Based On True Events

[SteveDave]

What real life thing would you like to see a film made of?

For me it's this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1904_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_marathon

Some highlights (or pretty much all of the wiki page):

Instead of having the marathon begin early in the morning, St. Louis organizers started it in the afternoon. Temperatures during the marathon reached 33 °C (92 °F)[5][6] and humidity reached into the 90s,[7] making the heat index during the marathon about 57 °C (135 °F).

The first to arrive at the finish line was American runner Fred Lorz, who had actually dropped out of the race after nine miles and hitched a ride back to the stadium in a car, waving at spectators and runners alike during the ride. When the car broke down at the 19th mile, Lorz re-entered the race and jogged across the finish line. After being hailed as the winner, he had his photograph taken with Alice Roosevelt, daughter of then-U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and was about to be awarded the gold medal when his subterfuge was revealed. Upon being confronted by officials, Lorz immediately admitted his deception, and despite his claims he was joking

British-born Thomas Hicks of the United States ended up the winner of the event, although he was aided by measures that would not have been permitted in later years. Ten miles from the finish Hicks led the race by a mile and a half, but he had to be restrained from stopping and lying down by his trainers. From then until the end of the race, Hicks received several doses of strychnine (a common rat poison, which stimulates the nervous system in small doses) mixed with brandy.[4] He continued to battle onwards, hallucinating, barely able to walk for most of the course. When he reached the stadium his support team carried him over the line, holding him in the air while he shuffled his feet as if still running. The judges decided this was acceptable, and gave him the gold medal.

A Cuban postman named Andarín Carvajal joined the marathon, arriving at the last minute.[7] After losing all of his money in New Orleans, Louisiana, he hitchhiked to St. Louis and had to run the event in street clothes that he cut around the legs to make them look like shorts. Not having eaten in 40 hours, he stopped off in an orchard en route to have a snack on some apples, which turned out to be rotten.[7] The rotten apples caused him to have strong stomach cramps and to have to lie down and take a nap. Despite falling ill from the apples and taking a nap, he finished in fourth place

The marathon included the first two black Africans to compete in the Olympics: two Tswana tribesmen named Len Tau (real name: Len Taunyane) and Yamasani (real name: Jan Mashiani). Len Tau finished ninth and Yamasani came in twelfth. This was a disappointment, as many observers were sure Len Tau could have done better if he had not been chased nearly a mile off course by aggressive dogs.

[Blumf]

Would you go for a realistic portrayal, or farcical comedy? (something like Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines)

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

It's easy to imagine it as one of those zany caper comedies,  like It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World,or something.

[SteveDave]

Mad-cap I reckon. It would've been perfect for Brendan Fraser in the 90s. Probably not now.

[Bazooka]

Probably a Richard Madeley biopic, with Richard playing himself, and Charlize Theron as Judy.

[sevendaughters]

probably the life of Alfred Mynn

[studpuppet]

I was going to say this is crying out for a decent film to be made, and then I googled it and DiCaprio and Scorcese are doing it right now...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Holmes

[surreal]

I was going to say this is crying out for a decent film to be made, and then I googled it and DiCaprio and Scorcese are doing it right now...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Holmes

Yeah "The Devil in the White City" - going to be a HBO series I think, or maybe Amazon, which will be better than a movie as they should be able to mix more of the World's Fair stuff into it

[imitationleather]

I wonder how much of the World's Fair will end up being in it. I actually found that stuff more interesting in the book than the Holmes plot, but I imagine loads about the ferris wheel and whatnot will end up being culled. For shame!

A film about that marathon would be superb. Buy the rights now!

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

That time when David Cameron fucked a pig's head became a major news story. Could be scripted by Tony Roche. The incident of our very own Dr. Rock phoning up " The Wright Stuff" and getting Matthew Wright all riled up would be included, natch. It would actually be quite a long scene, in which we would get to see Dr. Rock phoning up " The Wright Stuff ". Dr. Rock would , if course, be played by Anoushka Fox, formerly the singer with Fox. Indeed, the whole scene could be a nice little musical interlude ( " C-C-C-Cameron's Cock " ).

[St_Eddie]

Instead of having the marathon begin early in the morning, St. Louis organizers started it in the afternoon. Temperatures during the marathon reached 33 °C (92 °F)[5][6] and humidity reached into the 90s,[7] making the heat index during the marathon about 57 °C (135 °F).

