Hollywood

Many people in today’s society learn history through films that

attempt to recreate the historical event, time, and place. The film’s

authenticity and accuracy determine the quality of the history represented

in the film. Filmmakers and historians often disagree on the elements of

authenticity and accuracy and they must collaborate to produce a universal

definition. In addition many historians disregard a filmmaker’s challenges

in producing a historical film. Past Imperfect: History According to the

Movies (1995), by Mark C. Carnes, reflects this conflict in the essays

compiled in the book. Various authors dissected historical films, discussing

historical accuracy and authenticity, but they lacked a uniformed approach

to the critique. In addition, few of the authors mentioned the importance of

connecting the past to the present. A successfully authentic film will

recreate the historical event but also relate the story to the time in which the

producer released the film.

The films Gone with the Wind (1939) and A League of Their Own

(1992) connected the past to the present using various aspects of feminism

and the lives of women. Each story related the women’s experiences of

their respective pasts to the events which shaped the women of their

respective present-day. Through authenticity and accuracy, Wind and

League contained elements of 1940s feminism during World War II. Gone

with the Wind represented the trials and tribulations of a girl during the

Civil War and Reconstruction but Scarlett O’Hara’s endeavors prepare the

female audience for their roles during World War II. Likewise, A League

of Their Own told the story of the first girls’ professional baseball league

in the 1940s but the producer incorporated Third Wave Feminist elements

into the film. Although A League of Their Own better represented its

respective history than Gone with the Wind, both films connected the past

to the present and both represented women’s lives for the...