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Date:         Wed, 8 Apr 1992 12:44:00 EDT
From:         DA_AZIZ@ACAD.FANDM.EDU
Subject:      Re: History and Films

Date sent:  8-APR-1992 12:25:56
>
>Ellis Knox dismisses the idea that historical films and novels should be
>responsible for being realistic with a flippant "It's just make-believe folks."
>Although I agree (to a certain extent) with his comment that the fault lies
>with the reader rather than the author (or viewer/filmmaker), it ceases to
>be make-believe when people use these fictions as the basis for forming their
>(very real) opinions. (other stuff deleted)
        I think some people may have missed my point of my original
posting about this topic.  I would have replied sooner but I seem to
be receiving my HISTORY mail rather weird for the past few days.  Anyway
when I asked the question, I specifically asked about movies that make
such HUGE errors that even non-historian type people might know. I also
disagree with Mr. Knox when he says that "it's just a movie". It is NOT
just a movie when BASIC facts are twisted. A film maker, if they choose
to make an historical-type film, should at least try to stick to the KNOWN
documented facts. I can understand getting such things as the minor points
of wardrobe wrong, but not facts.  This was/is my main problem with _They
Died With Their Boots On_. An incredible amount of known facts were
tossed out the window just because the films makers thought it made a better
story. Some of the real beauties are: Custer was promoted by accident and
straight to a General from a 1st Lt., Custer and his wife meet at West
Point and Libbie knew General Sheridan as an old family friend, that
the whole 7th Cav was destroyed at the battle of the Little Big Horn,
and was knowing sacraficed to save Terry's troops from being killed,
and that the whole 7th Cav. loved Custer and has no problem
being lead into battle by him.
These are MAJOR distorations and outright changing of the facts. I don't
think any film should be allowed to get away with something like that all
under the excuse that it was "just a film".
Deb
PS. While watching the film, I tried to view it as would anyone who just
had the typical amount of knowledge about Custer and his last stand.
I decided that from that point of view it was a enjoyable film, much
as Flynn in Robin Hood is good but historically wrong.  However, what
struck me the most was how the film makers changed things that were
more interesting in real life.  It is a shame that film makers just
can't realize that sometimes truth is stranger and better than fiction.
Deb
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%Debbie A. Aziz               That's just the way it is   %
%Franklin & Marshall Coll.   Somethings will never change %
%Lancaster, PA                That's just the way it is   %
%Bitnet:DA_AZIZ@FANDM        Ah, but don't you believe it %
%Internet:                       -"The Way It Is"         %
%DA_AZIZ@ACAD.FANDM.EDU      Bruce Hornsby and the Range  %
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