History Goes To The Movies

by Marnie Hughes-Warrington

Can films be used as historical evidence? Do historical films make good or bad history? Are documentaries more useful to historians than historical drama? Written from an international perspective, this book offers a lucid introduction to the ways films are made and used, cumulating with the exploration of the fundamental question, what is history and what is it for? Incorporating film analysis, advertisements, merchandise and internet forums; and ranging from late-nineteenth century short films to twenty-first century DVD ‘special editions’, this survey evaluates the varied ways in which filmmakers, promoters, viewers and scholars understand film as history. From Saving Private Ryan to Picnic at Hanging Rock to Pocahontas , History Goes to the Movies considers that history is not simply to be found in films, but in the perceptions and arguments of those who make and view them. This helpful introductory text blends historical and methodological issues with real examples to create a systematic guide to issues involved in using historical film in the study of history. History Goes to the Movies is a much-needed overview of an increasingly popular subject.

Genres: History

232 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2006

Reviews

[Martin Riexinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many short books on "film and ..." this one is thought-provoking and instructive, but in the end not really convincing as many questions are raised but only superficially touched upon.
The good parts are the efforts of the authors to provide a structured overview of genres which deal with history. She explicitly alerts to very different approaches in other cultural contexts than the Western. Instructive is as well the chapter on stylistic devices used to create authenticity (a subchapter on fault-finding on the internet which should belong here has ended up in the chapter on propaganda). In her chapter on propaganda she highlights the necessity to differentiate between intention and reception, for an adequate analysis, and she demonstrates that the difference between documentary and fiction on the screen is fare from obvious.
The chapter on identity is as opposed to that not very concrete, and the one about reality is replete with references to French philosophy, but fails to demonstrate how this matters for the analysis for film on history.

In spite of the flaws mentioned in the end, recommended to all interested in the topic.

[Ryan Petty · Rating 1 out of 5]

warrington spends most of the book trying to make the same point over and over again, that film is important to history.