The Last Samurai (2003), directed by Edward Zwick, dramatises Japan’s Meiji Restoration and the end of the samurai era.

We break down the historical accuracy of The Last Samurai, the real-life inspiration behind Katsumoto and the Satsuma Rebellion, and how this movie gets the history of both sides of the conflict completely wrong.

Plus: Tom Cruise’s widow-maker leg-over technique, samurai vs. Gatling guns, and whether this movie is Legends of the Fall in dressing gowns.

🎌 Also perplexed at why Tom Cruise didn’t die at the end of this film? Write to historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek star in the 2017 remake of Papillon, based on Henri Charrière’s memoir of imprisonment and escape from Devil’s Island.

We explore the real history behind the real Papillon, from the notorious French penal colonies in Guiana, why they existed, to how much of Charrière’s incredible story is actually true.

Plus: gym bros in prison, why this movie is like a cheap perfume ad, comparing it to the 1973 Steve McQueen original, and how this gritty film actually sanitised the original book!

📩 Got a bee in your bonnet or a ‘charger’ up your bum about this movie? Email us at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or message @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

Jack El-Hai, author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, joins us for this episode of the Historical Movies Podcast for an in-depth conversation about the true story behind Nuremberg (2025) — the new film based on his acclaimed nonfiction book.

The Nazi and the Psychiatrist tells the remarkable real-life story of Dr. Douglas Kelley, the American psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Nazi leaders before the Nuremberg Trials. Drawing on newly uncovered interviews and psychological records, El-Hai explores how some of history’s most notorious figures understood themselves — and how ordinary human traits can coexist with extraordinary evil.

Jack's website: www.el-hai.com

In this interview, we discuss:

The real history behind The Nazi and the Psychiatrist

How Jack El-Hai studied the incredible Dr Kelly archive

The psychology of Nazi leadership before the Nuremberg Trials

What the book reveals that the film Nuremberg (2025) expands upon

Why this story remains relevant today

And what Bryce's barber Andy thinks of it all

📘 Book: The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai

🎬 Film: Nuremberg (2025)

Find us on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/hmpodcast.bsky.social