Historians aren’t the only ones with an interest in the past. Filmmakers, costume designers, and of course the general viewing public, all have an interest as well. It’s no surprise that there are plenty of documentaries, TV series, and films covering pretty much any period of history you could possibly want. It might seem surprising though that these on screen interpretations can be a source for the more serious historians among us. Well, documentaries aren’t really surprising, you generally hope they have been well-researched and are accurate factually. The surprising ones might be that television series and films can be a useful source.
There is no denying that most, if not all, on screen interpretations of historical periods have their inaccuracies. Although, in fairness, let’s not forget the primary purpose of these series/films – entertainment. That aside, on screen entertainment can tell us a lot about a particular period, in a similar sort of way to using a period’s literature. Authors are affected by the time in which they write a particular book, for example the subject matter, or how they present the subject. Similarly, a team working on a series or film will be affected by their situation in time. What is important/interesting about the topic that will draw in viewers? Why is that particular topic relevant to an audience today? Those are both questions where the answers will be key in the production of a new series or shows. So, although factual inaccuracies for the sake of entertainment may prevent historians using on screen interpretations as face value sources, the other conclusions we can draw can be just as important.
It’s interesting debates such as these, things you might not have originally thought of on your own, that studying History allows you to explore. ‘History on Screen’ was a module in the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University 2017/18.
For current module choices, go online here.
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