Biographical film
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| - | A '''biographical motion picture''' – often [[portmanteau|shortened to]] '''biopic''' – is a film that [[dramatizes]] the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a [[true story]]” or “[[historic film]]s” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives. | ||
| - | Since the [[1980s]], biographical pictures have become increasingly popular as advancement in film technology and increases in film budgeting have allowed [[Film director|directors]] to more fully recreate historic periods. In the early [[2000s]], there was a flood of biographical pictures after ''[[Man on the Moon]], [[Ali (film)|Ali]], [[Frida]]'' and others became widely acclaimed and awarded. | + | A '''biographical film''' or '''biopic''' is a film that dramatizes the life of a [[Nonfiction|non-fictional]] or [[History|historically]]-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from [[Docudrama|docudrama films]] and [[Historical drama|historical drama films]] in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a single person's life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives.{{Original research inline|date=October 2015}} |
| - | Because the figures portrayed are actual people, whose actions and characteristics are known, biopics are considered some of the most demanding films of actors and actresses. [[Will Smith]] and [[Jim Carrey]] both gained respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics, Smith as [[Muhammad Ali]] in ''Ali'' and Carrey as [[Andy Kaufman]] in ''[[Man on the Moon]]''. | + | ==Context== |
| + | Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of the [[College of Staten Island]] and Dennis P. Bingham of [[Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis]]. Custen, in ''Bio/Pics: How Hollywood Constructed Public History'' (1992), regards the genre as having died with the [[Studio system|Hollywood studio era]], and in particular, [[Darryl F. Zanuck]]. On the other hand, Bingham's 2010 study ''Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre'' shows how it perpetuates as a codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown by [[Rick Altman]] in his study, ''Film/Genre''. Bingham also addresses the male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other, the former generally dealing with great accomplishments, the latter generally dealing with female victimization. Ellen Cheshire's ''Bio-Pics: a life in pictures'' (2014) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s. Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list. Christopher Robé has also written on the gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article, "Taking Hollywood Back" in the 2009 issue of ''Cinema Journal''. | ||
| - | Traditionally biographical films focus on beloved, historically important people. However, recently some have focused on more dubious figures (''[[The People vs. Larry Flynt]], [[Blow (film)|Blow]], [[Monster (film)|Monster]]'' etc.) | + | [[Roger Ebert]] defended ''[[The Hurricane (1999 film)|The Hurricane]]'' and distortions in biographical films in general, stating "those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother. ... ''The Hurricane'' is not a [[Documentary film|documentary]] but a [[parable]]." |
| - | In rare cases, the subject of the film plays him or herself; [[Jackie Robinson]] in ''[[The Jackie Robinson Story]]''; [[Muhammad Ali]] in ''[[The Greatest (film)|The Greatest]]'', [[Audie Murphy]] in ''[[To Hell and Back (film)|To Hell and Back]],'' [[Patty Duke]] in ''[[Cal Me Anna (film)|Call Me Anna]]'', and [[Howard Stern]] in ''[[Private Parts]].'' | + | ==Casting== |
| + | Casting can be controversial for biographical films. Casting is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person. [[Anthony Hopkins]] felt that he should not have played [[Richard Nixon]] in ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'' because of a lack of resemblance between the two.{{citation needed|date=June 2010}} The casting of [[John Wayne]] as [[Genghis Khan]] in ''[[The Conqueror (1956 film)|The Conqueror]]'' was objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord. Egyptian critics criticized the casting of [[Louis Gossett, Jr.]], an African American actor, as Egyptian president [[Anwar Sadat]] in the 1982 TV miniseries ''[[Sadat (film)|Sadat]]''. Also, some objected to the casting of [[Jennifer Lopez]] in ''[[Selena (film)|Selena]]'' because she is a New York City native of [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] descent while [[Selena]] was [[Mexican-American]]. | ||
| - | ==Controversies over veracity== | + | ==Film representations== |
