Biographical film
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Poster for Man on the Moon (1999), a recent biopic |
A
biographical picture— often
shortened to biopic— is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or persons. They differ from films "based on a true story" or "historic films" 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
directors to more fully recreate historic periods. In the early
2000s, there has been a flood of biographical pictures after
Man on the Moon, Ali, Frida and others became widely acclaimed and awarded
Because the figures portrayed are of such historic importance, 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.Traditionally biographical films focus on beloved, historically important people. However, recently some have focused on more dubious figures (
The People vs. Larry Flynt, Blow, Monster etc.)
In rare cases, the subject of the film plays him or herself;
Jackie Robinson in
The Jackie Robinson Story;
Muhammad Ali in
The Greatest,
Audie Murphy in
To Hell and Back, Howard Stern in
Private Parts.Most biopics are
dramas but some cross over into the
comedy,
action and other genres.
A certain amount of truthfulness 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.
Although many viewers and critics forgive such fabrications for entertainment value, some biopics have come under criticism for allegations of untruthfulness. Historians noted the wayward chronology of
Michael Collins, a team of
Greek lawyers threatened to sue the makers of
Alexander for implying that
Alexander the Great was
bisexual and many
boxing fans resented the villainous portrayal of
Max Baer in
Cinderella Man.However, another boxing film,
1999's
The Hurricane, about boxer
Rubin Carter and his hotly-disputed triple murder conviction, is perhaps a more controversial biopic in terms of accuracy. 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.
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 but a
parable."
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 incorporated both the life of author
Franz Kafka and the
surreal aspects of his
fiction.
Casting can be controversial for biographical films. Many felt that
Anthony Hopkins should not have played
Richard Nixon in
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 Rican and Selena was
Mexican.
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List of biopics
