Description

Book Synopsis

As early as the Silent Era, movie studios were sued over depictions of real people and events. Filmmakers have always altered the details of true stories and actual persons, living or dead, to make narratives more workable and characters more compelling. When truth and fantasy become inextricably mixed, the effect on people''s lives can be significant, even devastating.

This expanded second edition presents an updated history of legal issues surrounding the on-screen embellishment of reality, with a focus on important court decisions and the use of disclaimers. Seventeen courtroom dramas are given fact-versus-fiction analyses, and the The Perfect Storm (1991) is covered in extensive detail. A concluding chapter is devoted to actors who became so identified with fictionalized characters that they sought exclusive rights to those personas.



Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
I. Fictionalization in Movies and Television
II. The Disclaimer and the Myth of Fictionalization
III. Fictionalization Goes to Court
IV. The Perfect Storm
V. Courtroom Movies Based on Fact
Trial of Thomas More (1535)
Film: A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Amistad Trial (1840)
Film: Amistad (1997)
Trial of William "Duff" Armstrong (1858)
Film: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Trial of Mary Surratt (1865)
Film: The Conspirator (2010)
Andersonville Trial (1865)
Film: The Andersonville Trial (1970)
Trials of Oscar Wilde (1895)
Film: The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)
­Leopold-Loeb Trial (1924)
Film: Compulsion (1959)
State of Connecticut v. Harold Israel (1924)
Film: Boomerang (1947)
Scopes "Monkey Trial" (1925)
Film: Inherit the Wind (1960)
Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1925)
Film: The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Nuremberg Judges' Trials (1948)
Film: Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
­Reynolds-Pegler Libel Case (1954)
Film: A Case of Libel (1983)
Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia (1958–67)
Film: Loving (2016)
Trial of the Chicago 7 (1968–69)
Film: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Big Dan's Tavern Rape Trial (1983)
Film: The Accused (1988)
Von Bülow Murder Trial (1985)
Film: Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Trial of the Memphis 3 (1993–2011)
Film: The Devil's Knot (2013)
VI. What Protection for Dramatic Fictional Personas?
Afterword
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Truth and Lives on Film

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    A Paperback by John T. Aquino

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      Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc
      Publication Date: 1/4/2022 12:07:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9781476688237, 978-1476688237
      ISBN10: 1476688230

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      As early as the Silent Era, movie studios were sued over depictions of real people and events. Filmmakers have always altered the details of true stories and actual persons, living or dead, to make narratives more workable and characters more compelling. When truth and fantasy become inextricably mixed, the effect on people''s lives can be significant, even devastating.

      This expanded second edition presents an updated history of legal issues surrounding the on-screen embellishment of reality, with a focus on important court decisions and the use of disclaimers. Seventeen courtroom dramas are given fact-versus-fiction analyses, and the The Perfect Storm (1991) is covered in extensive detail. A concluding chapter is devoted to actors who became so identified with fictionalized characters that they sought exclusive rights to those personas.



      Table of Contents
      Acknowledgments
      Introduction
      I. Fictionalization in Movies and Television
      II. The Disclaimer and the Myth of Fictionalization
      III. Fictionalization Goes to Court
      IV. The Perfect Storm
      V. Courtroom Movies Based on Fact
      Trial of Thomas More (1535)
      Film: A Man for All Seasons (1966)
      Amistad Trial (1840)
      Film: Amistad (1997)
      Trial of William "Duff" Armstrong (1858)
      Film: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
      Trial of Mary Surratt (1865)
      Film: The Conspirator (2010)
      Andersonville Trial (1865)
      Film: The Andersonville Trial (1970)
      Trials of Oscar Wilde (1895)
      Film: The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)
      ­Leopold-Loeb Trial (1924)
      Film: Compulsion (1959)
      State of Connecticut v. Harold Israel (1924)
      Film: Boomerang (1947)
      Scopes "Monkey Trial" (1925)
      Film: Inherit the Wind (1960)
      Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1925)
      Film: The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
      Nuremberg Judges' Trials (1948)
      Film: Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
      ­Reynolds-Pegler Libel Case (1954)
      Film: A Case of Libel (1983)
      Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia (1958–67)
      Film: Loving (2016)
      Trial of the Chicago 7 (1968–69)
      Film: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
      Big Dan's Tavern Rape Trial (1983)
      Film: The Accused (1988)
      Von Bülow Murder Trial (1985)
      Film: Reversal of Fortune (1990)
      Trial of the Memphis 3 (1993–2011)
      Film: The Devil's Knot (2013)
      VI. What Protection for Dramatic Fictional Personas?
      Afterword
      Chapter Notes
      Bibliography
      Index

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