| - | A certain amount of [[veracity]] is expected of biopics, often to reduce the risk of [[libel]], but the films often alter events to suit the storyline. Events are sometimes portrayed more dramatically than they actually occurred, time is "condensed" to fit all important events into the film or several people are blended into a composite. | + | Because the figures portrayed are actual people, whose actions and characteristics are known to the public (or at least historically documented), biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} [[Warren Beatty]], [[Faye Dunaway]], [[Ben Kingsley]], [[Johnny Depp]], [[Jim Carrey]], [[Robert Downey Jr]], [[Jamie Foxx]] and [[Eddie Redmayne]] all gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics:{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} Beatty and Dunaway as [[Bonnie and Clyde|Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker]] in ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' (1967), Kingsley as [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982), Depp as [[Ed Wood]] in ''[[Ed Wood (film)|Ed Wood]]'' (1994), Carrey as [[Andy Kaufman]] in ''[[Man on the Moon (film)|Man on the Moon]]'' (1999), Downey as [[Charlie Chaplin]] in ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'' (1992), Foxx as [[Ray Charles]] in ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]'' (2004), and [[Eddie Redmayne]] as [[Stephen Hawking]] in ''[[The Theory of Everything (2014 film)|The Theory of Everything]]'' (2014). |
| - | Although many viewers and critics forgive such fabrications for entertainment value, some biopics have come under criticism for allegations of deception. Historians noted the wayward chronology of ''[[Michael Collins (film)|Michael Collins]],'' a team of [[Greece|Greek]] lawyers threatened to sue the makers of ''[[Alexander (film)|Alexander]]'' for implying that [[Alexander the Great]] was [[bisexual]] and many [[boxing]] fans resented the villainous portrayal of [[Max Baer]] in ''[[Cinderella Man]].'' But a more controversial biopic in terms of accuracy is [[1999]]'s ''[[The Hurricane (1999 film)|The Hurricane]],'' about boxer [[Rubin Carter]] and his hotly-disputed triple murder conviction. Several details were altered to enhance the image of Carter and details about the police procedures that lead to the conviction conflicted with court records. Also, former middle weight champion [[Joey Giardello]], who won a title bout against Carter, sued the film's producers for suggesting he won due to a racist "fix". The case was settled out of court. | + | {{Anchor|stretch}} Some biopics purposely stretch the truth. ''[[Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (film)|Confessions of a Dangerous Mind]]'' was based on [[game show]] host [[Chuck Barris]]' widely debunked yet popular [[memoir]] of the same name, in which he claimed to be a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] agent. ''[[Kafka (film)|Kafka]]'' incorporated both the life of author [[Franz Kafka]] and the [[surrealism|surreal]] aspects of his fiction.{{citation needed|date=June 2010}} The [[Errol Flynn]] film ''[[They Died with Their Boots On]]'' tells the story of [[George Armstrong Custer|Custer]] but is highly romanticized. The [[Oliver Stone]] film ''[[The Doors (film)|The Doors]]'', mainly about [[Jim Morrison]], was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actor [[Val Kilmer]], look-wise and singing-wise, but fans and band members did not like the way Val Kilmer portrayed Jim Morrison, and a few of the scenes were even completely made up. |
| - | [[Roger Ebert]] defended the ''The Hurricane'' and distortions in biographical films in general, stating "those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother, ''The Hurricane'' is not a [[Documentary film|documentary]] but a [[parable]]." | + | In rare cases, sometimes called '''auto biopics''', the subject of the film plays himself or herself. Examples include [[Jackie Robinson]] in ''[[The Jackie Robinson Story]]'' (1950), [[Muhammad Ali]] in ''[[The Greatest (1977 film)|The Greatest]]'' (1977), [[Audie Murphy]] in ''[[To Hell and Back (film)|To Hell and Back]]'' (1955), [[Patty Duke]] in ''[[Call Me Anna]]'' (1990), [[Bob Mathias]] in ''[[The Bob Mathias Story]]'' (1954), [[Arlo Guthrie]] in ''[[Alice's Restaurant (film)|Alice's Restaurant]]'' (1969), [[Fantasia Barrino]] in ''[[Life Is Not a Fairy Tale#Film|Life Is Not a Fairytale]]'' (2006), and [[Howard Stern]] in ''[[Private Parts (1997 film)|Private Parts]]'' (1997). |
| - | Some biopics purposely stretch the truth. ''[[Confessions of a Dangerous Mind]]'' was based on [[game show]] host [[Chuck Barris]]' widely debunked, yet still popular, [[memoir]] of the same name, in which he claimed to be a [[CIA]] agent, and ''[[Kafka (film)|Kafka]]'' incorporated both the life of author [[Franz Kafka]] and the [[surrealism|surreal]] aspects of his [[fiction]]. | + | The [[Musical film|musical]] biopic ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]'', based on the life of [[Queen (band)|Queen]] singer [[Freddie Mercury]], became the highest-grossing biopic of all time in 2018. |
| - | + | ||
| - | Casting can be controversial for biographical films. Some felt that [[Anthony Hopkins]] should not have played [[Richard Nixon]] in ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'' because of a lack of resemblance between the two and some [[Selena]] fans objected to the casting of [[Jennifer Lopez]] in a biopic about her because Lopez is [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] and Selena was [[Mexico|Mexican]]. | + | |
