The Real Story

2009 • Smithsonian Channel
4.3
80 reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 2 episodes (5)

1 The Exorcist
4/25/10
Season-only
Perhaps the scariest part of "The Exorcist" is that it's not a work of complete fiction. We recount the 1949 exorcism of a young boy through reenactments and witness accounts. We also show how exorcism continues to this day and how neuroscientists' recent discoveries dispute this controversial, centuries-old ritual.
2 The Silence of the Lambs
5/2/10
Season-only
Meet the deranged serial killers and the determined FBI agents who inspired one of Hollywood's most terrifying thrillers and gave Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster the roles of a lifetime. We go behind the scenes at the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit to meet the profilers who became the basis for Harris's characters and to uncover the details of real-life murderers Ed Gein, Ted Bundy and others.
3 The Bourne Identity
5/16/10
Season-only
Believe it or not, the covert, violent and deadly world of Jason Bourne is actually grounded in reality. We take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the CIA to see how a super assassin like Matt Damon's conflicted hero is created. We also probe the intelligence agency's controversial past operations, involving sinister mind-control experiments and often bizarre assassination plots.
4 Casino
5/9/10
Season-only
Behind Martin Scorsese's masterful direction and Robert De Niro's larger-than-life performance lies the very real story of the high-stakes battle between the mob and the law for control of Las Vegas. We interview key figures on both sides of this colorful crime story and detail how the FBI was finally able to overcome the Mafia's formidable grip on Sin City.
5 The Hunt for Red October
5/23/10
Season-only
In 1975, The Sentry, a state-of-the-art Russian warship, was taken over by a rogue Soviet officer. This remarkable mutiny not only inspired the best-selling political thriller and the Sean Connery/Alec Baldwin blockbuster, "The Hunt for Red October," it almost triggered World War III. For the first time, we reveal stories of bravery and tragedy firsthand, from the men aboard the warship and the officers who ordered its destruction.

About this show

Discover the true stories involving very real people, places and events -- some known to the public, others hidden from it -- that went on to inspire some of Hollywood's biggest hits, most iconic heroes and notorious villains.

Ratings and reviews

4.3
80 reviews
deborah elliott
April 22, 2021
I wouldn't trust a hidebound, prosaic, traditional institution like the Smithsonian to reveal the truth about such controversies.
Logan Ornellas
October 7, 2015
The t rex in real life can go as fast as a man but true that the veliorapter is covered in feathers and the size of a fat chicken.
1 person found this review helpful
Deborah Panton
April 6, 2015
Loved it. Plenty of factual info to go with the fiction of the movie. Not so far fetched as we think.
1 person found this review helpful