History and Film

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Every art form embraces history to some degree and in a lot of cases history forms the backbone of many art works from paintings, written works of fiction, theatrical plays, the various performing arts and obviously movies or films. The ability to convey an artistic impression of the past is a very important preoccupation of various artists. History is a broad canvass for most artists to try and imagine a certain moment in time and bring it alive in various ways. Historical events are part of our reality. Some historical events changed perceptions of various societies in the world and how they operated on a social basis.   Some of the greatest artistic works are based on historical subjects. The past seems to give more room for artistic interpretation than a lot of futuristic artistic works that stand out primarily because there is a heavy emphasis on technology or advanced alien species or advanced alien worlds. Futuristic works also deal primarily with how humans will interact in the future or in an advanced technological setting but even in these futuristic settings a lot of emphasis is placed on explaining how these particular societies came into being. In this case a history is created to lay the foundation for the interaction of various characters in these worlds.  Works of art emphasize primarily characters that are enmeshed in a historical context. Works of art do not necessarily describe in fine detail the historical situation or it would be more of a historical assessment. They rely primarily on the familiarity of the audience on some matters or they try to inform the audience about minor historical events that involved particular characters caught up in the grand scheme of things. Some history telling is involved of course but the emphasis is primarily on the characters involved and how they interact in a particular historical episode. The arts therefore focus primarily on the social or cultural aspects of a particular historical episode. It is  the social and cultural aspects that form the basis for certain characters to emerge and to interact with each other. Great works of art can create new characters to make statements about a particular historical episode or they can add certain dramatic qualities to actual historical characters for purposes of emphasizing some aspects of their character.

In this blog post I will be discussing History and Film in order to add to the discussion about the impact of history on various films and how the historical craft is utilized in various films in the telling of a story.  Film is a particular art form but it is also the art form that is best qualified to recreate history or make it much more vivid than other art forms. Written works of fiction rely primarily on an author’s particular description and are limited by the written word; the performing arts are limited by set design, stage boundaries and the overly dramatic effect of the actors; paintings also rely on the interpretation of a particular artist. These limitations of the of the other art forms with regards to visualizing history mean that they cannot provide a full picture of the historical episode. It is much more difficult to visualize the historical context peopled by historical characters in other art forms. In film a lot of emphasis is placed on art direction and production design because the visual context of film is much more expansive than other art forms. In film the recreation of a particular moment in history requires a lot of emphasis on creating an atmosphere that can be likened to the actual time in which the historical characters in question will interact. In a theatrical play there does not need to be such an emphasis since the focus is primarily on the actors. Some effort is placed on set design and costume work etc but there is not much burden on a more complete recreation of the area. The focus is primarily on the dramatic exploits of the actors.  In a theatrical play some actors can literally converse with little or no background even if they are playing particular historical characters.  Movies have no such luxury and a lot of emphasis has to be placed on recreating the atmosphere in which the historical characters reside or it cannot have the desired impact.

Like the other art forms films do rely a lot on the characters that inhabit recreated historical worlds. Film is much more capable than other art forms in creating a significant amount of characters to inhabit the recreation of a particular historical context.  The call for extras is a testament to that. This is because some historical episodes require a significant amount of people to be involved to make the social context for historical interaction to appear believable. In film a lot of emphasis is placed on visually recreating an objective historical atmosphere to make the situation appear believable. This is more important when a particular episode is being recreated. The emphasis on the characters gives the audience a more subjective insight into the historical setting. The subject of war and its impact on individuals is one example. The vivid account of the landing on Omaha beach in Saving Private Ryan (1998), the battles fought between the army led by Spartacus and the Roman army in Spartacus (1960), the various battles in Braveheart (1995) or those battles in Ran (1985). All these battles were rooted in particular historical episodes or contexts to emphasize the impact of war on the various characters. The sinking of the ship in Titanic (1997) is portrayed in order to give a sense of how it impacted certain characters particularly those involved in the untold stories.  It is because the recreation of the historical atmosphere in film is much more pronounced than other art forms why the audience can get a visual representation of how these events impacted people in a dramatic way. The more accurate recreation of the historical atmosphere dictates how effective the presentation of the characters will be in certain historical events. Some of the recreated aspects are false in some cases for dramatic effect or due to an ignorance on the part of the filmmakers but in a lot of cases, in the better films,  the  recreation of the historical period is pretty accurate. Casting is also important as the filmmakers look for individuals with some resemblance to an actual historical personage or who can capture the mannerisms of a particular historical character.

