‘Band of Brothers’ & More Titles Based on True Stories to Stream on Netflix
If you’re looking for a taste of real life in your viewing habits, look no further than Netflix. The streamer is home to several documentaries and dramas that bring vibrant eras of history to home screens. Whether it’s Queen Cleopatra or HBO‘s former series Band of Brothers, there’s something for everyone.
Scroll down for a closer look at these must-stream titles available now on Netflix.
Alexander: The Making of a God
Alexander the Great packed lots of living into 33 years, and these six episodes cover all the highlights of the king of ancient Greece, who ruled more than three centuries before Christ. “Alexander was the greatest military mind of all time, and yet at the same time, he was a poet, philosopher, a scientist, an inventor, and a builder of [an] empire,” says Cardiff University professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones in the series. ‘It’s no wonder that, after 2,000 years, we are still obsessed with him.” The show weaves its tale through drama (with Buck Braithwaite, above, as Alexander), education, and excavation, as a prominent archaeologist uncovers fascinating ruins in modern-day Alexandria, offering more clues to this ancient man’s life.
Einstein and the Bomb
In the wake of Oppenheimer’s success, this doc delves into the guilty conscience of another of the atom bomb’s many fathers — Albert Einstein. “I made…one great mistake in my life,” says the renowned thinker, seen in both archive footage and in docudrama scenes played by Aidan McArdle. “Had I known the Germans would not succeed in producing the bomb…I would not have taken part in opening that Pandora’s box.” We see the building of the ultimate weapon through the eyes of the tortured genius, who fled the Nazis only to face alarming questions such as: Was the bomb a price worth paying for peace?
Queen Cleopatra
This powerful pharaoh of Egypt used wiles and will to save the country she loved. Dramatic reenactments (featuring Adele James, above, as Cleopatra) and expert interviews combine in these episodes to bring the cunning, daring beauty, who also romanced both Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, to life.
Band of Brothers
This extraordinary 10-episode 2001 miniseries won seven Emmys and told the WWII tale of the 101st Airborne Division’s “Easy” Company of paratroopers. Damian Lewis (above) led the cast as Maj. Dick Winters; Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were among the producers.
The Last Czars
People obsessed with Russia’s doomed Romanovs will embrace this 2019 six-parter. It blends the dramatic tale of Nicholas II (Robert Jack, center, with Susanna Herbert and Oskar Mowdy) from his 1894 ascension to his 1918 assassination with expert commentary.
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