Message text Historical accuracy has always been a problem for the cinema.
Flyboys was a good film though. It motivated me to find this site.
I asked a US Marine what he thought of some of the bad war movies and his opinion was "for a Marine, there are no bad war movies". To sum up his thoughts, anything that got people to think about him and his profession was good for him. To be forgotten while everyone watched a comedy or romance was worse. That is the way I feel about these historical dramas. I know they are going to get some (a lot) of the details wrong, but as a lifelong student of history, raising the interest level is extremely important. We can't stop stupid scripts and costume design in films but if people talk about the film, those of us who know a little about the history get an opportunity to set people straight. I remember quite clearly a group at one of my parents parties in the 1960s talking about the Red Baron, Brown and May, and the conversation was sparked by Charles Schultz Snoopy and the Red Baron characters. That led me to pick up a book on the subject and that is why I am here this morning, typing this.
I will see The Red Baron and hopefully it is at least an engaging story. A few short years from now and the Great War will have it's Centennial. Perhaps films like Flyboys and The Red Baron will spark some interest in studying the subject. At least we are not discussing "Harold and Kumar meet the Red Baron".
Peter Jackson might get it right with his upcoming endeavor, and it would be interesting to see what happens to traffic on this site after that one is released. |
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