Top 10 Biographical Movies

My top ten biographical movies focus heavily on military heroes and peace activists. So many biographical movies have been made, they deserve a top ten list, too! Here’s my top ten biographical movies, listed in alphabetical order.

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Tom Cruise plays Ron Kovic, who’s a gung ho All-American kid (destined to because he was fatefully born on July 4th???) that signs up for the Marines, then goes into combat in Vietnam. Yet the things he witnesses there along with his military career-ending wounds begin his slow and painful reassessment about his naive beliefs in the infallibility of the US government, the military, and “The American Way”. By the end of this personal top ten biographical movie, Kovic is now a committed anti-war veteran and advocate for veterans’ rights. He’s a man who’s taken part in many anti-war rallies over the years, including against the Iraqi War. I love the bright in your face color scheme of this movie, especially the way the late 1960’s are showcased during Kovic’s life. The super-patriotic song You’re A Grand Old Flag is “spoofed” in a grandiose way to show how the dogmas that we are fed as kids are often turned upside down when tragedy happens. We who live in the USA are very fortunate, but our country still needs to address many issues to make the collective soul of the nation more evolved.

The Elephant Man (1980)

“I am not an animal! I am a human being! I…am…a man!”

These are the memorable and saddening lines that are uttered by John Merrick (this movie got his real first name wrong: it’s actually Joseph) as he’s about to be attacked by a mob for accidentally knocking down a little girl at a train station in nineteenth century London. This is by far the toughest personal top ten of biographical movies to watch. Merrick’s didn’t even see his 28^th birthday, and his short life was one of much despair because of his physical deformities and the cruel treatment and exploitation he received because of them. Yet he did find some nice people in his lifetime to help him make his lot a little easier, including Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), who treats Merrick, and allows him to have shelter and visitors at the hospital Treves works at. Merrick’s condition would be later diagnosed as Proteus Syndrome in 2003 after DNA tests were conducted.

Gandhi (1982)

The life of Gandhi is one of the most incredible examples of how our leaders should live. This man made his own clothes, lived and traveled among the peasants, and did a lot of exercise via walking. This is so unlike the vast majority of politicians, who only kiss up to us little people when they need votes, then take their marching orders from their biggest contributors when they get into office. Ben Kingsley’s performance as “The Mahatma” in this top ten biographical film is one of the best ever on screen, covering Gandhi’s life from when he was a young lawyer in South Africa (which is where his political activity for non-violent change began) through his assassination in 1948 as he was attempting to bring reconciliation to the Hindus and Moslems.

GoodFellas (1990)

For a movie in which I really can’t find anything admirable about the characters, it still makes my top ten biographical movies list because I’ll still watch it when I see it on tv. Ray Liotta plays gangster Henry Hill, who, along with his mob buddies Tommy DeVito and Jimmy Conway (Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro), lives fast and loose pursuing their illicit line of work. They come across as people who have no regard for anyone else but themselves, especially the soul-less Tommy DeVito, who shoots his teenage gopher on two occasions for no good reason at all – the second time killing him. I guess Goodfellas is just one of those stay on the straight and narrow reinforcement movies. And given that I’m an aviation buff, I was intrigued by the heist scenes that took place at JFK airport, though I certainly don’t condone them!

MacArthur (1977)

Gregory Peck does a good job as the outspoken General Douglas MacArthur. The general’s military life during World War II, the reconstruction of Japan, and his time during the Korean War is focused on. I think the most dramatic parts of this top ten biographical movie were when he was forced to leave the Philippines in 1942 (kicking and screaming-like) because the Japanese were closing their grip on it, and his triumphant return back to the Philippines in 1944, of which his famous pledge to return was fulfilled. Like General Patton, MacArthur was a no-nonsense general who let you know what he basically thought about things.

Malcolm X (1992)

Denzel Washington’s performance of a man who evolves from a self-centered hustler named Malcolm Little to a man who preached peace and integration (as Malcolm X) is of the best portrayals in movies of an evolving soul that I’ve seen! That’s why this is one of my top ten movies in this genre. I’m not crazy about what much of Spike Lee says and does, but he hit a home run with this personal top ten of biographical movies, for sure!

Man on the Moon (1999)

How can I not like the biographical movie of a quirky soul like Andy Kaufman (and his alter ego Tony Clifton), given that I am quirky myself? Jim Carrey is incredibly believable in this stellar performance of a man who’s totally into his own world and doesn’t care about being like everybody else. He makes himself laugh first and foremost, and lets the laughs from others come as they may in this personal top ten biographical selection of movies. How many comedians get more famous or infamous wrestling women or doing other unpredictable things like starting out his comedy skit being totally silent? Danny DeVito’s role as Kaufman’s manager George Shapiro is another memorable performance in this movie. I’d like to see Carrey portray Kaufman in more movies about slices from Kaufman’s life.

Papillon (1973)

Steve McQueen plays the petty crook Henri “Papillon” Charriere, who’s sent to the atrocious penal colony in French Guiana for a murder he didn’t commit. This movie focuses on his friendship with convicted counterfeiter Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) and others as they try to survive the horrible days there with the motivation to escape the hellhole they are in. This is the first movie that I ever remember seeing at the theater. My mom and dad took my brother and me to this film in Nebraska, I believe, when I was just six years old. I had no concept of this movie until years later when I watched and watched it again with awe. The only images that stuck with me my first time seeing the movie were of watching a man get shot while trying to escape and the ending when Papillion is escaping on a makeshift raft. Watching it as an adult, I came to love this movie because no matter what the prison, the guards, or the environment did to Papillon, it wouldn’t break his spirit totally. He was always thinking about escape one way or another. This is one of those top ten biographical movies about the pursuit of freedom in the face of virtually impossible odds.

Patton (1970)

George C. Scott is larger than life in this portrayal of General George S. Patton, Jr. From the very beginning of the movie when he gives a pep talk behind a large American flag, through the battles in North Africa and Europe, we get to see Patton’s genius for winning battles, though often at a cost of many casualties and the stepping on of toes of his contemporaries and superiors. Patton was the first biographical movie that I really studied and loved, and it still retains a top ten listing. Even though Patton made mistakes, I admire and respect people who tell it like it is, rather than act like phonies.

Schindler’s List (1993)

Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is a man that thinks he’s gonna get rich by exploiting Jewish labor for his factory production in Poland, and at first, doesn’t really care about the plight of the people who are working on his behalf; that is, until he begins seeing the atrocities levied against the Jews, then he begins to scheme to get more Jewish factory workers so he can save their lives from the death camps, of which well over 1000 people were spared the Nazi’s “Final Solution”. Schindler is a man who failed in many aspects of life, but as this personal top ten biographical selection of movies (shot mostly in black and white) shows, people’s consciences can change to where they do the right thing. Schindler’s one great victory lives on to this very day via the ensuing generations which are descendants of the “Schindler Jews”.

Reference:

• Movie Database: www.imdb.com