You'll Never Watch Westerns the same way again.
Written: Oct 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: What a way to enhance some films I've seen!
Cons: I wish even more films were covered; also, on occasion some of the essayists may nit-pick a touch.
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| etain's Full Review: Past Imperfect : History According to the Movies |
Hollywood loves history. Witness the wealth of historical movies made over the years -- from BEN HUR and SPARTACUS to JFK and APOCALYPSE NOW, with films covering the high points of many of the 2000+ years in between. However, Hollywood loves a sensational story even more, and sometimes that's where the problem comes in.
In PAST IMPERFECT, editor Mark Carnes has collected 60 essays by modern historians, each one reviewing a film for historic accuracy. Now, when adapting a story from history to film or television, it's understandable that some ultimately minor details have to be omitted, simplified, or otherwise altered to serve the story. But a surprising number of films have apparently played fast and loose with the facts. MISSISSIPPI BURNING, starring Gene Hackman and Willem Defoe, is one such example; the film is based on an incident from the Civil Rights movement, and the government investigation into the deaths of three college students who volunteered to help Southern blacks register to vote. As the essay about MISSISSIPPI BURNING points out, there are no major roles for black actors. Judging from the film, one would get the idea that white intellectuals from the North ran the whole Civil Rights Movement; the truth is, of course, that it was a multi-racial grass roots movement.
Another blatantly erroneous film is THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, a biopic about General George Custer; the film depicts Custer as a friend to the Sioux, claiming that he actually wrote the President to persuade him to leave the Black Hills in the hands of the Sioux. The film closes with the President reading said letter aloud to Custer's widow, approving such a plan, and intoning that "It looks like your soldier won his last battle." The essay on the film reminds us that Custer's own letters and the very existence of the Mt. Rushmore National Monument prove how ridiculous this version of the story is.
The book covers not only famous films like JFK, GLORY, and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, but also smaller and lesser-known films. One contributor wrote about HESTER STREET, a film from the '70's about Jewish immigrants in the early 1900's. While the film is based on a short story rather than an actual event, the picture it presents of everyday life and the struggles of newcomers to the US are true to the times. AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD, a Klaus Kinski film about a little-known Spanish conquistador, and the three-part THE HUMAN CONDITION are other unique entries.
Occasionally, an essay will not only address the film itself and the event it was based on, but also the era in which the film was made and its impact on the film itself. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, one essay claims, is as much about the 1930's craving for British empire drama as it is about the turn of the century battle of Balaclava that the film is supposedly about. So too with FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY, a film about the development of the first nuclear weapons; arguably, because it was made in the midst of the Cold War Arms Race, the story has been turned into a cautionary tale.
All of the essays are tight and well-written, with none of the dry and dusty tone people may fear from historical writing. On occasion a writer will also add a paragraph about other films covering the same period -- the essay on APOCALYPSE NOW also discusses Kubrick's FULL METAL JACKET and the film THE GREEN BERETS starring John Wayne. Each essay also includes a suggestion or two for further reading.
A great book for either historians or movie buffs, or anyone who remembers the plot of 1776 better than they do their high school history class.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
etain
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
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