The movies are not known for their historical accuracy. In the last Hollywood History post, I talked about how films like the Renegade and Titanic have made history fun again, at some levels. But I only lightly touched on the inaccuracies part, simply ignoring it for the sake of the topic. Nowhere else in movies are historical inaccuracies as well located as clichés: re-used and recycled, but rarely reduced, gimmicks in movies used for as much as plot movement and as little as a sight gag. At the time of the first post, I didn't really mind what Hollywood had to do to historical stories, as long as people were able to understand the story and be inspired by them to learn more. However, I realized that audiences may like a story portrayed in film, but then only base their knowledge of the subject on the film alone, and be inspired for all of the wrong reasons. So, I looked into common Hollywood tropes used in films-the damsel in distress, dramatic hero, sacrifice, etc.- to see how they detract from the learning experience of a historical movie. Instead, I found it can actually be a good teaching tool.
We've always been taught that "history repeats itself", my tired mantra, and it can sometimes be really good or really bad (mostly the latter). Hollywood also seems to repeat itself on this cycle, usually when in one summer one could watch only '80s remakes or sequels without an ounce of originality. But time and again, there comes a film, be it historical or not, that uses an obscene amount of clichés but still ends up being good. Why is this? For films covering history, it's actually quite clear-the clichés are what make the movie fun. Sad but true, no audience wants to watch a film that is completely accurate to the source. If someone made a shot for shot re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War, unless there were a lot of fighting scenes, no one would want to see it. The fact of the matter is that history can be boring, but Hollywood has the special ingredients needed to help make it more appealing to everyone, everywhere.
For instance, take the movie Waterloo. Made in the 1970s, it follows the life of Napoleon Bonaparte from his first exile to Elbe to the Battle at Waterloo to his crushing defeat at the hands of the British and the Prussians. In real life, the time period of all of these historical events covers years and years of decisions, which were mostly un-saturated with any character development. But in this movie, there are strained relationships, gory fighting, and emotional impacts that makes movies enjoyable. In fact, these tropes exist in all movies: there will always be the unlucky hero (Napoleon), the main villain (Britain), and enough side developments to fill you in on an entire world that you may not have even heard about before. What comes with these tropes are inaccuracies, sure; Napoleon was far from a hero, and I doubt that any non-famous locals had their names repeated endlessly as if they were a war veteran. But considering that the story of the Battle of Waterloo has now been shown to millions of people, it makes learning about it in class so much easier. Yes, the teachers will have to dispel the wrong details, but that's what you have to do normally, right? Use this interest in a historical movie to help teach your class even more. As for students, you can use your Internet skills to find out even more about this movie that you love, and how it was either completely butchered or done perfectly. Hell, even movies like Amadeus use clichés to make it better; would a person willingly watch a movie about Mozart and Salieri unless they were both completely insane?
In the end, I still had the notion that re-stylized tropes aren't good in some cases, but I also found that in others, it's completely necessary to keep people's attentions. Hollywood tells stories in giant and wonderful ways; they aren't bound by the history textbook. If you can learn something from them, learn that the next time you see a damsel in distress, you remember how real life would've been like.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
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