Historian Breaks Down U.S. Presidents in Hollywood Movies | Deep Dives

Historian Dan Snow takes a deep dive into the historical accuracy of movies that depict the President of the United States.

First off Dan reviews 'Lincoln' (2012), in which oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis stars as the iconic 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, as he strives to abolish slavery with the passing of the 13th Amendment as civil war rages on in his beloved nation.

Next, Dan looks at Christopher Nolan's blockbuster 'Oppenheimer' (2023), starring Cillian Murphy and Gary Oldman, who plays Harry S. Truman, the 33rd U.S. President. He focuses on the chilling meeting between Truman and the psychologically traumatised physicist, who worries what he has unleashed by creating the Atomic Bomb. As we'll see, Truman was far from sympathetic.

Next up is 'Thirteen Days' (2000), a drama that focuses on John F. Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Often seen as the 35th U.S. President's finest hour, Dan looks to sort fact from fiction as Kennedy and his advisors seek to resolve this existential threat to humanity.

Dan then moves onto reviewing Bryan Cranston's depiction of 36th U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in 'All the Way' (2016), as he strives to push the Civil Rights Bill through the U.S. Senate, before receiving intelligence from Vietnam that would alter the course of his premiership.

'Frost/Nixon' (2008) is the penultimate film, starring Martin Sheen and Frank Langella, which sees UK chat show host David Frost interview Richard M. Nixon in an unlikely turn of events. What might initially seem as an easy opportunity for the 37th U.S. President to set the record straight on the Watergate Scandal soon turns into a metaphorical boxing match between the interviewer and disgraced former president.

Lastly, Dan watches Adam McKay's 'Vice' (2018), starring Christian Bale as 43rd U.S. President, George W. Bush's infamous vice-president Dick Cheney. Was Cheney really the puppet master in Bush's administration? Dan gives his thoughts.

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00:00 Introduction
00:20 Lincoln (2012) - Abraham Lincoln
12:34 Oppenheimer (2023) - Harry S. Truman
16:57 Thirteen Days (2000) - John F. Kennedy
26:34 All the Way (2016) - Lyndon B. Johnson
34:22 Frost/Nixon (2008) - Richard M. Nixon
40:29 Vice (2018) - George W. Bush