movies/tv Historical movies.

[Concord 1,982]

Hello!

 

This is one of those rare occurrences, that i'll be creating a thread, so please, do take some time, because this is important to me.

 

I have been given an assignment at school, to present a speech on a certain topic. The topic would be: Do Historical movies help people understand history better? So that would be the question, that i'm asking your opinions on.

 

I'd love if you could use some certain examples and facts (For example, certain movies, certain newscast), but any help, thoughts, are welcome!

 

Note: I'm only gathering various information and intel. From most of the opinions, if i even get any, i'll be able to make my speech somewhat more interesting and colourful, so thank you in advance!

Edited February 5, 2013 by Thereisnospoon303

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

I think it'd depend on the movie. I think it'd help to explain what's going on, but most of them don't really explain the historical context of the movie.

[Avery 29]

Well the point of a film or media in general is more designed around entertaining the viewer and not always used to accurately portray what actually happened in the events in question.

 

This is why that a lot of films try to put small warps in history to keep it entertaining but at the sacrifice of some historical accuracy.

Since most movies often go by their own set of fictional characters that often don't have anything relevance to what actually happened during an event that plays out on the screen, directors have the freedom to put their own twist on how the events could have actually been carried out but still with the same result that we all know today.

But if the movie is more documentary based, constantly talking about dates and facts and not centred around the life of this character that never actually exsisted, then it is safe to safe that it is a pretty reliable source of secondary information.

 

A good example of a movie that is historically inaccurate would be "300" but yet it definitely provides in the entertainment department. Such inaccuracies as:

-Sparta was a city in Greece, not a country.

-In the battle of Thermopylae the Spartans were accompanied by other
Greeks with their forces numbering between 6,000-7,000, not 300.

-The 300 "sire units" died rather instantly with no glorious blood bath, as the thousands of Greeks were no longer there to hold the line.

-They talked about the elements of "freedom" which were in fact absent in actual history, as Spartans were the biggest slave holders in that area.

 

And don't even get me started on the persian side of things.

 

So really don't always trust in what large, big budget, Hollywood movies tell you! As most likely it's not what your textbook will tell you. Stick to factual means of information like a textbook.

 

Hope that helped a little


 

[Derpyroo 14]

if its anything mel Gibson has done then no, i believe that Saving Private Ryan gives the closest representation of the D-Day landings we could imagine

[Inactive01 5,299]

Yes and no. The movie provides an insight into what might have happened and also shows that the movie producers believed about the history. At the same token, the producers could also skew a lot of the facts to make the movie more interesting. A perfect example would be "Amadeus" or "The Pianist". A 1950s movie of Oliver Cromwell's life is another great example.

[Derpyroo 14]

Yes and no. The movie provides an insight into what might have happened and also shows that the movie producers believed about the history. At the same token, the producers could also skew a lot of the facts to make the movie more interesting. A perfect example would be "Amadeus" or "The Pianist". A 1950s movie of Oliver Cromwell's life is another great example.

I agree The Pianist  is an amazing piece of film and Amadeus is compelling, i dont think that movie makers will ever totally get the true story of historical events

[Fluttershy4life 150]

I've seen a lot of movies based off historical events, and you probably should know when it comes to history and movies I kind of go insane about accuracy! It seems like a lot of the main plots of what happened usually are correct but some things aren't always accurate or certain details just get on my nerves. Like a lot of movies about the last imperial family of russia they make the 4 princesses have zero personality when each girl was very complex and real in their own ways. 

If you are looking for something that'd teach you the outer picture of what happened then I'd say yes, historical movies do help. As for details and stuff, I recommend hitting the books

[Guest]

The Lives of Others is a great historical movie about East Germany and the Stasi. Well worth a watch.