The first to arrive at the finish line was American runner Fred Lorz, who had actually dropped out of the race after nine miles and hitched a ride back to the stadium in a car, waving at spectators and runners alike during the ride. When the car broke down at the 19th mile, Lorz re-entered the race and jogged across the finish line. After being hailed as the winner, he had his photograph taken with Alice Roosevelt, daughter of then-U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and was about to be awarded the gold medal when his subterfuge was revealed. Upon being confronted by officials, Lorz immediately admitted his deception, and despite his claims he was joking

British-born Thomas Hicks of the United States ended up the winner of the event, although he was aided by measures that would not have been permitted in later years. Ten miles from the finish Hicks led the race by a mile and a half, but he had to be restrained from stopping and lying down by his trainers. From then until the end of the race, Hicks received several doses of strychnine (a common rat poison, which stimulates the nervous system in small doses) mixed with brandy.[4] He continued to battle onwards, hallucinating, barely able to walk for most of the course. When he reached the stadium his support team carried him over the line, holding him in the air while he shuffled his feet as if still running. The judges decided this was acceptable, and gave him the gold medal.

A Cuban postman named Andarín Carvajal joined the marathon, arriving at the last minute.[7] After losing all of his money in New Orleans, Louisiana, he hitchhiked to St. Louis and had to run the event in street clothes that he cut around the legs to make them look like shorts. Not having eaten in 40 hours, he stopped off in an orchard en route to have a snack on some apples, which turned out to be rotten.[7] The rotten apples caused him to have strong stomach cramps and to have to lie down and take a nap. Despite falling ill from the apples and taking a nap, he finished in fourth place

The marathon included the first two black Africans to compete in the Olympics: two Tswana tribesmen named Len Tau (real name: Len Taunyane) and Yamasani (real name: Jan Mashiani). Len Tau finished ninth and Yamasani came in twelfth. This was a disappointment, as many observers were sure Len Tau could have done better if he had not been chased nearly a mile off course by aggressive dogs.

This reads like a bunch of subplots from hedgehog90's Sonic film.

[studpuppet]

What real life thing would you like to see a film made of?

For me it's this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1904_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_marathon

A couple of extra bits that aren't in the article:

- The three Africans (there was a white South African - Bert Harris - as well) were in St. Louis as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, acting out famous battles from the Boer War (imagine two Argies and a Brit recreating the Battle of Goose Green at the 84 Olympics).

- Carvajal, before his stomach cramps, stopped a number of times to chat to spectators, in order to practice his English.

[bgmnts]

There was that story about the Italian bloke who ran this crazy marathon race in the Moroccan sahara, got lost, ended up nearly dying, eating bats amd ants and all that jazz.

Would make a decent 127 hours effort I reckon.

[SteveDave]

A couple of extra bits that aren't in the article:

- The three Africans (there was a white South African - Bert Harris - as well) were in St. Louis as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, acting out famous battles from the Boer War (imagine two Argies and a Brit recreating the Battle of Goose Green at the 84 Olympics).

- Carvajal, before his stomach cramps, stopped a number of times to chat to spectators, in order to practice his English.

This just gets better and better.

[Bad Ambassador]

Do it as a dramatised documentary with a deadpan narrator who frequently chimes in: "We didn't make this up - it really happened like this."

[Icehaven]

Rudolph Valentino's funeral was quite a debacle apparently.

An estimated 100,000 people lined the streets of Manhattan to pay their respects at his funeral,[79] handled by the Frank Campbell Funeral Home. Suicides of despondent fans were reported. Windows were smashed as fans tried to get in and an all-day riot erupted on August 24. Over 100 mounted officers and NYPD's Police Reserve were deployed to restore order. A phalanx of officers lined the streets for the remainder of the viewing. Polish actress Pola Negri, claiming to be Valentino's fiancée, collapsed in hysterics while standing over the coffin,[80] and Campbell hired four actors to impersonate a Fascist Blackshirt honor guard, purportedly sent by Benito Mussolini.[81] Media reports that the body on display in the main salon was not Valentino but a decoy were continually denied by Campbell.

After Valentino's remains were taken by train from New York to California, a second funeral was held on the West Coast, at the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills.[82] Valentino had no final burial arrangements and his friend June Mathis arranged a temporary solution when she offered a crypt that she had purchased for the husband that she had since divorced.[83] Coincidentally, she died the following year and was interred in the adjoining crypt that she had purchased for herself; Valentino was never moved to a new location and he remained in the crypt next to Mathis. The two people are still interred side-by-side at Hollywood Forever Cemetery (originally Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery) in Hollywood, California.[84]

[studpuppet]

Rudolph Valentino's funeral was quite a debacle apparently.

