Movie Battle Scenes: 19th Century Quiz

Answer: War and Peace

Based on Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel, "War and Peace" weaves an intricate tale of the lives of members of several Russian families in the early 19th century, with the Napoleonic Wars as an historical backdrop. The film stars Henry Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, and Mel Ferrer. The film was released in 1956.

Answer: Glory

"Glory", which stars Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, and Denzel Washington, tells the story of the Union Army's 54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the first black units raised during the American Civil War. The battlefield performance of the regiment helped dispel the contemporary belief that black soldiers were inferior to white troops, and should only be used in labor battalions.

Answer: Dances With Wolves

Kevin Costner's 1990 epic Western is a fictional story of how a white soldier and a band of Native Americans, through patience and understanding, learn to live together in peace. The film features great depictions of a Civil War skirmish and an attack on the Lakota village by a rival tribe.

Answer: Zulu

"Zulu", a 1964 British film, is a dramatized account of the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift during the Zulu War. The film tells the story of how a force of 150 British troops, with at least 30 of them sick or wounded, held off a force of 4,000 Zulu soldiers for the better part of 2 days. The film stars Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, and Michael Caine.

Answer: The Man Who Would Be King

This 1975 film, an adaptation of a story by Rudyard Kipling, stars Michael Caine and Sean Connery as former British sergeants Peachy and Danny, who train villagers in modern tactics and lead their growing army to victory after victory. Danny, whom the natives believe to be a god after he is unhurt by an arrow wound, eventually becomes king for a short time, but is deposed when he is shown to bleed like any mortal man.

Answer: The Red Badge of Courage

Based on the story by Stephen Crane, "The Red Badge of Courage" was released in 1951 and stars Audie Murphy, Andy Devine, and Bill Mauldin. The costumes and sets are very accurate, and while the battle scenes are mild compared to more recent films, they are still well staged and exciting.

Answer: The Alamo

Not to be confused with the 1960 John Wayne film, the 2004 version of "The Alamo" is more historically accurate and shows the contributions of Texas rebels of Mexican descent, whose story is glaringly absent from most accounts of the Texas Revolution. In addition to the Alamo battle, the film also includes a depiction of the Battle of San Jacinto, in which the Texans won their independence from Mexico.

Answer: Ride With The Devil

Released in 1999, "Ride With The Devil" stars Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, and Jewel Kilcher in a story of partisan warfare between neighbors in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. The savage fighting and deplorable atrocities committed by both sides are depicted or at least mentioned in the film.

The movie includes a realistic depiction of the sack of Lawrence, Kansas by Southern guerrillas in 1863.

Answer: Zulu Dawn

The 1979 film "Zulu Dawn" is an accurate depiction of the Battle of Isandlwana, fought in 1879 during the Zulu War between Great Britain and the Zulu nation in Southern Africa. The British invaded Zulu territory without good reconnaissance or knowledge of their enemy, and were overwhelmed and defeated by the Zulu army.

The movie starred Peter O'Toole, Denholm Elliot, Burt Lancaster, and Bob Hoskins.

Answer: The Horse Soldiers

"The Horse Soldiers" is a 1959 movie starring John Wayne, William Holden, and Constance Towers. The film is a dramatized version of Grierson's Raid, a Union cavalry sortie during the 1863 Vicksburg campaign in which a reinforced Union cavalry brigade of some 3,500 men rode from southern Tennessee through central Mississippi and on to Union-held Baton Rouge, Louisiana, destroying railroad lines and tying down thousands of Confederate troops.

Answer: Gangs of New York

From director Martin Scorsese, 2002's "Gangs of New York" is a fictionalized look at the conflicts between immigrant and native-born gangs in the notorious Five Points area of New York City in the 1860s. The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz.

As I said, this is not strictly speaking a war film, but the combat scenes between the gang members, as well as the riot sequence which is quelled by Union troops, warrant this movie's inclusion in this quiz.

Answer: Shenandoah

Released in 1965, "Shenandoah" is a story of a widowed Virginia farmer, during the Civil War, who tries to keep his property and family intact as the war reaches his doorstep. His youngest son is mistaken for a Rebel soldier and taken prisoner by Union troops, so he and several of his other sons make the rounds of Union camps looking for the boy.

The young man escapes and joins a small Rebel force, which is destroyed in a Union attack in which the boy survives. After losing more family members in various ways, the survivors are finally reunited at the film's end.

Answer: The Wind and the Lion

Released in 1975, "The Wind and the Lion" is a fictional version of the Pedecaris Incident of 1904, in which an American businessman of Greek origin was kidnapped and held for ransom by a Moroccan rebel. In the film, Candice Bergen plays the American widow who is kidnapped by Sean Connery, who plays the Raisuli, to embarrass the Moroccan sultan. US President Teddy Roosevelt, played by Brian Keith, sends in the Navy and the Marines to get Mrs. Pedecaris back.

Answer: Khartoum

Released in 1966, "Khartoum" is a depiction of the Mahdist rebellion in the Sudan, which began in 1883. At the time, the Sudan was occupied by Egypt, which was itself under the protection of the British Empire. The British government sent General Charles Gordon to try and evacuate the Egyptian and European civilians from Sudan before the Mahdi took the country over, but Gordon couldn't accomplish his mission.

The film stars Charlton Heston, Lawrence Olivier, and Ralph Richardson.

Answer: 55 Days at Peking

"55 Days at Peking", which starred Charlton Heston, David Niven, and Ava Gardner, was a 1963 epic film telling the story of the siege of the foreign legations in Peking, China during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. While the film's battle scenes are well done, there are the typical problems with Hollywood films pre-1970s, with Western actors playing the main Chinese parts, and the regular Chinese people portrayed as slow-witted or evil. Still, the film is well worth watching when you have three hours or so to enjoy it.