BLASTS FROM THE PAST

THE BEST STORIES just might be from the past. On the big screen, Dunkirk recently took us to the beaches of France during World War II. Earlier this year, Hidden Figures put us back in America’s space race. On the small screen, Timeless sent a trio back in time to famous events, from Lincoln’s assassination to Watergate; Genius explored Einstein’s life; we got a look at the wild side of William Shakespeare in Will; The Crown did a deep dive into the reign of Queen Elizabeth II; and Turn: Washington’s Spies told the true story of America’s first spy ring.

“History instantly gives a story relevance,” says Ben Mankiewicz, host of Turner Classic Movies. “We can relate to it. We either know it or we feel like we know it, or we think, Well, this is something I should know.”

The trend of looking backward continues this fall with more movies, TV shows and podcasts that delve into the past, from spies and sports to time travel and scandals.

Certain themes, like the American frontier of HBO’s Westworld or British society in shows like The Crown and

Call the Midwife, will always hold our fascination, says Mankiewicz, 50, who also reviews for the online show

What the Flick?! on the Young Turks network.

War is another topic that resonates across the decades, says Mankiewicz, who gives high marks to Saving Private Ryan, the 1959 Korean War saga Pork Chop Hill and director Stanley Kubrick’s World War I drama Paths of Glory.

The past is a moving target. As scholars turn over new rocks of evidence and modern forensics reveal fresh layers of insight, what we thought to be true is revised and updated in all forms of entertainment.

“History is not set in stone,” Mankiewicz says. “We’re learning more and more how things we grew up believing were kinda true. So hopefully movies and TV shows will bring us closer to understanding what made us the way we are.” —Neil Pond

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