If you read last week's post, you'll note that we've determined that movies that are supposedly "based on a true story" are either drama, horror, or historical (with sports fitting into either drama or historical). You will also remember that I am extremely critical of movies that use the tagline "based on a true story" or some version of it. Why? Many reasons, some of the main ones will be shared here.
1. It sells tickets!
What's the best way to sell a ticket to an awful movie? Say that it's a true story! I'm not saying that all "true story" movies are awful. In fact, most of them are really good movies, and some are great movies. But in the end, the industry cares more about selling tickets to the average movie viewer than they are at telling a factual story. If you have a movie about a down on his luck father who's trying to provide for his child, it may be a good small movie that gets good reviews and some go to see it, but it isn't a huge movie. However, you slap the "inspired by actual events" sticker on it and suddenly everyone has to see it. Once you put reality on a movie (no matter how ludicrous), people will pay to see it. But don't be fooled into thinking that the movie industry has your history textbooks in mind when they make a movie. After all, I think we can all agree that Abraham Lincoln didn't really fight vampires or zombies or any other supernatural creatures.
2. The words themselves
The words themselves say it all: based on a true story. It implies that the movie you are going to watch is not necessarily true, but it is based on something that is. That is a very broad (and sly) way of saying that the movie isn't factual but its basis is. However, don't confuse this statement with the movie itself being factual. It usually means that the screenwriter saw or read something and they thought of an idea that became a script. What they read or saw is usually a factual event or scenario, and what they write isn't always the same. Look at the numerous versions of a Titanic movie. Since no one is alive who experienced the actual sinking, we can't know for 100% certainty everything that happened on the ship, and even if there was, it would only be from that person's perspective, as opposed to everything that actually happened. Not only that, but the sinking of the ship is literally just that. There have been three major movies made about the Titanic sinking: the one from 1997 that everyone knows about, the 1958 movie 'A Night to Remember', and the 1943 German movie 'Titanic'. Each one is a historical film about the sinking of the Titanic, but each one has similar elements: drama and action, two people having a discussion (with differing viewpoints) on the ship's ability to sink or be unsinkable, and fictional characters. The fictional characters is where these historical movies really come into conflict with the history of the subject matter. Do any of these three versions claim to be based on a true story? No. However, they are based on an event that actually occurred: the Titanic's sinking. It's the same principle as 'Saving Private Ryan' is based in part on the D-Day invasion, which is a real event. With smaller stories (usually horror and drama movies), it's harder to investigate the real circumstances that inspired the film. Since these are harder to research, most accept them as truth. Unfortunately, most people mistake a film that was inspired by true events and a film that actually happened. If you want a film that actually happened, look for documentaries (even though you can't trust all of them either now).
Check back in Part 3 for an in depth look at the third and most important reason why 'Based on a True Story' isn't always so.
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