These are some period epics which are among my favorite, and they tend to be historically accurate too.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, one of my favorites, a superb adaptation of Patrick O Brien’s Aubrey-Maturin series set during the Napoleonic Wars. The movie is an accurate representation of life on a Naval Ship, and totally strips away the glamor behind it. You see the more grimy, hard life, the tough punishments, flogging for indiscipline, class hierarchy and also the sheer boredom that sets in. Also Captain Aubry is not shown as a flawless hero, he is kinda stubborn, dictatorial, does what he feels is right, and that makes this much more realistic.
Ron Howard perfectly balances drama with historical accuracy in Apollo 13. The entire NASA command center, training ,the spacecraft, the technical jargon all are quite accurate. At the same time Howard ensures this doesn’t end up as a documentary, as he intercuts with the scenes of the astronaut’s families, and the Mission Center. The last 15 minutes is just pure cinema, when the astronauts enter earth, you cheer as much as those on the screen. And a casting of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise just take it to another level.
The 1970 movie Waterloo to me is one of the most accurate depictions of the famed battle. Again Rod Steiger makes a great Napoleon, notwithstanding his tendency to go over the top, while Christopher Plummer makes an equally good Duke of Wellington. The battle scenes are pretty realistic, and the Charge of the Cavalry is one of the best shot scenes. Also the strategies, the moves between the rival armies are well depicted.
This four hour long epic recreation of the Battle of Gettysburg gets the detailing right on spot, from the Union, Confederate uniforms to the battle charges, the moves, the strategies. Again the Pickett’s Charge scene is brilliantly shot. No big stars but a great cast that has Jeff Daniels, Tom Berenger, Sam Elliot, Stephen Lang and above all Martin Sheen as General Robert Lee.