History: Fact or Fiction?

As a historical analyst, your job is to ensure that students and consumers are aware of the historical inaccuracies in film and media. You want to make sure that consumers are not under false impressions about actual historical events. It is important that they do not accept fiction as fact. Aware of this challenge, your job is to critique popular films, based on historical events, citing what is fact and what is fiction. You will begin your task by choosing a historical film. You will research the history upon which this film is based and create a summary of the actual historical events. Once you have gathered your information, you will watch the film, creating a summary of the major plot points. Next, you will compare the two summaries you have created. You will compile a list of all the events covered in the film that were historically accurate, and you will create a separate list of events covered in the film that were not accurate. Finally, you will write a critique of the film explaining what, if any, historical merit the film has. Your critique should answer these essential questions: Is this film historically accurate or inaccurate? Does a film need to be completely historically accurate in order to have value? Should the media sacrifice accuracy for entertainment? Have historical movies been a help or a hinderance in educating the public?