100 Years of World History, As Told By 100 Movies

kottke.org July 08, 2025 By Jason Kottke

This is a unique look at the history of the world from 1925 to 2025, told through the lens of movies whose plots take place in those years. For example, the WWII era is represented by The Sound of Music (1965), The Pianist (2002), The Darkest Hour (2017), Casablanca (1942), The Thin Red Line (1998, Come and See (1985), Son of Saul (2015), Oppenheimer (2023), and Godzilla Minus One (2023).

As the video goes on, more and more of the scenes depict imagined past futures from films like 1984, Transformers: The Movie, Blade Runner, The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Johnny Mnemonic.

In the end, it’s not a happy video — lots of war, both past and future. Hollywood does like to dwell on our worst times.

Tags: history · movies · video

💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org

This is a unique look at the history of the world from 1925 to 2025, told through the lens of movies whose plots take place in those years. For example, the WWII era is represented by The Sound of Music (1965), The Pianist (2002), The Darkest Hour (2017), Casablanca (1942), The Thin Red Line (1998, Come and See (1985), Son of Saul (2015), Oppenheimer (2023), and Godzilla Minus One (2023).

As the video goes on, more and more of the scenes depict imagined past futures from films like 1984, Transformers: The Movie, Blade Runner, The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Johnny Mnemonic.

In the end, it’s not a happy video — lots of war, both past and future. Hollywood does like to dwell on our worst times.

Tags: history · movies · video

💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org

Comments 0

Log in to post a comment.

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Source Information
kottke.org
Web Publication

Published on July 08, 2025 by Jason Kottke

Visit Original Article
Advertise with Us

Reach our audience with your ads