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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Inaccuracies in Movies

Discussion in 'Archive: The Amphitheatre' started by Melyanna, Jun 24, 2002.

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  1. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    No, I haven't. I just saw the film since I'm very interested in the Gauls, that's what you get when you are an Asterix-lover.
     
  2. weezer

    weezer Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 16, 2001
    This is why I don't watch historical movies for the most part. One of my friends loved the TV movie Attila so much he bought the DVD. I tried watching it and couldn't stand it. For one the actor was about 6'5" with blue eyes and long black hair (did I mention he was white with a slight aussie accent?)

    Anyways one of my pet peves has always been people who talk about inaccuracies in Sci Fi/Fantasy movies. People do it in the movie forums all the time.
     
  3. Mister_Bunny

    Mister_Bunny Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2001
    You guys do realize that the main character of The Patriot is fictitious, right?

    They should have a disclaimer on the packaging of the DVD "This film does not accurately reflect historical events. The Surgeon General has deemed that it will make you dumber for watching it."

    And in a few decades, we can sue them for knowing all this before the labelling was instituted. Put me down for twenty dollars! I watched Titanic!
     
  4. Ghost_of_Caesar

    Ghost_of_Caesar Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2000
    All "historical" films should have such a warning, unless of course it is a film/series like [iBand of Brothers[/i]. I've read the book several times, and seen most of the series twice, and I can't find fault with the translation from book to screen.
     
  5. Healer Apprentice Lina

    Healer Apprentice Lina Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 1, 2000
    I agree w/ Ghost_of_Cesaer.

    Band of Brothers was one of the best miniseries I've seen based on true life facts. And I'm usually one who rails against war films but this one was just wonderfully done w/a minimum on the cheesy "hero" moments and more honesty. Brilliant.
     
  6. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 2, 2000
    The Patriot was a darn good movie. I am officially the only person on the planet to think so. :p

    Actually, though, the main character was based on Francis something or other, a real life Indian killer who fought the British, but they changed his name and toned him back, cause he was really quite insane. ;)
     
  7. Maveric

    Maveric Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 17, 1999
    The character was an amalgamation between Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and a soldier from the French Indian War. As I am only teaching US History 1865-present, I do not have a text on that time period at home.

    The scene in which he tells his son about the war, and why everyone buys him drinks wherever they go is actually the story of the man whose name I cannot remember.

    The British Major was modeled on a real character, although he was made much more evil in the movie. He was a rule breaker, but not the SOB portrayed in the movie.
     
  8. Mister_Bunny

    Mister_Bunny Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Apr 5, 2001
    A friend of mine, after watching the Patriot, focused on the part where British troops locked women, children, old folks, and even the pets in a church and burned it. She said we shouldn't be allies with Britain because of that.
     
  9. The Cooler King

    The Cooler King Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 31, 2000
    Now, that's a completely silly attitude for your friend to have, Mister Bunny. Those actions portrayed were the actions of one man, a fictionalised renegade who repeatedly disobeyed orders from his superiors. The real Major Tavington was, I believe, nowhere near as much of a renegade as the character portrayed, just as the character of Benjamin Martin was based on the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, who was, in reality, a bit of a loony.

    Either way, the actions of one man are no reason to not have friendly relations with the country that man comes from. Think of all the good will that has happened between Britain and America since the American Revolution.
     
  10. Mister_Bunny

    Mister_Bunny Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2001
    But they were innocents! and they were in a church! She said when I told her the same stuff you said.

    It is quite a downer to see people take fiction as literal fact. She also wants to know what happened to the real life Rose from Titanic and what really happened to the big jewel that got thrown into the sea.
     
  11. General Cargin

    General Cargin Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 15, 1999
    My advice? Give up. She's a lost cause.

    Besides, regardless of whether The Patriot is accurate or not (we have determined in favour of the not), as The_Cooler_King said, the actions of one do not, or rather should not, reflect on the whole.
     
  12. lexu

    lexu Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 28, 2002
    I don't have much of a problem with historical inaccuracies. What gets me is the blatant scientics ones.

    The worst kind of movies with this problem are all those new space adventure blockbusters, like 'Mission To Mars,' 'Armageddon,' 'Red Planet,' and 'Deep Impact.'

    My personal favorite: when the spaceship crashes on the asteroid in 'Armageddon.' They do a nice pan of the wreckage, and what do we see? FIRE. Dude- vaccume + zero oxygen = ...well not fire!

