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'
Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
7.6/10
Director: Katja von Garnier
Starring: Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, Anjelica Huston, Molly Parker, Pat...
American women didn't get the vote until 1920, an important yet largely overlooked historical landmark that is given air in this HBO-produced drama st... Read more
Isabelle Eberhardt (1991)
5.9/10
Director: Ian Pringle
Starring: Mathilda May, Tcheky Karyo, Peter O'Toole
The story of a young woman journalist who becomes enmeshed in the politics of the annexation of Morrocco from Algeria at the turn of the twentieth cen... Read more
Isadora (1968)
7.6/10
Director: Karel Reisz
Starring: James Fox, Jason Robards, Vanessa Redgrave, Ivan Tchenko
A.k.a. "The Loves of Isadora". Isadora Duncan was the most iconic free-style dancer of the 20th century, and a woman who courted both admiration and s... Read more
J. Edgar (2011)
6.6/10
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Judi Dench, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Armie Hammer
Directed by Clint Eastwood, this compelling biopic stars Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover - the director of the F.B.I. for nearly 50 years. Both f... Read more
J. Edgar (Blu-ray) (2011)
6.5/10
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Judi Dench, Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Armie Hammer
Directed by Clint Eastwood, this compelling biopic stars Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover - the director of the F.B.I. for nearly 50 years. Both f... Read more
Jackie (2016)
6.7/10
Director: Pablo Larrain
Starring: Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Natalie Portman, Richard E Grant, Peter Sarsgaard, Beth...
A searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, t... Read more
Jackie ( Blu-ray ) (2016)
6.7/10
Director: Pablo Larrain
Starring: Billy Crudup, John Hurt, Natalie Portman, Richard E Grant, Peter Sarsgaard, Beth...
A searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, t... Read more
Jaded (1996)
5.4/10
Director: Caryn Krooth
Starring: Carla Gugino, Rya Kihlstedt, Christopher McDonald
Based on a true story of one woman's plight after having been raped by two women. The U.S. law stated that only a man can rape in the first degree. Th... Read more
James Stewart: The Shop Around the Corner / The Stratton Story / The FBI Story / The Spirit of St Louis (1940)
8.9/10
Director: Billy Wilder, Ernst Lubitsch, Mervyn LeRoy, Sam Wood
Starring: Agnes Moorehead, Frank Morgan, James Stewart, June Allyson, Margaret Sullavan, M...
James Stewart Box Set. 'The Shop Around the Corner' (1940) - Alfred Kralik (Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) are employees at Matuschek an... Read more
Jappeloup (2013)
6.7/10
Director: Christian Duguay
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Tcheky Karyo, Guillaume Canet, Marina Hands, Lou de Laage, Jacqu...
The true story of Pierre Durand, Jr who after giving up his promising career as a lawyer sought to pursue his true passion, show jumping. Advised agai... Read more