For some commentators, ‘fake-history films’ are the new threat to truth, arguing that artistic licence is no excuse for distorting historical facts and yet contemporary movies change history all the time (Mary Queen of Scots meeting Queen Elizabeth on the big screen!). Film-makers, on the other hand, claim they are artists, not journalists or historians, and are not in the business of providing documentary-style history lessons. But at what point does artistic licence and creative dramatisation start to confuse and mislead the viewer? Is film a useful gateway to ‘real’ history?
Our panel debates the issues. Cecile Gordon is project manager of the Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection; Hannah Greig is a senior lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of York and a historical adviser for film, television and theatre. and Tom Holland is a historian, biographer and broadcaster. Hugh Linehan, arts and culture editor of the Irish Times, chairs the discussion, recorded Printworks, Dublin Castle, on 20th October 2019.
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