subscribe to this pageSorlin, Pierre. . Film in history : restaging the past / Pierre Sorlin. [0389201308 ] Totowa, N.J. : Barnes & Noble Books, 1980.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1995.2 .S6 1980
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1995.2 .S6 1980
Chapter 1 of The Film in History, by Pierre Sorlin, deals with the question, “How should we look at a historical film?” He explores the history of newsreel films and the relationship of film and historical research. Sorlin posits that history is defined by societies memory of an event, and that historical films have a strong influence on this memory. Societies create history, and different groups within the society hold on to different aspects and versions of past events. And, of course, each group uses their memory of the past to shape opinions and dialogue about the present. This aspect of Sorlin’s argument is extremely relevant when thinking about All the President’s Men. The movie has certainly influenced peoples’ account of the Watergate scandal, and it remains applicable today when thinking about the relationship of the media and the government. In fact, the title All the Presidents Men has been re-used as the title of articles about the Bush Administration (see http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hadar.php?articleid=7874).
Sorlin defines a historical film as one that “includes dates, events and characters known to all members” of the community of the audience. Even a subset of these details is enough for the audience to read the film as part of the historical genre. The historical film requires an understanding that “something real and unquestionable exists, something which definitely happened and which is history.” Even though this is the general understanding, it is not always the main concern of the filmmakers to reproduce the past accurately, and Sorlin believes that historians should accept this and not worry about mistakes made in the representation of past events. In this sense he agrees with Toplin that minor exaggerations or reconfigurations of the past are excusable. Indeed, as Toplin states, "historical films are all fictional."
Sorlin defines a historical film as one that “includes dates, events and characters known to all members” of the community of the audience. Even a subset of these details is enough for the audience to read the film as part of the historical genre. The historical film requires an understanding that “something real and unquestionable exists, something which definitely happened and which is history.” Even though this is the general understanding, it is not always the main concern of the filmmakers to reproduce the past accurately, and Sorlin believes that historians should accept this and not worry about mistakes made in the representation of past events. In this sense he agrees with Toplin that minor exaggerations or reconfigurations of the past are excusable. Indeed, as Toplin states, "historical films are all fictional."