Newsgroups: bit.listserv.history
Date:         Thu, 9 Apr 1992 14:37:14 EDT
From:         "Daniel A. Foss" <DFOSS@CCVM.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Historical Accuracy

   I accept Lynn Nelson's reminiscences as *the* definitive descriptive prose
anent Chicago in the 1930s, 1940s, and as late as they go. I cannot believe
what poor "cheating" says of contemporary Chicago, if that's what his mention
of Midwest in post before last meant. For his internet address says, he's
right in here. As not even the most masochistic would ever take LSD in grayish
white windowless rooms, and in my day they didn't have computers, the social
function of grayish-white walls having always been to focus your attention if
any on some work-redolent spot which would be dangerous to the computers hence
to the health and safety of my access code number for which reason were poor
"cheating" actually in here I'd bid him leave for my sake.
    No, the place to take LSD was I recall Venice Beach in 1970-1971 with one
would-be painter and two film students. Then drive to Hollywood Boulevard; the
male film student and I cowering in the back seat, the two women in front one
unable to see, one unable to hold a steering wheel, to an End Run of
   * * * CLEOPATRA * * *
at Grauman's Egyptian Theater. (Everybody's heard of Grauman's Chinese Theater,
well, this was if it isn't still is, the other one.)
   In the frontmost row. The crack in Liz Taylor's makeup was outtasight.
   Of the four of us I thought 'twas I myself alone who could appreciate how
completely *wrong* the thing was. And it was way above average!
   ******
   Of all historical films and historical movies (there's a difference between
art and commerce operative), those about Ancient Egypt, anything at all with a
Pharaoh in it expecially if it's also got Moses in it, must be the objectively
worst. The Egyptians, Old, Middle, New Kingdoms whatevever, where not cultural-
ly, hence not motivationally, like us. To succumb to the temptation to peddle
an Ancient-Egypt story to PT Barnum's sucker-laden multitude is comparable to
anthropomorphizing the gorilla. But there you can compensate a wee bit for the
implausibility by having the lonely & misunderstood King Kong become very
large. Very very large.
   I recall an egregiously represented Akhnaten (Amenhotep IV) in one Ancient-
Egypt movie; but cannot recall the title (Can anyone help?). You know, Akhenat-
en is shown as a monotheist, which he didn't know he was, and a definitely
anachronistic Christlike one into the bargain. The Atenists are a flock of
DeMillean Early Christian stereotypes. As played by a real live Hollywood Star,
there was no chance of the king looking as weird as he insisted on having
himself portrayed as; assuming he wasn't any weirder looking than that. For
those men who believe Nefertiti was more than enough woman for any man, sad to
say she was not for the historical Akhnaten, who like other kings had plural
wives which he supplemented "all in the family" with incest with his daughters
and, notwithstanding Egyptian, uh, "homophobia," I suppose we'd call it, he may
have had a male lover - precipitating his breach with Nefertiti? - who was also
possibly his son and certainly his son-in-law.
   In the movie the "bad guys," the Amon priesthood and General Horemhab, won.
In history it's a lot harder to make out who were the "bad guys."
   ****
   I'd been idly fantasizing the movie version of "The Battle of Qadesh," would
the Egyptian or the Hittite version be used, notwithstanding the growing
consensus between Egyptologists and Hittitologists that the latter is more
accurate.
   But this is military history, and I'm hypothesizing an informational membra-
ne between military history and history on this particular event and who-all
knows what else.
   Meanwhile, there is no question that Ramesses II makes a great fictitious
character, as he was muchly in his own time. Anyone read Anne Rice, The Mummy
or: Rameses The Damned? Well, Rice is well-connected in tinseltown and - it's
been decades - I promised myself I'd drop acid once more before I die and the
movie version of Ramses The Damned may provide the occasion.

Daniel A. Foss
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