Caroline Of Brunswick was the original 'Queen Of Hearts' - estranged from her husband and kept away from his coronation, when she died:

https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/aug/18/archive-caroline-of-brunswick-funeral-disorder-1821

[Icehaven]

Caroline Of Brunswick was the original 'Queen Of Hearts' - estranged from her husband and kept away from his coronation, when she died:

https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/aug/18/archive-caroline-of-brunswick-funeral-disorder-1821

Oooh we only need one more and there'd be enough for a good ''mad funerals through the ages'' trilogy/anthology. Could use Diana although it was the response to her death rather than the actual funeral.

[beanheadmcginty]

https://youtu.be/fr0DUTWOgU8

Ron "Typewriter" Mingo, the world's fastest typist. Has all the required elements for one of those comedy sports films.

[studpuppet]

This has been done, but not properly:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/resistance-heroine-who-led-7000-men-against-the-nazis-2334156.html

"It was well-acted but in parts it was extremely stupid," she said. "At one stage they had me cooking eggs and bacon to feed the men. For goodness' sake, did the Allies parachute me into France to fry eggs and bacon for the men? There wasn't an egg to be had for love nor money. Even if there had been why would I be frying it? I had men to do that sort of thing."

Ms Wake was also furious the TV series suggested she had had a love affair with one of her fellow fighters. She was too busy killing Nazis for amorous entanglements, she said.

...Nancy recalled later in life that her parachute had snagged in a tree. The French resistance fighter who freed her said he wished all trees bore "such beautiful fruit". Nancy retorted: "Don't give me that French shit."

[bgmnts]

Fair play that's a good pick up line but her response is one of the best things ever uttered by a human.

[Bad Ambassador]

A film about the making of The Prisoner, in which one of the biggest stars on TV torches his career and alienates all his collaborators in pursuit of a grand artistic and political vision, the result being such a disaster he's forced to leave the country.

Imagine Martin Clunes announcing that he would writer, direct, produce and star in a full series of Kafka adaptations, with GoT-level budgets.

[Puce Moment]

This probably doesn't count because it has been dramatised quite a number of times. But for anyone that has read the in-depth story of Operation Anthropoid, you will know it was one of the most important events of WWII, and a story that shows humans at their most brave and selfless, as well as at their most cruel and cowardly. If someone could do a thorough, in-depth, representative one-off TV series of this story I would be most grateful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Anthropoid

[studpuppet]

Oooh we only need one more and there'd be enough for a good ''mad funerals through the ages'' trilogy/anthology. Could use Diana although it was the response to her death rather than the actual funeral.

You could go with Emperor Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico - although maybe with more focus on his life. Not only was his funeral attended by upwards of 10,000 San Franciscans (during which there was a partial eclipse of the sun), but he also performed the funeral of his dog, Lazarus, dressed as the Pope. Also, when he was moved to a new cemetery in 1934, an estimated 60,00 came to the reburial.

[studpuppet]

This probably doesn't count because it has been dramatised quite a number of times. But for anyone that has read the in-depth story of Operation Anthropoid, you will know it was one of the most important events of WWII, and a story that shows humans at their most brave and selfless, as well as at their most cruel and cowardly. If someone could do a thorough, in-depth, representative one-off TV series of this story I would be most grateful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Anthropoid

Yes please. I'd also like a film of Mendelssohn Is On The Roof while you're researching that as there's some crossover.

[studpuppet]

Fair play that's a good pick up line but her response is one of the best things ever uttered by a human.

The movie execs might vote me down, but that's the title as far as I'm concerned.

[Bad Ambassador]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Castle_Itter

This probably wins for unmade WWII movies. German and American soldiers team up to protect a VIPOW camp from the SS in the dying days before the German surrender.

The incredible punchline was that the sole defender of the castle killed was the German commander, who took a bullet for Paul Reynaud, who'd been French prime minister during the fall of Paris.

[Puce Moment]

Yes please. I'd also like a film of Mendelssohn Is On The Roof while you're researching that as there's some crossover.

I knew nothing about this - thanks!

[studpuppet]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Castle_Itter

That's a doozie. Other unfilmed WW2 movies:

The Battle Of The Tennis Court

The Marzabotto Massacre (there's an Italian film)

[Sebastian Cobb]

I wonder how much of the World's Fair will end up being in it. I actually found that stuff more interesting in the book than the Holmes plot, but I imagine loads about the ferris wheel and whatnot will end up being culled. For shame!

I'm the same. One of my mates just read the odd chapters, the big dickhead.