Historical movies often times have historical inaccuracies. If your instructor requires you to research the historical accuracy of a movie, below are a few suggestions that could help aid you in your research.
[NOTE: Please follow all assignment requirements given by your instructor when researching.]
There are times where finding a movie review will assist in getting you started in your research for historical accuracy. Movie reviews might offer a glimpse into what parts of the movie (if not all) might be lacking in accuracy.
Note: Not all movie reviews are created equal. Not all movies will have a movie review. This type of source should not be solely relied upon for your research but is meant to be used as a way to narrow in on what to research about the event and/or person depicted in the movie.
Things to keep in mind when searching
- Make sure the movie version is correct in the review (movies are reworked/remade all the time
- Double check everything (the movie reviewer could provide inaccurate information themselves... details matter)
- If you don't find a movie review, move on to your research using what you know about the event and/or person in the movie.
- Find suggested database links under "Articles/ Databases" and/or the specific history page on the left menu.
Here are a few methods in finding a movie review:
1) Use an internet source
Sometimes you can find a movie review using websites such as IMDB. Be aware you will not find academic reviews on this site.
2) Use a database
A database can provide a way to search multiple publications at once. There is a particular way search databases for movie reviews.
Example: Using Academic Search Premier to search for movie review of the movie "Patton", you could:
search keywords = " film* " " patton, george "
Take what you know about the event and/or person in the movie. Using the library databases, find information that support your claims of inaccuracy (or accuracy). Start your search simple with either the name of event or person's name. Look at the results to see what is being pulled up. Narrow your results by adding additional keywords.
Find suggested database links under "Articles/ Databases" and/or the specific history page on the left menu.
Using our previous example of "Patton" (the movie):
- We would first search by his name. Make sure the you are using the correct name (middle initials, Jr/Sr, and etc. - can make a huge difference). Also be aware some names can refer to more than one person so make sure the person coming up is the person you are researching.
- After looking at the results, you could add additional term(s) such as "World War II" (in quotes, if you are focused specifically on that war... because without quotes you might get something from World War I).
[Additional keywords are met to focus your results. Add one extra keyword at a time. If you find adding a keyword messes up the results, delete the last keyword added in the search.]