A lot of characters in a film that inhabit a particular recreated historical period are fictional. This does not necessarily matter because as a work of art these characters simply represent versions of actual historical characters in order to make a particular point about the epoch. So whereas the historical context might be an accurate depiction a lot of the characters can simply be representative of the time and place instead of being actual people who were there. They are more abstract characters designed to be a point of reference or a very important point of reference that affects some of the central characters. I recently watched Shakespeare in Love (1998) and the fictional character Viola de Lesseps played by Gwyneth Paltrow. She is Shakespeare’s muse who inspires him to write Romeo and Juliet. There is no denying that the play Romeo and Juliet was indeed written but what was the romantic inspiration behind it. The film is not historically accurate since not many people know of Shakespeare’s actual private life but it illuminates a particular period with the romance between a young Shakespeare on the brink of greatness and his muse Viola.

History then can become the backdrop for an entire fictional escapade and can make a historical episode, period, event or thing the backdrop for entertainment. Obvious notable examples of this are the Indiana Jones films. In these films Indiana Jones is an archaeologist, which means he is a historian by trade, but as a practicing archaeologist he is in the field searching for material clues to the past. A lot of these artifacts are fictional but the process of examination, searching and finding clearly represent the craft of an historian by trade. These films demonstrate the importance of historical research in order to find a particular artifact. In the Raiders of the Last Ark the Nazis, along with the French archaeologist Belloch, could not beat Jones to finding the Ark because they were missing crucial bits of information on the medallion.  History comes alive in these films but the history is not actual history but a clear representation of the historian’s craft with regards to proper research about the past. The Mummy (1999) although not as good as the Indiana Jones films released in the 80s also uses the historian craft although the primary researcher in the film, Evelyn, is a librarian and not a historian by trade. She does make reference to her lack of experience in the field which does suggest that some archaeological training is important to her profession. The thorough examination of the artifacts by the explorers at Hamunaptra suggests that some archaeological training is necessary in this film in order to piece together the various bits of ancient history in order to come closer to a recreation of events involving the mummy, Imhotep. As usual the visual cues in these films are important to create a sense of familiarity with the audience and get them involved in the story. The artifacts become important pieces in the jigsaw puzzle.

Even though history becomes a backdrop it is clearly used as  a device in several films in order to explain the nature of certain characters or events. The historical record of characters involved in films is very important in terms of developing the plot in most films. It becomes a device to enhance visual cues or form the basis for dramatic revelations. There are numerous films that use history as a plot device. I am not referring to actual history but history as a device. Once the bits and pieces of the past are put together then the audience can come to some understanding about a particular character or area. The film considered by many to be the greatest of all time, Citizen Kane (1941), clearly uses history as an important plot device particularly as the team of journalist seek to unravel the mystery behind Kane’s dying words, ‘Rosebud.’  In order to unravel the mystery the majority of the film is spent trying to unearth the past of Charles Foster Kane. Obviously some primary documents are used, such as a diary, but the major historical source in the film are the interviews conducted by the journalist with those individuals closest to Kane or who understood him best. Through these characters we get various interpretations of his character and why he became increasingly isolated in his later years despite his great wealth. A lot of devices are used in the film to enhance these visual cues especially as we see the transition from Kane’s youthful, exuberant days to his increasingly melancholic disposition in later years. The primary point here is how history is important in unraveling the mysterious circumstances in many films. In a lot of cases it is about delving into the past. Malcolm X (1992) is my favourite film based on an actual historical character. It is significant how it becomes a total story of such a famous individual by tracing his origins to his untimely death and how he embodied a certain social movement during the civil rights movement. As a complete story it had to capture historical origins of the character in order to determine what made him such a distinctive character and why he was so influential. It was also based on Malcolm’s autobiography which was the major primary historical source.  The great mystery films, like Chinatown (1974), rely significantly on history to explain the motives of characters. This is not unique to the film art form but the visual cues make for interesting viewing particularly how the detectives piece everything together and how the characters come to handle the truth.  Whereas there are mystery novels in film a lot of distillation takes place and so the written narrative has to be embodied completely by the characters.  Any film that has a mystery to be solved must refer to the past and in order to tell the complete story of a situation involving certain characters reference to the past is essential. Even in the great romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977) it was made clear that an important plot device was used to explore the history of the relationship between Alvy Singer and Annie Hall. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind we see the devastation caused to the two love birds, Joel and Clementine, when the memory of their relationship is erased. One thing that was not erased was their love for each other.