    Stuff like that makes it difficult for me to watch a movie.
     
  13. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    I guess it depends a bit on your background what you focus on, I'm not good at science, so I don't notice stuff like that as easy as I notice historic inaccuracies, I am studying to become an historian after all.
     
  14. Melyanna

    Melyanna Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2001
    I suppose my real frustration in movies now is when it seems like the producers and directors don't think anyone will notice the inaccuracies. Sometimes having a scientific or historical fact wrong is done for dramatic purposes, and I'm not quite as irked by that kind of thing. I really enjoyed A Beautiful Mind despite its rather creative interpretation of John Nash's life - the point of the movie was less a story about the true story and more about how a brilliant man dealt with schizophrenia. However, with a movie like Armeggedon, where there wasn't a really big message to society (at least in my opinion; it seemed like a typical pop movie to me), the least they could do is try to educate the public a little bit by not having things happen that are blatantly wrong.

    I suppose I'm being a bit cynical, but I figure that if someone makes that much money and gets that much publicity, he should be held responsible for presenting information that's just wrong. (Yeah, if you think I'm bad about movies, talk to me sometime about pop music. 8-} )

    Mel
     
  15. Mastadge

    Mastadge Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 1999
    I guess Tolstoy said it best:

    AS an historian would be wrong if he tried to present an historical person in his entirety. . .so the artist would fail to perform his task were he to represent the person always in his historic significance. . .For an historian considering the achievement of a certain aim, there are heroes; for the artist treating of a man's relation to all sides of life, there cannot and should not be heroes, but there should be men. . .
     
  16. SirLancelot

    SirLancelot Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2002
    im not sure if this has been said yet, but Enamy at the Gates really pissed me off.

    the movie depicts the duel between Russian sniper Vassilli Zeitzev and Germen Major Konig. the movie did it extreamly poorly.

    1.) Zietzev was already the best sniper in the theater at the time. by the end of the war he had 500 confirmed enamy kills.

    2.) the was no romance in the battle. in fact Zeitzev was married, and his wife had some 300 kills by wars end.

    3.) im not sure but i think several of the weapons used by russion snipers wher einaccurate.

    4.) when Zeitzev killed Konig, Konig was hiding under a destroyed car. Zeitzev shot him and the bullet entered Konig's scope, then his eye, and out the back of his head. ala sniper duel in SPR.
     
  17. General Cargin

    General Cargin Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 15, 1999
    Here's an even better story - the German high command wrote that sniper duel off as Communist propaganda - with the way the battle of Stalingrad was going, they had no reason to admit that one of their top snipers got himself KIA.

    I learnt a long time ago to take anything portrayed in a film with a grain of salt, or least remember that reality ended when the lights went down. Hollywood History 101 is a poor substitute for War and Peace in the 20th Century. I only wish people would be inspired to learn more about something they've watched instead of taking the latest blockbuster war film as the gospel truth.
     
  18. SirLancelot

    SirLancelot Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Jun 10, 2002
    ya, you gotta learn to watch History vr Hollywood on the History Channel, that is pry the one best thing. i know they blasted movies like Pearl Harbor, The Patriot, and a Bridge over the River Kwai (which was extreamly innacurate)
     
  19. AdmiralZaarin

    AdmiralZaarin Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2001
    Colonel Tavington in the Patriot is based of Banastre Tarleton, a rule breaking and somewhat hot headed cavalry commander.
     
  20. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    Bridge on the River Kwai was historically inaccurate? Well, gosh, despite the riviting performances, pulse-pounding ending sequence, amazing score, discussion starting plot, excellent dilemma and one of the most beautiful examples of character development ever, I guess I'll just go burn my copy of it then. :mad:

    See, that's the kind of nit picking that gets on my nerves. Kwai was a great film and I don't really care if it wasn't accurate. Make some allowance for genius, guys. :mad:
     
  21. SirLancelot

    SirLancelot Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2002
    i have never actually seen the movie, so i wouldent actually know.
     
  22. Rogue1-and-a-half

    Rogue1-and-a-half Manager Emeritus who is writing his masterpiece star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    Oh, well, it's excellent. :)

    I wasn't angry at you, by the way, just the nitpickers on the History channel for bashing it. :)
     
  23. SirLancelot

    SirLancelot Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2002
    i dont know, i would rather get my history from them rather then a movie.

    but you can still amke a good movie, as long as people dont think that that is complete historical truth
     
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