True Stories
True Stories are those based (sometimes loosely!) on fact. They cover topics as diverse as drug addiction, poverty, political unrest, the corruption of power, alcoholism, class divisions, sexual inequality, mental illness and other human struggles. Meet some of history's most intriguing characters, find out what it's really like to climb a mountain or paint a masterpiece. Truly, the True Story is one of cinema's most engaging and enthralling genres.
Bio-pics feature in this section and are also gathered together separately under the 'Biography' sublink left.
Pictured: Inside the Las Vegas mob, Scorsese's unromantic 'Goodfellas'
The Perils Of Pauline (1947)
7.1/10
Director: George Marshall
Starring: Betty Hutton, John Lund, Constance Collier
Hold tight for this one! It's one harrowing escape after another. Betty Hutton comes on like fireworks in this witty comedy about the former star of t... Read more
The Petrov Affair (1987)
7.5/10
Director: Michael Carson
Starring: Eva Sitta, Genevieve Picot, Kirk Alexander, Alex Menglet, Simon Chilvers
In April, 1954, Vladimir Petrov, head of Soviet espionage in Australia, successfully approached ASIO for asylum. His defection sparked the most dramat... Read more
The Pianist (2002)
8.5/10
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Roman Polanski directs this award-winning testament to the power of the human spirit, based on the true-life story... Read more
The Pirates of Somalia (2017)
6.8/10
Director: Bryan Buckley
Starring: Al Pacino, Melanie Griffith, Evan Peters, Barkhad Abdi
In 2008, rookie Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur's impulsive plan to embed himself among the pirates of Somalia provides the first close-up look at who... Read more
The Post (2017)
7.2/10
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Bradley Whitford, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Le...
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented... Read more
The Post (Blu-ray) (2017)
7.2/10
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Bradley Whitford, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Le...
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented... Read more
The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936)
7.3/10
Director: John Ford
Starring: Warner Baxter, Gloria Stuart, John Carradine, Harry Carey
Dr. Samuel Mudd (Warner Baxter) is arrested for being an accomplice to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (Frank McGlynn Sr.) when he unknowingly ai... Read more
The Private Life Of Henry VIII (1933)
7.2/10
Director: Alexander Korda
Starring: Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Merle Oberon
Charles Laughton is brilliant as the British monarch, set amid the indulgent atmosphere of the 16th century. Politics, statesmanship and international... Read more
The Private Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex (1939)
7.2/10
Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent...
A colourful and elaborate costume drama featuring fine performances from Bette Davis as an aging Queen Elizabeth I, and Errol Flynn as her flamboyant... Read more
The Professor and the Madman (2019)
7.3/10
Director: Farhad Safinia
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Eddie Marsan
Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century, and receives over 1... Read more