‘Dishonest’ Films

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Siegmund, Jul 31, 2020.

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  1. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    I’m thinking of films that present an intentionally distorted view of real life personalities or events.

    The obvious one would seem to be The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) - the violent character of the central character is established early on but emphasis is placed on ‘mitigating factors’ (he killed a guard because he wasn’t told his aged mother had tried to visit him) and we’re asked to buy into a fantasy about a soul ‘redeemed by nature.’ The presence of an incredibly charismatic actor playing him adds gilding to the lily.

    But by all accounts, Stroud remained a violent psychopath throughout his life, and was disliked and distrusted by other cons and by prison staff. There were very good reasons why he was never considered for parole: Robert Stroud - Wikipedia

    Obviously, filmmakers find it too tempting to let such inconvenient little things as facts spoil matters when they’re bent on telling a ‘commercial’ story.


    Any other examples?
     
  2. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    I don't know how intentional they were on distorting the facts, but the producers of "The Buddy Holly Story" really f-ed things up as far as being accurate and factual.

    There's far more falsehoods in that film than truth.
     
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  3. SteveRes

    SteveRes Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Wasn't most of Midnight Express fabricated? I watched a documentary a few months back where the real Billy Hayes went back to Turkey to apologize for it.
     
  4. johnnybrum

    johnnybrum Forum Resident

    Saturday Night Fever (aka Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night ;))

     
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  5. carrick doone

    carrick doone Whhhuuuutttt????

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Weird, right when I read this, Maybe Baby came on the internet radio.
    But you are right - a nice story hung on Buddy Holly. It's not completely fabricated but everything inside the most well known facts appear to be. Not sure I would call it a dishonest film though.
     
  6. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic Thread Starter

    Location:
    Britain, Europe

    Perfect example. That film libelled a whole country.
     
  7. JoeOnWheels

    JoeOnWheels Forum Resident

    Location:
    Loveland CO USA
    A few that spring to mind: The Untouchables, 300, Shakespeare in Love, Braveheart.
     
    scobb likes this.
  8. The Hurricane, about boxer Ruben Carter, is almost wholly deceptive - about Carter’s background, boxing record, the crimes for which he was twice convicted (which were overturned on technicalities), and the people involved, in its attempts to paint Carter as a sympathetic, unjustly persecuted figure. One of his former opponents even sued the producers for libel, and settled out of court for cash and a disclaimer on the home video.
     
  9. Wink noted, but of course the film never pretended to be anything but fiction (although those who were there say it got the setting bang-on).
     
  10. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Almost any movie ‘based on real events’ are terribly dishonest films. Give them a yard, they’ll take a mile.
     
  11. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    Like ¨Lord Of Chaos¨ ?
     
  12. Johnny Action

    Johnny Action Forum President

    Location:
    Kailua, Hawai’i
    Superhero movies. All of them distort reality. Shameful.
     
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  13. groundharp

    groundharp Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger

    Location:
    California Day
    The English Patient is one that really irritates me. The 'hero' of the film was a Nazi in real life.
     
  14. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Oh ! Don't get me started on this movie. Total ******** with made up incidents and characters and a buffoonish portrayal of one of the seminal rock and roll pioneers. A disgrace in every way , made for cheap laughs.
    Buddy deserved much better. I hope he gets it one day.
     
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  15. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    C’mon. If you’re watching a super hero movie you know what you’re getting.
     
    Jimmy B. likes this.
  16. how do you figure? One can quibble over the accuracy of certain scenes and details, but I’d say it’s a stretch to call it intentionally deceptive overall...
     
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  17. Evethingandnothing

    Evethingandnothing Forum Resident

    Location:
    Devon
    Didn't know that. I hate that movie for other reasons, for instance: the cursory treatment of the husband.

    How about the film U-571? A bit of an enigma as to how they could distort history so far.
     
  18. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Hollywood honest?!?
    When was that ever the norm?
     
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  19. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    There are a few movies in which they say, "You wouldn't BELIEVE how much of this is true!"
    I think I've seen this kind of disclaimer on:
    -"Lord Of War"
    -"The Hunting Party"
    and
    (I think) "Blow"
     
  20. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Once upon a time in Hollywood - hard to top that
     
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  21. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    I was very much into comic books when I was a kid. Had all those Spider Man , Daredevil , Avengers , Silver Surfer comics.
    Not into the movies at all though. Seen many but they're just not my thing.
    One thing I do know though is they cannot seem to get The Fantastic Four thing together. There's a great movie to be had about them but...
     
  22. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    I concurr, and enjoyed the film to bits, but the band themselves say so, so........
     
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  23. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    I wouldn't call that dishonest, as it assumes people know what really happened. If they don't, that's on them. Tarrantino is just telling a "wouldn't it be great if it had happened this way" fairy tale. Nothing dishonest about that.

    Yep. Really too many to catalog. And films don't have to be "honest" to be good. I love Pekinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, but the story it tells is mostly hogwash. So what?
     
  24. Tim1954

    Tim1954 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    Bohemian Rhapsody.

    I tried to watch it again recently and it was even worse than I remembered.

    SO much added nonsense...

    Their story was more than fascinating as it was, but they had to change story-lines, add entirely different circumstances and so forth. By the end it was nauseating.
     
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  25. Necrobutcher is just pissed about his depiction - I mean, it’s not very metal to be shown quitting your band by hopping on a bicycle and riding away. :)
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
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