fight in the gory gladiatorial combats held throughout the empire. (Read our article on the Gladiator)

Glory: Fighting for Freedom

The Civil War drama Glory (1989) opens on the battlefield near Antietam Creek, Maryland, in September 1862. Robert Gould Shaw, a young officer in the Union Army and the son of prominent Boston abolitionists, is left shaken by his experience during the bloody Battle of Antietam. Soon after President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, Massachusetts Governor John Andrew asks Shaw to command a groundbreaking "Negro" or "colored" regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. (Read our article on Glory)

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (History on the High Seas)

Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey commands a crew of 197 men aboard the HMS Surprise, a Royal Navy frigate sailing off the coast of South America in 1805. The British Admiralty has given Aubrey orders to intercept the French privateer Acheron en route around Cape Horn to the Pacific Ocean, where the power-hungry French emperor, Napoleon, intends to continue his quest for world mastery. (Read our article on Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)

Saving Private Ryan: D-Day Uncompromised

When Steven Spielberg's World War II epic, Saving Private Ryan, was released in the summer of 1998, it was widely praised for its clear-eyed, authentic portrait of war, as well as of the heroism of ordinary American soldiers.(Read our article on the Saving Private Ryan)

Titanic: An "Unsinkable" History?

Titanic centers around a love story between Rose, the reluctant bride-to-be of a rich snob, and Jack, a young, working-class adventurer and artist. The two characters, played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, are fictional, but their relationship accurately demonstrates the vastly diverse experiences of passengers traveling in opulent luxury in first-class versus those in the bare-bones steerage section.(Read our article on Titanic)

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