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *[[Biographical novel]] | *[[Biographical novel]] | ||
| + | *[[Biography in literature]] | ||
| *[[List of biographical films]] | *[[List of biographical films]] | ||
| - | + | *[[Narrative identity#Autobiographical memory]] | |
| - | + | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 13:17, 4 July 2022
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A biographical film or biopic is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and historical drama films in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a single person's life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives.Template:Original research inline
Contents |
Context
Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of the College of Staten Island and Dennis P. Bingham of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. Custen, in Bio/Pics: How Hollywood Constructed Public History (1992), regards the genre as having died with the Hollywood studio era, and in particular, Darryl F. Zanuck. On the other hand, Bingham's 2010 study Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre shows how it perpetuates as a codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown by Rick Altman in his study, Film/Genre. Bingham also addresses the male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other, the former generally dealing with great accomplishments, the latter generally dealing with female victimization. Ellen Cheshire's Bio-Pics: a life in pictures (2014) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s. Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list. Christopher Robé has also written on the gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article, "Taking Hollywood Back" in the 2009 issue of Cinema Journal.
Roger Ebert defended The Hurricane and distortions in biographical films in general, stating "those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother. ... The Hurricane is not a documentary but a parable."
Casting
Casting can be controversial for biographical films. Casting is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person. Anthony Hopkins felt that he should not have played Richard Nixon in Nixon because of a lack of resemblance between the two.Template:Citation needed The casting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror was objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord. Egyptian critics criticized the casting of Louis Gossett, Jr., an African American actor, as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the 1982 TV miniseries Sadat. Also, some objected to the casting of Jennifer Lopez in Selena because she is a New York City native of Puerto Rican descent while Selena was Mexican-American.
Film representations
Because the figures portrayed are actual people, whose actions and characteristics are known to the public (or at least historically documented), biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses.Template:Citation needed Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Ben Kingsley, Johnny Depp, Jim Carrey, Robert Downey Jr, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Redmayne all gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics:Template:Citation needed Beatty and Dunaway as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi (1982), Depp as Ed Wood in Ed Wood (1994), Carrey as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999), Downey as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin (1992), Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray (2004), and Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014).
Template:Anchor Some biopics purposely stretch the truth. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was based on game show host Chuck Barris' widely debunked yet popular memoir of the same name, in which he claimed to be a CIA agent. Kafka incorporated both the life of author Franz Kafka and the surreal aspects of his fiction.Template:Citation needed The Errol Flynn film They Died with Their Boots On tells the story of Custer but is highly romanticized. The Oliver Stone film The Doors, mainly about Jim Morrison, was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actor Val Kilmer, look-wise and singing-wise, but fans and band members did not like the way Val Kilmer portrayed Jim Morrison, and a few of the scenes were even completely made up.
In rare cases, sometimes called auto biopics, the subject of the film plays himself or herself. Examples include Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Muhammad Ali in The Greatest (1977), Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back (1955), Patty Duke in Call Me Anna (1990), Bob Mathias in The Bob Mathias Story (1954), Arlo Guthrie in Alice's Restaurant (1969), Fantasia Barrino in Life Is Not a Fairytale (2006), and Howard Stern in Private Parts (1997).
The musical biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, based on the life of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, became the highest-grossing biopic of all time in 2018.
See also
- Biographical novel
- Biography in literature
- List of biographical films
- Narrative identity#Autobiographical memory
