The rise in popularity of reality television reminds us that people enjoy entertainment that depicts real life. To us, a story that contains true elements is more relatable and intriguing than is pure fiction, and perhaps nothing appeals to this interest better than movies that are "based on a true story." Producers and directors often take artistic liberties in their portrayals, adding characters and events to spice up their stories. But where do we draw the line?
Moviemakers should not be able to conveniently claim their work is "based on a true story" and expect this tagline to be a sufficient disclaimer in justifying any liberties taken with the story. An abuse of artistic liberty results in films that misrepresent real events and people, and there should be a limit to how much freedom directors can take while still being allowed to establish ties to reality.
The movie "21" (2008), based on the true story of MIT students who used mathematic strategies to win big in blackjack, recently drew criticism when it cast white actors to portray team members who were in reality Asian. Casting white actors as the leads was most likely a tactic to relate the story to a majority of moviegoers who are more likely to identify with a white cast. Producers of "21" traded accuracy for commercial success and in the process lost some of the truths in the story of the MIT Blackjack Team.
According to an interview in Wired magazine with former MIT Blackjack Team member Andrew Tay, white students were in reality rarely even considered for the team because they looked more conspicuous to the casinos. Nevertheless, British actor Jim Sturgess was cast as the protagonist Ben Campbell, a character based on MIT Blackjack Team member Jeff Ma. Although the casting of "21" did not significantly twist the storyline, it serves as an example of a distortion of truth that could potentially offend some viewers.
If confronted, producers of "21" would likely justify their casting decisions by reiterating that their film was only inspired by a true story. The problem with this distinction is that while viewers are informed that the movie is based on a true story, they cannot distinguish the aspects that are wholly accurate from the ones that are derived from the director's 'artistic license.' Complications arise as viewers are unable to differentiate between fact and fiction.
Viewers do not know exactly what artistic license the movie has taken and to what extent the movie becomes merely a vestige of the real story. Thus, in claiming ties to reality, producers also take on a responsibility to ensure that their movie does justice to the true story, not to mention the real people whose lives are portrayed on the screen.
Such was the case with the 2005 film "Memoirs of a Geisha," which drew criticism from Japanese viewers who were upset by the over-sexualized way in which the geishas were portrayed -- a depiction that they felt was at odds with the truth. By attaching itself to real accounts, "Memoirs of a Geisha" introduced Americans to a perception of geishas that was inaccurate and misleading.
Former geisha Mineko Iwasaki, whose life story inspired "Memoirs of a Geisha," argued that prostitution is not part of the geisha life, and that geishas are not, as the movie portrayed, "submissive and subservient, but are in fact some of the most socially and financially independent women in Japan."
Sexualizing the geisha life certainly created a more theatrical and exciting story, thus drawing in the crowds. Understandably, producers take such artistic liberties to increase commercial success or meet time constraints. A line should be drawn, however, if taking such artistic liberties creates false notions about historical events and people. It is one thing to take slight liberties for entertainment value, but it is another to completely misrepresent reality.
Some of the responsibility can also move to us, the viewers. By emphasizing the fictional aspect of such movies, we can discredit these movies as legitimate, accurate accounts and thus impede the spread of false interpretations of real events and people. We must be careful to separate reality from invention and prevent movies "based on a true story" from turning into our Wikipedia for real events.
