Historical Movies And TV Shows That Make You Grateful For Air Conditioning
Historical films have long occupied a central place in Hollywood. Very often, they are used to showcase various new movie-making technologies and, more often than not, they also focus on heroes of one sort or another. These are the individuals who often reshape the course of history by their actions, many of which often involve feats of strength.
Since most of these films take place in an era before air conditioning, these male heroes are often drenched in sweat as they engage in their various actions. Sweat, then, is not just a signifier of where things are often filmed - such as the desert - but also an external indication of the work involved in being a hero.
- Photo:
The Coen Brothers have earned a reputation as some of the cleverest filmmakers working in Hollywood, and a film like O Brother, Where Art Thou? demonstrates why this reputation is well-deserved. A very witty and smartly written retelling of The Odyssey, it transports the action from Bronze Age Greece to the American South during the Depression, with George Clooney portraying Ulysses Everett McGill, a man who escapes from a chain gang with two companions. The three of them subsequently encounter many adventures which mirror those of their literary counterparts.
This being the South, the characters obviously sweat quite a lot. There is, indeed, a very visceral quality to many of Ulysses’s scenes. Since he is so often just a few steps ahead of the law, his sweating is an outward sign of his lawlessness and of his physical efforts to stay ahead of agents of justice who so relentlessly pursue him. It also helps to evoke the pressures under which he labors as he, like Odysseus, tries to return home and restore his family to the unit it once possessed.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
Heart of Darkness, the disturbing novel by Joseph Conrad, serves as the inspiration for Apocalypse Now. The film follows Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen), who sets out to assassinate a rogue soldier, Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has gone into the Vietnamese jungle, where he has committed various crimes. The film faced a number of production challenges, which stemmed from Brando’s lack of preparation, Sheen suffering a heart attack, and numerous other production delays.
Given its location in the jungles of Vietnam, there is an incredible amount of sweating going on in this film. This is particularly true of both Willard and Kurtz. In Willard’s case, his sweating seems to signify his growing loss of control as he journeys further into the heart of darkness which is the film’s central theme. Brando’s Kurtz, however, is in some ways sweat incarnate, which suggests his lack of bodily control, his abandonment to his own worst impulses as he has slowly given up more and more of what renders him human.
Getting hot in here?featured
free
paid
- Photo:
The collaboration between director Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood was one of the most productive in either’s career, as it led to several successful spaghetti westerns. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is exemplary in this regard, as it stars Eastwood as “Blondie,” one of a trio of gunslingers who join forces (for a while) in order to find Confederate gold. The American West as portrayed in this film is brutal and disturbing and violent, and Leone’s stylized cinematography is regarded as one of its most enduring legacies.
As a director, Leone often had a keen understanding for what would engender a physical response in the viewer, and he makes this clear in films like this one. Most notably, he often features close-ups of sweaty eyes, where the person in question is always looking for a threat. The sweat, then, comes to be a part of the slowly mounting tension. The viewer, along with the characters, feels everything building up to a spectacular, and often very violent, climax.
Getting hot in here?featured
- Photo:
With his first film, The Witch, Robert Eggers showed he was a director with a unique vision, and this persists in The Northman. The film depicts the original legends which would later inspire Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet, with Alexander Skarsgaard in the central role of Amleth, the son of a king who sets out to kill his uncle in retaliation for the latter’s assassination of his father. Gritty and raw and visceral, it quickly immerses the viewer in the world of the early Middle Ages.
Given its emphasis on the physicality of heroism, many scenes feature Amleth sweating. He is, after all, an epic hero, and such bodily exertion not only shows what kind of a world he lives in but also signifies his effort to avenge his father. In one of the film’s most (in)famous scenes, he actually does battle with his opponent in the bowels of a volcano. Needless to say, by the time it is done, they are both dead and drenched in sweat, their bodies bearing the external marker of their climactic duel.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is a remarkable film for a number of reasons, not least of which is its influence on Hollywood. In its aftermath, the ancient world once again returned to the big screen. With its story about a Roman general named Maximus who is condemned to become a gladiator only to rise up and kill the corrupt Emperor Commodus, it is both inspiring and remarkably moving.
As its title suggests, it focuses a great deal on the main character’s training in the arena, where he hones his skills as a fighter. Poor Maximus spends a great deal of the film sweating, first on the front lines of battle in Germany, then in the burning sands of Africa and, finally, in the Colosseum itself. Along with those others who are condemned to fight on the sands of the arena, Maximus has to endure the sun blazing down on him. At the same time, his sweating is an external sign of his epic heroism, as his body becomes the means by which he will bring about a purification of the Roman Empire.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- 6
- Photo:
As one might guess from the title, the film 300 focuses on the efforts of three hundred Spartan warriors to hold the pass of Thermopylae against the invading Persian forces. Filled with sculpted male figures, towering and malevolent god-kings, and hyper-stylized violence, it is not necessarily history as such, but it nevertheless uses the past to express ideas about the present. It is deeply, and at times disturbingly, visceral in its approach to the representation of history.
Indeed, many of the most notable scenes in the film showcase the male body engaged in acts of killing. The various members of the cast went through a remarkable regimen of bodybuilding and working out in order to make sure they were able to fully capture the idealized Greek male body. The sweat involved in such a regimen also made its way into the film itself, which features many scenes of men dripping sweat as they charge into battle against the invaders. In addition to showing just how much effort was involved in creating such bodies, the sweat is also effective at highlighting their sculpted musculature.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
Throughout the early part of the 2000s, HBO was the home for a number of notable and highly-regarded period dramas. Of these, Deadwood was particularly well-loved, as it took the conventions of the American Western and gave them an additional layer of grime and grit and rich authenticity. Focusing on the town of Deadwood, it follows a variety of characters - many of them based on true figures - as they work to bring order out of the chaos which characterized life during the late 19th-century American West.
Many aspects of the series work to immerse the viewer in this rough-and-tumble, often very dangerous world. Obviously, the profanity remains one of its most notable elements, but the characters are often seen sweating, sometimes in illness, sometimes as they go about their daily lives. Unlike some series, which try to sanitize the past, Deadwood instead seems to revel in the bodily presence of its characters, which no doubt explains why it remains so beloved among its fans.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
Over the past several years, Starz has excelled at producing a number of shows set in the past. One of the most visually distinctive of these was Spartacus: Blood and Sand which, over the course of its several seasons, chronicled the slave uprising led by the title character. In the tradition of films like 300, it was unsparing in its depiction of both violence and sex, creating a viscerally intense encounter with the world of the Roman Republic.
Since so much of its action takes place in the arena and on the battlefield, it features quite a lot of sweating. Thus, even though many elements of the series verge on the fantastic - and the unrealistic - this element brings it back down to earth. As a result, there are many times when the viewer feels as if they are truly bearing witness to human bodies doing the hard work of fighting back against the oppressiveness of the Roman state. Furthermore, the copious sweating so conspicuously on display also highlights the muscularity of the various heroes, which emphasizes the extent to which they are meant to be objects of desire for the audience.
Getting hot in here?subscription
free
paid
- Photo:
During his lifetime, Sidney Lumet was one of the most respected directors of Hollywood. He had a particular knack for drawing out nuanced and sophisticated performances from the actors with whom he worked, including Al Pacino, who is the star of Dog Day Afternoon. In the film, he stars as a man who tries to rob a bank in order to get the money for his significant other to have gender confirmation surgery. Things go quickly awry, however, leading to a tense standoff with police.
