tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4708293341776725992.post4660737055129160189..comments2024-02-20T11:59:42.489-07:00Comments on Canadian History for Everyone?: Passchendaele Revisited: Examining Fact and Fiction in a Historical FilmJames Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14034627388673409308noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4708293341776725992.post-89456697925577624702012-08-17T23:10:30.390-06:002012-08-17T23:10:30.390-06:00You mentioned that you saw them film put Canadian ...You mentioned that you saw them film put Canadian soldiers in a negative light at times while also portraying the Germans more sympathetically. For the film do you see this as partly an effort to change peoples perceptions about soldiers in the war or was it more to serve the plot of the film?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4708293341776725992.post-81147894870450238782012-08-17T21:45:56.891-06:002012-08-17T21:45:56.891-06:00@Lulu Belle, I agree. I believe that the goal of h...@Lulu Belle, I agree. I believe that the goal of historical fiction is to entertain first and educate second, as Gross has done in "Passchendaele," and I also love the way it helps a viewer like myself to "feel" the past. However, not all viewers have the same approach. In our HIST 460 class our professor discussed an experience he had in an archives where a patron wanted information on the "real" Jack Dawson, and as we know there wasn't one. Such an encounter is proof that the public may interpret historical fiction as historical fact, and I believe that those producing historical fiction must be mindful of this, but we as viewers need to be aware as well and realize that entertainment is typically a producer’s primary concern.<br /><br />@Kaitlynn, thanks! I found their interpretations helped me in my own evaluations of this movie as I had no other way of determining what was true and what wasn't. I was also pleased to read that academics in the field shared the same views as I do! (It's ok for a producer to sacrifice a few of the incidentals in order to bring a much broader and more important story to life).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4708293341776725992.post-16480448937261476732012-08-17T17:56:20.499-06:002012-08-17T17:56:20.499-06:00I think it is a good analysis of the movie because...I think it is a good analysis of the movie because you provide the opinions of the director and others, not just providing your own. The comparision between the movie and the actual story is also something good and important. Sometimes the truth is just as interesting as the fictionalized, movie version.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4708293341776725992.post-82615751582648490132012-08-17T12:04:04.843-06:002012-08-17T12:04:04.843-06:00A very thorough and thoughtful review! While Paul ...A very thorough and thoughtful review! While Paul Gross paid close attention to the details of the Battle of Passchendaele--and got them right, he has said that the movie is a love story with the war as a background, not a war story with a love story embedded in it. The primary interest of the movie's text is the characters and their relationships and how the war affected them. Given that perspective, the historical accuracy of the movie is incredible. One thing of crucial importance to historical fiction that is generally overlooked is how well it imparts the general feeling of life in the past. The understanding that comes with empathizing gives historical fiction a place in our literary and film genres.Lulu Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03547322850817167533noreply@blogger.com