I’ve long wanted to make a series of historical movies, based on the lives of real historical figures. More than that, I wanted to really develop them as flawed, but real human beings who had dreams, faults, but also noble traits. I’m not in film and could never do it, but I can still dream it.
My favored figures are:
Custer. A brave and innovative young officer (Brigadier at 23!), often brash, rude, and unwise, but able to ride and defeat the Confederate cavalry on their own terms and with a strong sense of honor and duty (he turned down a $10,000generalship of Mexican troops, allied to the U.S., because the government disapproved). He adventured in the west as a cavalry officer after the Civil War. He’d make a great biography, just because of the drama of his real life, and the compact time in which it occurs.
Grant. Often misunderstood and dismissed, Grant may have been the single greatest general in American history. But as cool as his Civil War life was, I’d like to focus on his Presidency, because it was one of the most unique administrations. Grant had his failures, yet he was also perhaps the most forward-thinking President in American history. I think a period drama of his administration’s work in building up the still-shattered South, supressing the KKK, and finding ways to bring AmerIndians into the American fold would be a fascinating film.
Cicero. The Last of the Romans himself. Cicero is great becaue he was a snarky talker who loved a snappy comeback, but who also struggled heroically to keep the Republic alive. In this role, he would fight as much, if not more, against self-sabotagers like Cato as against Caesar and Pompey - who were his friends! In the end, Cicero’s life can be seen as a tragedy, but not quite the Greek one. He’s not brought down by his own faults, but by the faults of others, and the Roman civil wars tear apart his family as well as his friendhsips and dreams. Yet along the way he truly exemplified the greatness of Rome: its ability to appreciate talent of any source, the best of Republican principles, and a streak of earthy solidity.
The Romanovs. Who boy, talk about drama. As with so many RUssian leaders, they were torn between progressive impulses and the need to keep RUssia from completely exploding into civil war, yet made worse by the industrial age. Then factor in the strange case of Rasputin and, well, the whoel story writes itself.
OK, there’s a few idea, but what about yours? What do you want to see made? Some super-hard sci-fi? A love story about zambonis? A remake of Citizen Kane, only twice as long?