Why does the USA change history and events within film and media??

Question

numerous films and docu's literally change history, and current events are altered for broadcastiing consumption. In both cases adding a more patrotic conclusion??

Us euro people have always wondered about this so please fill me in on what and why ??

Answer 1

Because it makes it more interesting to the viewers.

Don't get a Euro stick-up-bum, you're just as bad, I watch the BBC too.

Answer 2

As a Brit and an historian I often appauld American/Hollywood history films because at least it gets more people interested in history. A really great history film may inspire someone to do more reading about it or take a history course in school/uni. Historical films are very expensive to make, considering the sets, costumes etc. When something in a film is inaccurate by mistake or is an anachronism this can be forgiven due to the difficulty of making a film like this (e.g. The watch on the soldiers arm in Ben Hur, the perfect white teath of actors in medieval films, the appearance of Queen Elizabeth in the playhouse in Shakespeare in Love.) However it is counter-productive and offensive when history is literally re-written in films e.g. Americans capturing Enigma machine in U-571 when it was the british Navy and two men died doing it, or braveheart. These films become part of the popular consciousness and the unreal events they portray can colour present day popular and political attitudes. Ps. can't wait for new Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett

Answer 3

A Hollywood movie does not alter or change historic events, many of which are already well documented and preserved in aspic long before Hollywood gets it's grubby hands on them.

If people wish to live by the rules of Hollywood and ignore real history, then that is their choice. It's a free country and I cannot see anything wrong with that.

The notion that Eroll Flyn single handedly won the jungle war in Burma is the biggest laugh ever, especially here in UK, considering the enormous number of Burma Star veterans still alive at the time the movie came out. It was just greeted with dirision, not just by the vets of that jungle war but also but the entire nation.

Don't worry. World history over the last 200 years was not made by the Americans, it was in fact made by the British, who had the worlds biggest ever empire. By comparison USA is just a wimp in sheeps clothing, believe!

Someone told Winston Churchill that he might not look good in the history books. He laughed and told them, not only am I going to look good in History, I'm also going to write it. And, so he did.

History is a matter of choice. If you want it with a left wing slant, read A.J.P. Taylor if you want it with a right wing slant, read Winston.

Most modern historians now believe that 'eyewitness' history is the most important. For example, all those people standing on or near the Grassy Knoll in Dallas when JFK was shot, were eye witnesses to 'history'. They were in many cases interviewed at the time. That's real history, the people's history.

Writing about that day in Dallas now is not real history, it's just make-believe. I was not there, I was in London, I saw the theatres empty and all the lights switched off and the people of London went home in the dark to mourn the loss of a president of the USA who really was so highly thought of. The end of the new Camelot.

Answer 4

Because it makes bucks to see Johnny Hero from mid western US defeating all comers in the wars. Also quite a few of the American people are so anti European with their History. Don't forget, the idea of making an acurate looking film about History would bore the majority of film goers. Plus the yanks really hate the idea they did not save the world and it took a multi national force of armed forces to do this. They never talk about the Commonwealth and Empire forces in the Far East against the Japanese, nor there defeats in North Africa and Incompetance in Italy much, only the push to Germany or the later battles of the Mid Pacific.

Answer 5

When you give people a hazy idea of history based on fiction it makes it easier for them to half form opinions. Once someone thinks they know something, if you (some evil cog in a tyrannical wheel for instance) fill in some of the gaps with some appropriate guff that serves your needs have have a great way to manipulated your people. Through clever use of soundbites and snippets of news coverage you can get the waddling masses to support anything you want.

It would be easy to say that it works so well with our american cousins because they are fat and lazy, driven by fear and ignorance, and ruled by people worse then the Nazi's. But thats just not accurate, thats a perception that I have been given through the British media, who also has there own agenda.

Unfortuatly if you are an american, and I've meet loads of nice intelligent non-bloodthristy ones, this is a very widly held perception on this side of the Atlantic.

Answer 6

It's mostly poetic license. But up until the 60s it was more to keep up patriotism.

The fact remains if you want unvarnished truth you go to non-fictional history books or the history channel. Everyone else has their own take on history.

You watch a movie to be entertained. Most baby boomers know it's not real but who wants to watch a movie where the perceived bad guy wins or the good guy does only by luck?

Answer 7

Good question. As a historian I HATE it when a so-called historical film differs greatly from the truth. While I certainly understand artistic license, I cannot understand why total falsehoods are portrayed as historical fact.

The worst part is that many people who do not read history accept what they see on film and TV as the truth.

Of course, much of Shakespeare's history was incorrect but he did not have at his disposal the immense volume of evidence that is available to modern writers, and he lived at a time when society was not as free as it is today. It is sad that many modern writers/filmmakers etc. take advantage of their freedom of speech and use it to promote unthruths.

Answer 8

What can I say, we are in the You-Tube generation where people can make up video to suit themselves. Take old film footage and put your own spin to it... it is all the rage.

This isn't new. When it has an offical backing it is called propaganda and the US didn't invent it. It seems that our government is trying to rally people behind their belief that they have the right to rule the world, or at least to police it and mold it into an identiacl democracy as ours.






g-day!

Answer 9

Two reasons: To make money and to change peoples perceptions on what the truth is.

Example: people who ignore the holocaust and say it never happened- in spite of the overwhelming evidence, and bodys that such a horrible thing had taken place

Answer 10

It's all entertainment not reality. Hollywood never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
As for the media , they are owned by large corporations who have their own agenda and spin the news according to who they want to influence.