Actually the best historical fiction and films show some respect for history
while not pretending to be history. The Hornblower and Sharpe series on
British TV were good fictional series which benefitted from some attempt at
making the historical context believable though I doubt either series has
been shown on French TV. Sharpe's capture of the Eagle at Talavera does
slightly distort an actual historical event but it was 200 years ago and the
author in the novel records the true historical facts in the appendix to his
novel. Heimat I with its portrayal of a Hunsruck village from 1918-45 and
Heimat II set in 1960s Munich are for me the  most revealing historical TV
dramas yet made- fiction but brilliantly insightful. All history may be
interpretation but that does not mean that all histories are equal as the
recent libel case in Britain involving the holocaust revisionist David
Irving versus American academic Deborah Lipstad hopefully demonstrated.

paul courtney


----- Original Message -----
From: "Iain Stuart" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, August 06, 2004 9:53 AM
Subject: Re: Archaeology and the various medias


Another great favourite one is Northcote C Parkinson's biogoraphy the Life
and Times of Sir Horatio Hornblower, proof that the great man existed.

I have also heard medevilists say that Monty Python's Holy Grail film was
closer in any ways to life in that period.

Iain Stuart

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