Accuracy in films

The Russian Communist Party is protesting the new Indiana Jones film, arguing that teenagers will assume it to be historically accurate and thus become confused about the history of the Cold War. St Petersburg Communist Party chief Sergei Malinkovich has said that: “It’s rubbish… In 1957 the communists did not run with crystal skulls throughout the US.”

Of course, this is all reminiscent of the open letter from Neo-Nazi groups to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in 1981, asserting that absolutely no Nazis were killed by ghosts that flew out of the Ark of the Covenant. Similarly, they argued in 1989 that the depiction of an officer of the Third Reich being turned into a skeleton after drinking from a false Holy Grail would give a misleading historical impression to the world’s movie-watching youth.

Also in the tradition were the many complaints Baz Luhrmann received about Moulin Rouge: for instance, how much of the pop music portrayed was not written until seventy years or so after the period in question.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan