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Movies

Why This Film Based on a 16th-Century Poem Has Sparked Violent Protests in India

The controversy around Padmaavat centers around its depiction of a legendary Hindu queen

Likenesses of American Indians have been used to sell everything from cigars to station wagons.

Probing the Paradoxes of Native Americans in Pop Culture

A new exhibition picks apart the cultural mythologies surrounding the first “Americans”

Tommy Wiseau clutches a football in ‘The Room,’ the 2003 film he wrote, produced and starred in.

Why Is Some Art So Bad That It’s Good?

Sometimes a work of art is characterized by a string of failures, but nonetheless ends up being a gorgeous freak accident of nature

On long-term loan from Warner Bros., the Burton Batmobile will be on view at the National Museum of American History for the next 3 years.

What the Batmobile Tells Us About the American Dream

Fans of DC Comics will go batty for this new installation at the National Museum of American History

In the nothingness of space, sound waves have no medium by which to travel.

Science in the Movies

The Science of Silence in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

The soundless lightspeed attack that baffled some fans was actually the film’s most scientifically accurate moment

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in "The Post."

What The Post Gets Right (and Wrong) About Katharine Graham and the Pentagon Papers

A Smithsonian historian reminds us how Graham, a Washington socialite-turned-publisher, transformed the paper into what it is today

Hugh Jackman in "The Greatest Showman."

Based on a True Story

P.T. Barnum Isn’t the Hero the ‘Greatest Showman’ Wants You to Think

His path to fame and notoriety began by exploiting an enslaved woman, in life and in death, as entertainment for the masses

'It's a Wonderful Life' protagonist George Bailey with his family, Mary Hatch Bailey and Little Mary Hatch, at the end of the film.

The Weird Story of the FBI and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

The film supposedly had Communistic tendencies

Jane Goodall reaches out to touch hands with Flint, the first infant born at Gombe after her arrival.

New Jane Goodall Documentary Is Most Intimate Portrait Yet, Says Jane Goodall

The famed chimp researcher didn’t want yet another documentary made about her. Jane changed her mind

The film (with Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross) is still subversive, though in different ways.

When ‘The Graduate’ Opened 50 Years Ago, It Changed Hollywood (and America) Forever

The movie about a young man struggling to find his way in the world mesmerized the nation when it debuted

'Alice's Wild West Show' was actress Virginia Davis's favorite role in the 'Comedies'

Walt Disney’s First ‘Princess’ Was A Spunky Four-Year-Old

The silent ‘Alice Comedies’ ran from 1924 through 1927, predating Mickey

Archaeologists in California Unearth a Large Sphinx—From the Set of ‘The Ten Commandments’

Director Cecil B. DeMille gave the order for the entire set be buried beneath the sand after shooting on the blockbuster concluded

Ava DuVernay

American Ingenuity Awards

Ava DuVernay’s Visionary Filmmaking Is Reshaping Hollywood

Her eye for American history puts her in the vanguard. Her passion for justice makes her a hero

In the film, Whoopi Goldberg emphasizes that ignorance does not equate with evil, and that people are capable of broadening their outlooks when presented with diverse narratives.

‘The Problem with Apu’ Does More Than Pick Apart a ‘Simpsons’ Stereotype

This new documentary tackles Asian representation in media with humor and poise

A mermaid eats an apple at the bottom of the (artificial) sea in this late 1940s postcard.

The Historic Tail of the Weeki Wachee Mermaids

You can even learn to “mermaid” yourself, if the fancy takes you

Mary Martin as Maria von Trapp in a publicity photo for The Sound of Music, the musical that debuted on Broadway on this day in 1959.

The Real-Life Story of Maria von Trapp

“The Sound of Music” was based on the true story of her life, but it took a few liberties

Yarr! Actor Robert Newton, whose portrayal of Long John Silver became famous, also played Blackbeard in a 1952 film.

This Film Version of ‘Treasure Island’ Gave Us Our Image of Pirates

Avast, you lubbers!

The live cinema event traverses time periods, New York City boroughs, to present portrait of urban life

Archivist Captures New York’s Bygone Past Through Home Movies, Historical Footage

Rick Prelinger seeks to capture ephemeral portraits of city life

The made-for-TV movie An Early Frost went beyond entertainment and provided actual medical information to families of those living with HIV/AIDS.

In the Early Years of the AIDS Epidemic, Families Got Help From an Unlikely Source

‘An Early Frost’ was a made-for-TV movie with a purpose beyond entertainment

Georges Nagelmackers, creator of the Orient Express, envisioned "a train that would span a continent, running on a continuous ribbon of metal for more than 1,500 miles," writes one historian.

The True History of the Orient Express

Spies used it as a secret weapon. A president tumbled from it. Hitler wanted it destroyed. Just what made this train so intriguing?

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