The historical aspects of a film can be just as absorbing as the dramatic interaction between characters. The historical element can never be the primary focus however because as an art form film is still reliant on the dramatic actions between characters. I would not be caught dead saying that history is the most important part of a film but it’s potentially the most important story telling device particularly as the story is in fact a fictional history of a particular situation or is  based on actual historical events involving particular characters. History forms the backbone of the descriptive element so when everything is unraveled at the end we will understand the history of the situation or the full story. In the telling of the story therefore there is always some past references but some films cleverly make the past references seem into a visual feast. One film that comes to my mind is Cidade De Deus (City of God) (2002). There are some moments in the film when we are treated to a literal visual description of the past being narrated. It happens quickly but it is also very effective. The one moment that stands out is the historical description of Blacky’s place. We get to understand quickly through a visual recreation how the ownership of the place changes hands. Lil Ze’s rise to fame as a murderous crime lord is visually depicted in a flash as he laughs while killing his many victims or enemies alongside Benny. You get the picture that a lot of people had to die for him to reach the top.

History may form the backdrop to a lot of the action in films but there is a finality to it all as the characters grapple with some form of historical factors. The interactions among characters in the present is still the most important but with all the resolutions towards the end one gets a sense that this particular situation represents the end of something quite major in the lives of these characters. In a lot of films the past comes to life or is a haunting element and there can only be resolution when the issues of the past are resolved in an effective manner. Following this resolution we know the story is at an end because the characters no longer remain relevant. Some films even make the point that some characters remain stuck in a bygone era while refusing to accept the more contemporary and modern way of doing things. One of the best films that deals with this subject is Sunset Boulevard (1950). The continuation of their story would be pointless because there was some resolution or an understanding that was reached. Even when attempting to recreate a particular historical episode the emphasis is on how the characters impacted the episode through their actions in order to make history whether it’s fictional or actual. The characters will represent a particular time period regardless of how vile or noble they are portrayed.

The past can be interpreted in very fantastic ways. This is most important to the fantasy genre. The fantasy genre always deals with some very deep past where people rode on horses and various myths and legends traversed the earth. The greatest example of the fantasy genre in film is The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003). It captures in grand detail the history of a particular moment when the War related to the One Ring was waged in the fictional world of Middle Earth. A lot of the fantastic elements used are based in some way on ancient history and legends. An entirely fantastic world is created and in it is a lot of history related to the one ring. One character significantly impacted by the lust for the One  Ring is Smeagol/Gollum. His story along with that of Bilbo Baggins’ forms the back drop for the current storyline involving Frodo, Sam and the other members of the fellowship. In order for this fantastic world to be created a lot of major historical forces must be at work and we get some major visual cues particularly as the characters enter the mines of Moria or pass through the Argonauth (check name), two massive statues on the banks of a particular river.  The weight of history and how the characters deal with it form a significant part of the trilogy.

Lastly documentaries are clearly a historical record of a particular period. Documentaries deal with actual people and not trained actors and trace their lives for a particular purpose based on how they interact in a certain setting. These documentaries capture an actual moment in time and serve as an important record of the lives of some people or how real live people were impacted by certain historical events and their respective roles. My favourite documentary is Hoop Dreams (1994) which captures the lives of two inner city youths in Chicago who wish to become professional basketball players in the NBA. It doesn’t work out for them but it does serve as a chastening reminder that not everyone will be able to enjoy the glamour of stardom in the NBA. Many people dare to dream but in a lot of cases it becomes a dream deferred. The important thing is that because of this film we have an actual historical record of these two young men who must be old now as well as the people in their lives. It is a genuine historical record that can be used by historians.

This concludes my brief discussion on History and Film. I’m not sure how many discussions are out there at the moment but I am more than confident that I have made some contribution to the debate on general terms of synthesis and in communicating it to the average reader. It is amazing that the most profitable art form, film, utilizes all the aspects of a discipline, history, which is considered unfashionable or irrelevant. I am a professional historian, having just received my PhD in Caribbean history and I suppose I felt compelled to defend my craft by showing how integrated it is with such a popular art form. Film is my favourite art form and the one I cherish and so it is a form of double pleasure to know just how important history is to this crucial and most advanced art form.