What type of things will you be covering there are lots of stories out there that deal with historical events but are from the view point of the people involved. Also it would depend on what you allow your 12 year old to watch. I don't shelter my child as much as some of the other parents I know. So some of the themes I think are appropriate may not be for others. What type of material do you let your child watch? Here are are some movies, they are not extreamly to the "T" accurate because they are from someones point of view. They are very valid on the way citizens actually viewed WWII. Aimée & Jaguar- German film with subtitles, has sexual and alternative sexual themes. themes. WWII film, based on a biography. The Devil's Arithmetic- deals with holocaust, USA in english. Empire of the Sun- concentration camps in China, about a british boy growing up in one. in english. Hope and Glory- deals with WWII through a kids point of view. Has some cursing and teen sex in it, however not to graphic it is his older sister who get's pregnant. It is british but in english.
You may want to double check on Hidalgo. I absolutely LOVED the movie but there was some controversy after it came out about it really being a true story or not. Everything I was able to find out said that Frank Hopkins was a great story teller and that is all it is. Is a good story, so double check.
The thing I remember best about Hope and Glory was when the school was bombed, the kids are running wild in the ruins, and he looks up and yells, "Thank you, Adolf!!!"
You are right he does. But also Hope and Glory is through the eyes of a child. So it will be alot different then if it were through the eyes of an adult. It was a great view on the subject. You it shows you what was most important to a child as opposed to if it were his mom's point of view.
Maybe I can relate a real story from WWII. My father-in-law was a small child at the time, living in the city of Plymouth in England. The city was bombed heavily and often subject to attack because it's the home of one of Britain's three main dockyards and of a huge underground ammunition depot. Indeed, the center of the city was completely destroyed. On one occasion, a number of German fighter planes attacked the city very close to where my father-in-law and his friends were playing. As they ran away to take cover, a lone German fighter plane came right at them, flying very close to the ground. As the children looked up, terrified, they could see the pilot smile, wave at them, and then fly away. Apparently, this had a big impact on all the children. They were used to being told how Germany and all Germans were evil whereas Britain and all Britons were good. This pilot, probably a father of children their age, was doing what he had to do. Despite being the 'enemy', he was still human and probably little different in person from those children's parents. He waved at them as he would have waved at his own children. War is a terrible thing, and the movies (and news reports) tend to glorify it and picture it as a battle of good versus evil. It's never that simple. That one wave by a German pilot had a profound effect on my father-in-law. Suddenly, as a young child, he saw war very differently.
I actually perfer movies that don't accurately portray the real history so we can laugh about it when we go look it up the real facts its a challenge to us and makes the kids think. Sam
Oh, oh!!! "The Lion in Winter" that tells about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine? Rachael saw it, and it's a real riot!!! Katherine Hepburn and ...oh, shoot, I forget his name!!! Well, you would know if I could remember!!! Not Richard Burton, the other one.... (Excuse my while I look it up....) FOUND IT!!! Peter O'Toole! I also found out that they did a remake of it with Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart, though it may have been for TV.
Queen Christine with Greta Garbo. I love that movie or anything with Marlene Dietrich. Jackie your thinking of Peter O'toole he played Henry II or were you thinking of Anthony Hopkins who played richard?
I love it when John goes on about how if he were to catch fire, no one would allow their dog to "piss' on him to put it out! Gosh!!! Talk about a WHINER!!!
Remember the Titans is based on true story as well. My sis actually worked with a player on the team a few yrs ago!!!