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 historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com

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 historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com

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 historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com

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 historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or leave us a comment on our YouTube Channel if you’d like to get in touch!

00:00 El Vino did Flow

00:27 Intro

01:59 Mark's favourite Historical Movies

05:15 Screen writing and directing

10:39 1798 film project

13:09 Realism in Mark's movies and in historical films

15:37 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 expanding

24:59 Movie budgets and how to make a movie on a shoestring

29:20 How Mark 'discovered' Barry Keoghan

34:02 Bryce praises The New World

34:32 Ros obsesses over Barry Lyndon

35:04 Amongst the Wolves - Mark's new film

40:48 Outro

We go through Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans (1992) starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Wes Studi and Steve Waddington and look at the history of the French and Indian War (the North American theatre of the the 7 Years War) which gives this film it's intriguing backdrop. We go into the background of James Fenimore Cooper's mid-eighteen century 'Leatherstocking Tales' which inspired this movie and discuss how the times in which that was published effect this story.

Plus; Michael Mann's perfect blend of realism and style, the cinematic genius of the final scene, aesthetically pleasing sliding bodies, duel-wielding flintlock rifles and Bryce's ephemeral encounter with the great Daniel Day-Lewis (who nicked his banana and jam sandwich).

Know where we can buy the rights to 'The Deerslayer' so we can make a prequel, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com

Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren star in Anthony Mann's epic knight's tale El Cid.

We take a look through the history behind the real Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid), the Reconquista and the Almoravid dynasty and ask whether El Cid was actually a chivalrous knight or ruthless mercenary?

Plus: Heston and Loren's epic spat on set, the reason why Francisco Franco loved this movie and Raf Valone's communist partisan, Serie A-winning back story.

Remember Charlie Croker's threat of ethnic genocide, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com

Is this still the best Vikings movie ever made? We take a look at 1958's The Vikings starring Kirk Douglas (fufilling his childhood dream of playing a viking on screen), Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine.

We take a look at how the production got a lot of the historical stuff right, how they were limited by their knowledge in 1950s and what aspects of this movie are complete Hollywood bulls**t!

Plus the science of Kirk Douglas' bum chin, the potential of a Green Party-style Einar/Eric co-leadership and where are the horned helmets?

Did you do a better job of remembering Snorri Sturluson's name, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com

Are the Brits simply too evil in this movie? And should we expect anything else from a Roland Emmerich/Mel Gibson movie? We take a look at The Patriot (2000) in this episode, going through the history, discussing the accuracies, inaccuracies and this movie's astonishing portrayal of slavery in 18th Century America.

We take a look at the depiction of the British, particularly Jason Isacc's Tavington and the real life inspiration; Banastre Tarleton. And would Kevin Spacey have played the part better?

Plus: Mel's $25 million pay day, chronically bad child acting, super violent scripts and Steven Gerrard's favourite cheese.

Do you sport an ear horn, or would just like to get in touch? Drop us a line at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com