While the hostage situation is taking place, Pacino’s character, Sonny Wortzik, begins to feel the mounting pressure of what he has set out to do. This, combined with the sweltering summer heat of the title, begins to take its physical toll, not just on Sonny but also on all of those who are held hostage. As was the case with Lumet’s other great masterpiece, 12 Angry Men, Lumet has a knack for showing how a confined physical space can slowly lead to a person’s mental and physical self-destruction.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- 10
- Photo:
The Paramount+ TV series Yellowstone has quickly proven to be an enormous success for the steamer. It has, in fact, produced its own slate of spinoffs, one of the most prominent of which is 1883. The series acts as a prequel to the main action depicted in the main series, focusing in particular on the Duttons as they travel from Tennessee to Texas and eventually to Montana.
Though it is sprawling in its historical scope, 1883 also excels at showing the material side of the past. In particular, there are numerous instances in which the characters are seen sweating, subject to the brutal forces of weather in a time in which modern conveniences such as air conditioning weren’t even on the technological horizon. According to the actors, the filming for the series was also quite grueling, as they had to work in the intense heat of Texas. As a result, there is a powerful sense of verisimilitude to the series, one which is reflective not just of the time period it depicts but of the process of making it.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- 11
- Photo:
For several decades now, HBO has excelled at creating compelling shows which manage to subvert the expectations and conventions of various genres. With Rome, for example, the network tore away the patina of respectability of the traditional Roman toga film to reveal the seediness beneath. The series chronicles the decline of the Roman Republic, focusing not just on the actions of the great and powerful - such as Caesar and Marc Antony - but also common soldiers such as Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.
Given its emphasis on some of the lower orders of society, it makes sense there would be quite a lot of sweating in Rome. This is, after all, an age before air conditioning, and even the wealthy had to contend with the unpleasantness of the summer heat in Rome. Furthermore, the series also shows the brutality and often deeply uncomfortable nature of warfare in the ancient world, and its soldier characters (even the great Caesar himself) are shown having to brave the elements. In this world, everyone’s body is as subject to the vicissitudes of nature as everyone else’s.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- 12
- Photo:
The Vikings have long been a source of fascination for popular culture. In films, TV series, and novels, they often engage in all manner of conquest and bloodshed. The History Channel series Vikings doesn’t shy away from showing the sinister, grittier side of Viking life. In fact, the series seems to go out of its way to show just how deeply dirty life could be before the advent of modern standards of cleanliness.
The men who populate the world of the Vikings, which includes the likes of Ragnar Lothbrok, tend to sweat a great deal. On one level, this serves the same function it often does in epic storytelling: to show the effort it takes a hero to go on his quest for personal greatness. On another, deeper one, however, it also acts as another signifier of the series’ commitment to authenticity. Vikings, like so many other recent series set during the Middle Ages, wants to do away with the common perception of this period as one of shiny armor and knights charging at one another. The reality, as this series shows, was far less glamorous.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
Showtime, like other premium networks, has made a point of creating dramas which involve a great deal of sex and sweatiness. This is very much on display in the series The Tudors, for example, which chronicles the tumultuous married life of King Henry VIII. From the first season to the last, Henry is a man driven by his sexual desires, and he leaves a string of “conquests” in his wake. Time and again, the show demonstrates the extent to which Henry is willing to sacrifice the women in his life on the altar of his own libido.
The Tudors doesn’t shy away from showing viewers the sweatier nature of Renaissance life, particularly in its bedroom scenes. Time and again, the camera dwells on Henry and his various lovers - sometimes but not always his wives - as they engage in the pleasures of the flesh. It is, of course, meant to be titillating (as is usually the case with premium cable, which can get away with more than networks). At the same time, the sweat also signifies the way desire comes to reshape the course of history.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
The pirate is one of those figures who has proven to be a very popular one in films and TV series. Whereas many representations tend to show the glamorous side of piracy, Black Sails goes in a very different direction, one more in keeping with the trend of historical television to focus on the nitty-gritty and the realistic. Thus, even though it is a bit of a prequel to the adventures recounted in Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous adventure novel Treasure Island, it often feels more like a traditional historical drama than a swashbuckler.
