Emily (2022), written and directed by Frances O’Connor and starring Emma Mackey, imagines the inner life of Emily Brontë — the fiercely private author of Wuthering Heights. But how much of this windswept Gothic romance is real history, and how much is invention?

And the big question: does Emily fail as a biopic by bending the facts — or does it succeed by capturing the Gothic spirit, emotional intensity and defiance that define Brontë’s work? Can a film be historically inaccurate and artistically truthful at the same time?

We explore the true story of the Brontë family: life in Haworth Parsonage, sibling rivalry and collaboration, the real William Weightman and the possibility of a passionate love affair.

We also dive into Wuthering Heights: why it shocked Victorian readers, how it tore apart conventions of romance and morality, and why its violent emotional landscape felt so revolutionary in 1847. Was Emily Brontë deliberately breaking literary rules — or did she simply not care what the rules were?

Plus: gloomy moors as a personality trait, the scandal of publishing under a male pseudonym, tuberculosis as the uninvited Victorian houseguest, and whether being “misunderstood” is a prerequisite for literary immortality.

📩 Team Heathcliff or Team Everyone Needs Therapy? Think Emily takes too many liberties — or not enough? Email us at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

Based on Homer’s Odyssey, The Return (2024) reimagines the legend of Odysseus’ journey through a modern, gritty lens. Directed by Uberto Pasolini and starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, the film explores loyalty, trauma, and the toll of long wars.

We discuss the mythological and historical roots behind The Return, Homer’s Odyssey, why this is such a refreshing retelling of a classic tale and how it might provide the antidote to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026).

Plus: Ralph Fiennes’ Liverpool theatre experience, revenge done right and loincloths!

📩 Share your favourite ancient epic or modern retelling at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

The Last Samurai (2003), directed by Edward Zwick, dramatises Japan’s Meiji Restoration and the end of the samurai era.

We break down the historical accuracy of The Last Samurai, the real-life inspiration behind Katsumoto and the Satsuma Rebellion, and how this movie gets the history of both sides of the conflict completely wrong.

Plus: Tom Cruise’s widow-maker leg-over technique, samurai vs. Gatling guns, and whether this movie is Legends of the Fall in dressing gowns.

🎌 Also perplexed at why Tom Cruise didn’t die at the end of this film? Write to historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.