Alternative histories generate fuel for films

Sometimes it’s not the future that gets people buzzing, but the past. Though some films get derided for butchering history, others gleefully flaunt substitute narratives; these unapologetic deviations are often more acclaimed by critics and history buffs alike. Alternative history films are a small niche, but they encompass a lot of material; from Nazis to superheroes to Shakespeare, these films show humanity’s unwavering curiosity.

It is human nature to ask, “What if?” What if wars had gone another way, or what if one key event changed the world as we know it? Such questions have led to amazing inventions and discoveries, but they have also led to a lot of creative work, particularly in film.

The most recent film of this nature is Anonymous. The flick, starring Rhys Evans and Vanessa Redgrave, crafts a different history in which the author of Shakespeare’s plays was actually the Earl of Oxford — and Queen Elizabeth had a few other bastards in the woodwork.

Meanwhile, Resistance, which premiered at the Cambridge Film Festival in September, explores what could have happened if the Nazis had reached Britain. Similar films like Inglorious Basterds and Watchmen have also depicted variant wartime chronicles.

World War II seems to be the most common event for alternative history. Nazis, as film subjects, are relentless like cockroaches; Nazis seem to reappear in media and entertainment, if only so Brits and Americans can kill them again. World War II captures the imagination for multiple reasons. It was relatively recent and was a war the Nazis could have won, if not for the luck and the fortitude of leaders like Winston Churchill. It is also one of the few moments of good vs. evil; you don’t get people much nastier than the Nazis.

HBO’s 1994 Fatherland, based on the bestselling novel by the same name, asked a simple question: What if Germany had won and a massive chunk of Europe had become Germania? Taking place in the 1960s, the storyline follows a detective who investigates the murder of a Nazi official before a meeting between Adolf Hitler and John F. Kennedy. The story is a thriller, and the world it paints is fascinating.

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds spins a different take on World War II. What if the war ended early, as the result of a vengeful Jewish theater owner and a squad of Jewish-American soldiers led by Brad Pitt? The storyline portrays a gory — and successful — assassination attempt on Hitler, with far more gunplay and pop culture references than the historical Operation Valkyrie.

Even the trope of good vs. evil seems to warrant exploration. In Resistance, D-Day has failed and the Nazis are invading. From the trailer, it appears Resistance will draw a line between “Nazi” and “German soldier.” History, even alternate history, is often tastier with a dash of ambiguity.

Some alternative stories border on the fantastical. Watchmen, originally a graphic novel by Alan Moore, was adapted to film in 2009. The film shows what America might look like if it had superheroes — of the legitimately superhuman and the masked vigilante variety. In the short term, superheroes helped America win Vietnam. By the 1980s, however, the picture is bleak: Congress has outlawed superheroes, America is a hair’s breadth from nuclear war with Russia and Richard Nixon won multiple re-elections. Though the film was criticized for its ponderous slow-motion and overly rigid adherence to the graphic novel, it presented an interesting look at America — an America largely shaped by fear and suspicion. Showing what something is not is often a roundabout way of showing what it is.

Films like Anonymous are not so much critiques on the past as thought experiments. They take a theory, in this case the real identity of Shakespeare, and explore it. Another film to take this route is Gladiator, which gives an alternative reason for Emperor Commodus’ real-life death-by-gladiator. It is part for fun and part for juicy intrigue, which always sells in Hollywood. And unlike films that butcher historical fact, people who know the history behind Gladiator can chuckle at plausible conjectures.

We have always played pretend. In earlier times, it was plays; now it is predominantly film. Using history, gives the viewer a preconceived world and makes it all the more entertaining when the story deceives expectations. Teachers and tutors, too, should rejoice; it might not be correct, but it gets people interested.

 

Mimi Honeycutt is a senior majoring in print and digital journalism. Her column “Cut to Frame” runs Fridays.