And, in keeping with this general ethos, the characters who appear in this series often look as if they are real people rather than just characters from a novel. The actors were put through a rigorous bootcamp in order to have them look like people who would have actually spent their lives on-board a ship. This work pays off in the series itself, which repeatedly displays men and women sweating their way across ships and the Caribbean. The series, in the best period drama tradition, feels authentic, even if it takes liberties with the facts.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
free
paid
- 15
- Photo:
The early 2000s was a particularly rich period for the epic film set in antiquity. Of particular note was the film Troy which, as the title suggests, is a retelling of the events of the Trojan War. In typical epic fashion, it focuses on the various heroes who are involved in the mighty conflict, including Achilles (Brad Pitt), Hector (Eric Bana), and Paris (Orlando Bloom). Notably, it focuses far more on the human aspect of the story, in contrast to ancient stories, which did not shy away from showing the influence of the gods.
Like many of the other epic films which emerged from this particular period of Hollywood history, Troy spends a lot of time looking at the male body. And, given the extent to which it also focuses on the brutality of war in the ancient world, it makes sense it would also feature quite a few sweaty bodies. As a result of this emphasis on the sheer physicality of war, Troy truly does work to make the viewer feel as if they are immersed in one of the most noteworthy conflicts to have emerged out of western literature.
Getting hot in here?featured
paid
- Photo:
Lawrence of Arabia was a giant in his own time, and he was made even more so by David Lean’s film immortalizing his life. Sprawling and beautiful and epic in all senses of the word, Lawrence of Arabia is a testament to the power of film to capture the grandeur and sweep of history and one man’s influence on it. Though it is very much about Lawrence’s own struggles with his identity and with the brutal and ugly nature of war, it is also about World War I more generally.
Peter O’Toole’s Lawrence is a man burning with his own inner intensity, and he endures a great deal of physical strain as he carves his own destiny. And, since the story is set in the blazing deserts of the Middle East, both Lawrence and his fellow warriors are often seen with a sheen of perspiration on their faces. They are all being forged in the cauldron of political and physical conflict. Furthermore, the members of the cast also endured quite a lot of sweating during filming, adding a further layer of verisimilitude.
Getting hot in here?featured
paid
- Photo:
Though he has long been overshadowed by the presidents who preceded and succeeded him, John Adams was a truly significant historical figure in his own right. After being given the biographical treatment in historian David McCullough’s magisterial account of his life, he also became the center of the HBO miniseries which bears his name. Paul Giamatti manages to bring out the many complexities of this contradictory American president.
Like many of those produced by HBO during this period, the series strips away the glamor which so often surrounds the Founding Fathers. The scenes in which the various signers of the Declaration debate about just what it is they are doing is exemplary in this regard. They work to immerse the viewer into the same physical space and mindset of those who were most intimately involved with the founding of a new nation. The sense of claustrophobia is palpable, as is the experience of watching history unfold in real-time.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
- Photo:
Even though the genre of film noir largely faded from Hollywood by the middle of the 1950s, it would reappear in later decades in the form of the neo-noir. One of the most noteworthy examples of this phenomenon is Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski. With Jack Nicholson as JJ “Jake” Gittes, it follows him as he slowly realizes just how corrupt and decadent the world truly is. This is a common theme in much of film noir, and it is one Polanski explores with particular skill.
In Polanski’s film, the hot sun is constantly beating down on all of those who dwell in this cesspit of Californian cynicism. On one level, this is certainly an homage to the noirs of classical Hollywood, which often focused on sweating (and sometimes bleeding) bodies. And, as with those films, the sweat here captures a particular element of the atmosphere. On a deeper level, moreover, the sweat also conveys just how decadent and seedy this world is. Sweat, with all of its reminders of physicality and bodily incontinence, is unsettlingly visceral.
Getting hot in here?featured
subscription
paid
