MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Biopics that completely change the true ...

Biopics that completely change the true story for 'cinematic reasons'

posted a year ago by Ticketsplease (4024)
12 replies | jump to latest

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

I notice many movies are like this when it comes to representing the life of a famous person.

Bohemian Rhapsody completely changed the life of Freddie for a more compelling story, completely changing how he joined the band, fabricating him breaking away for a solo career that caused a rift, changing how he met his boyfriend, changing how he told the band he had aids (it wasn't at a Live Aid rehearsal and Live Aid wasn't the band's reunion after any rift).

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is also an example of a good yarn that isn't true. He didn't hurt his back in an underground martial arts fight to settle the issue of him teaching whites martial arts. He in fact had an oil drum on his belly and was trying to sit ups and completely hurt himself. Not a very compelling storyline compared to the fight.

Most recently, Elvis has a made up rift with the Colonel. Yes, he was frustrated with the Colonel at times (like any relationship) but there was never any showdown at a show where Elvis yelled at him. Made up BS.

Personally, I didn't like Elvis because I knew the story, having watched many documentaries on him.

So I don't like biopics that change too much.

With the others, when I read the truth, there is a sense of betrayal also like 'oh, that was just a lie'.

Where do you sit on this aspect of biopics?

[–] Frodrick (223) a year ago

Walk the Line is a movie that bothers me because they have the need to paint Ginnifer Goodwin's characters as a shrew. I'm enjoying the story of a struggling salesmen who finally gets a big break and there are no celebration or good times shown. Immediately the movie jumps to marital problems and kills the vibe for me.

[–] Otter (24464) a year ago

I don't understand your objection. The marriage was unhappy and the first Mrs. Cash must have been terrified when the sole support of a family quit his steady job to pursue a pipe dream. She must have been angry and unhappy, why shouldn't she act angry and unhappy?

Think about the whole business of calling a woman a "shrew". The term implies a belief that women have no right to express anger, unhappiness, disappointment, or other negative feelings, even though everyone feels those things.

[–] stevewyzard (1636) a year ago

As I understand it, the term doesn't imply that women should never express anger, unhappiness, and disappointment.

Rather, it generally refers to women who ONLY express anger, unhappiness, and disappointment and are seemingly never positive/happy about anything.

Technically, it could apply to a man as well, but stereotypically, it's never used in this way. If you ask someone, "What would improve the situation you find yourself in?", and their answer is, "I don't know", then the term shrew applies.

[–] Otter (24464) a year ago

There are situations in life in which a person feels nothing but anger, unhappiness, and disappointment, and relationships in which a person feels nothing but anger and disappointment towards the other person. The fact that there's a word for a woman in this state, and not a man, is a nice neat example of subtle linguistic sexism.

And BTW, if anyone ever finds themselves in a relationship where the other party is expressing nothing but anger and disappointment, it's unlikely that the relationship can be saved. If they're sick of your shit, they're sick of your shit.

[–] Kowalski (76773) a year ago

DON'T DIE...YOUR FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES WILL BE THE ONES TELLING YOUR STORY.

[–] AustraliBoy98 (223) a year ago

Midnight Express

The completely changed the true story.

[–] nyctc7 (43870) a year ago

I love Braveheart but it is notoriously inaccurate. Same about Amadeus.

I loved The Imitation Game and later read that portraying Alan Turing as someone who rubbed everyone the wrong way is inaccurate, he was actually well liked.

I have mixed feelings about it all. It depends. If the movie motivates me to read up on the subject, then that's a good thing, even if the movie had some inaccuracies and took some license.

[–] moviechatterer (15901) a year ago

Not so much "changing" the story as "omission".
Theres a movie about dark web contraband shop inventor Ross Ulbricht.
The movie fails to show how the FBI caught him

[–] blue1981 (7943) a year ago

I haven't seen it but im guessing the Whitney Houston movie likely downplayed the troubled parts of her life such as her drug use. It was PG-13 so there likely wasn't much they could show with that rating.

[–] [deleted] a year ago

The Greatest Showman (2017)

[–] mikethemartian (6857) a year ago

I remember watching The Last Samurai with a friend and afterward looking up the history that the story was based on. In reality the samurai also used guns.