When 'Based On A True Story' Is Actually A Lie

Biopics and movies about historical events can be wonderful jumping-off points for learning about history, but you can't just depend on them for your history education. Sadly, the blockbuster film version may be the only exposure many folks have to certain historical moments. Historical events are a great well of inspiration, since they are truly original ideas at the time they happened, and cannot be accused of plagiarism or piggybacking. But when a filmmaker takes on a historical project, they still have to fit the story into a feature film length, which means leaving out a lot of context, condensing long sequences, and sometimes taking shortcuts by making up scenes to get an idea across quickly. Nerdstalgic takes us on a tour of the ways true stories get changed for cinema. Those changes don't ruin a good movie, but as far as historical accuracy, we should be aware of them. (via Digg)