Topic > Film and video as a source of historical knowledge

Over the years history has adapted and changed to find and accept new forms of historical knowledge. Since the beginning, visual history has been used for centuries in caves to show and explain through images what had happened in the past. To the newer form of oral history that historians have slowly begun to embrace as a reliable source of historical knowledge. Once again here we are faced with the dilemma of whether to let a modern development and creation such as filmed representations of the past enter into the set of things we consider and rely on for historical knowledge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In recent years we have seen an unprecedented increase in historical films recreating the past, from films like 12 Years a Slave which won 30 film awards and Hidden Figures to more focused recreations of a single person's historical influence like King's Speech and Jackie. As a result, this has led to a growing demand to address the question of whether films can be used to contribute to historical knowledge or whether they are just an overly dramatized projection of twisted truth designed to receive as many views as possible. Mainly, when dealing with To consider something as historical knowledge, all forms of the work, in any single case, must be treated with caution. For example, more often than not the primary sources we rely on so much and hold in such high regard for a piece of historical knowledge are often originally crafted with an alternative motif in mind, designed and constructed to portray an impression that is not realistically true. Such as the propaganda videos released by the Soviet Union during the Cold War that created the perception that they had hundreds of missile launchers when in reality they only had ten to twenty-five, consequently causing the missile gap. When it comes to answering the question at hand, filmed plays are no different, you need to analyze each individual play before classifying them into historical knowledge. The definition of representation according to the Oxford dictionaries is that it is 'the description or representation of someone or something in a particular way'. Highlighting that the filmed representation may not always be an exact replica of the story we have learned from other sources. Often this is demonstrated by filmed representations of the past which are an art and are constructed to be a cinematic experience This can be a disadvantage as the experiences created often have a vested interest such as monetary gain. An example of this is the film of Hollywood hit Pearl Harbor (2001), which depicts Japanese Kamikaze bombers targeting hospitals and medical facilities during bombing raids when in reality they were targeting Allied warships docked at the port. The fact that the target was a hospital it increased the harmful effect of the attack in the eyes of the viewer as it was a place considered safe and where vulnerable people are cared for. This imprecise goal dramatized the historical story that was being created. With filmed plays, unlike other sources of historical knowledge, you need to create a story, which has a beginning, middle and end, designed to leave you with a message. Traditionally, this message is also shown to be optimistic when the historical event improves or the conflict is resolved. Repeatedly, this provides a unique and unchallenged view of history, giving the impression that the event only happened one way..