It’s no secret that watching movies is America’s favorite pastime. No wonder that statistically speaking streaming movies and seasons make up a bulk of America’s internet data usage. And the explosive boom of new web platforms dedicated to online streaming is a testament to America’s unique infatuation with video content.
But it’s not just American’s love watching movies, the country is fairly good at producing top-notch movies and seasons as well.
Hollywood is the highest-earning and the most popular entertainment industry in the world for good reasons after all. American cinema content has high demand all across the world, with most movies raking in over half of their budgets through foreign audiences.
And as a result of this trend, several new American productions are being directed keeping foreign audiences in mind. But this in no way means that Americans have abandoned local audiences.
A vast chunk of movies produced by Americans are made for Americans. These also include blockbusters that shed light on unique and often overlooked periods and facets of American history.
So, if you are looking to learn about the history of your country in an entertaining way, this write-up is for you.
But before we move on to our main discussion, there are a few things that need to be highlighted.
Any movie, no matter how appealing or historically accurate can remain enjoyable if you watch it using a slug-paced internet connection. Constant buffering and lagging will destroy your entire binge-watching experience. For this reason, you must dump your slow-paced internet in favor of more reliable and fast-paced options like Spectrum.
Spectrum speeds are overkill when it comes to streaming, so if you make the shift, you will never have to suffer from buffering again.
Moreover, these days, most consumers prefer watching movies on their mobile phones. And while mobile streaming is extremely convenient, it does take an amazing toll on your mobile data plans.
Spectrum facilitates their users in this regard as well, a vast network of Spectrum Hotspots, allows users to connect to Spectrum Wi-Fi even when they are not home so that they avoid eating up their mobile data.
Now back to business, here is a list of must-watch Hollywood movies that help users learn about American history, in a fun way.
ARGO
Even though this might be a controversial opinion but Argo represents the best of Ben Affleck. In the movie, the failed Batman plays the role of a CIA operative who’s been charged with the important task of recusing American diplomats being held hostage by Iran’s clerical regime.
Well, you guessed it, the movie is centered around the diplomatic crisis that embroiled the U.S. and Iran’s revolutionary Islamist government that took over the country after removing the Western-backed Shah of Iran in the late 1970s.
And though does not offer any in-depth insights into the complex realities of an unstable and tumultuous Iranian society reeling from years of turmoil.
Argo does an excellent job at portraying the intense experiences of the American diplomatic staff, the pressure faced by spies charged with bringing these Americans home, and the immense heroism of the ordinary Canadian civilians who aided this effort.
The revolutionary violence in Iran merely plays in the background.
THE TRIAL OF CHICAGO 7
This very accurate true story sheds light on the incessant repression faced by American social movements throughout the last 1960s and the early 1970s. The movie is based on the epic true story of the seven American citizens who happened to be present on the scene during the protests and the violent rioting that erupted during the Democratic Party’s Chicago National Convention in 1968.
In addition to covering historically and sentimentally definitive events that transpired during the sham trial, the movie also offers an in-depth analysis of the high-handedness of the Chicago police that was responsible for pushing members of a peaceful assembly to violence.
The movie also offers a healthy bit of moral and social commentary on the distinct social movements of the 1960s through the experiences of the people put on trial.
We suggest that you watch this movie with your young ones so that they get to learn a thing or two about the progress American society has made over the past half a century and the progress we still need to make.
THE FREE STATE OF JONES
Civil War movies are sort of like a guilty pleasure. Everyone enjoys watching them and almost no one likes to admit it. The Civil War was perhaps the darkest period in American history. Thousands of young American boys were thrown into the fray to defend the most despicable of all institutions, slavery.
And while there is no shortage of movies focusing on the gory aspects of the war, the free state of Jones takes a different approach.
The movie is centered around the life and history of an ex-confederate soldier, and a small-scale farmer, who decides to defect from the Confederacy and ends up leading a small militia of other white defectors and rebellious slaves.
This rag-tag militia then ordains a free anti-slavery republic in a small area comprising the marshy farmlands of Mississippi.
WRAPPING UP
Watching movies is fun, history is no fun at all. For this reason, history movies offer audiences the golden opportunity of learning important facts while entertaining themselves.
The list of movies mentioned above covers three distinct but equally important chapters of American history that every American must know about, so what are you waiting for? Go binge-watch these sensational masterpieces.
