Smeared Type

As we approach the Oscar season, there are a spate of new movies, many of which are advertised as “based on a true story” or “based on the incredible true story.”

These movies have often come from original books or plays and have gradually morphed into a full-length Hollywood production.

Sometimes, historical events are given a movie treatment through a screenplay that, on many occasions, uses dramatization of “events” or at least poetic license.

Currently offerings include FrostNixen, based upon a real live TV interview thirty years ago of the disgraced former President, Richard Nixon, by David Frost, a well-known British talk show host and political commentator.

The movie has received generally good reviews, and both the producers and Sir David Frost have acknowledged that there has been some dramatization and injection of verbal exchanges, comments, and action which did not take place at the time.

While one has to recognize all of this is done to create a movie that is broader and more entertaining than perhaps the original event, we have discovered in this age of instant visual communication, that the audience is likely to regard this total offering as being 100% factual.

Similarly, another movie that is just hitting the major screens is Valkyrie.  Billed as based on the incredible true story, it does contain considerable accurate historical facts.  However, as pointed out in the reviews, the screenplay gives the impression that a large proportion of the German Officer Corps. was attempting or plotting to remove Adolph Hitler for many years before the failed attempt on his life, which is the basis of the movie.

It is of course recognized that dramatization of events creating tensions and excitement is absolutely necessary, but once again the audience may well think that the events shown on the screen are 100% factual.

Perhaps the marketers of today’s movies, might more accurately describe their offerings as “dramatization of events that did take place” or “broadly based on a true story.”