Black 47: Historical Accuracy Assessment (Movie Review Sample)

Black 47- Historical Accuracy Assessment
Student Name
Institution Name
COURSE: Course Title
Due Date
Author Note
Black 47- Historical Accuracy Assessment
The film Black 47, in general, has been associated with many positive appraisals from both film and history critics, with some citing its portrayal of a challenging subject in the 1840s famine in Ireland, along with its widespread utilization of gritty film styles and use of the Irish language for empathy and communion between characters. Even though Black 47 is based on fictional characters set in actual historical happenings, some historical inaccuracies are also apparent in its depiction of these historical events. In this essay, I use different film reviews of Black 47, including other materials on the 1847 Irish Famine website, to assess its historical accuracy in depicting its themes. I find events that do not correspond to actual timelines of events purported, particularly those related to verifiable events such as the United Kingdom's military activities and the Young Ireland rebellion. I begin by examining the film and some critical similarities that it shares with other films in depicting disenfranchised war heroes. After highlighting some similarities in Black 47with other disenfranchised war heroes' films, I argue that these similarities, which mainly embody the historical inaccuracies evident in these films, are perpetrated by the need for entertainment. I also examine other movie critics' reviews on Black 47 to establish the film's historical accuracy as perceived by them.
     The "Black 47" Irish thriller is, in essence, comparable to contemporary war heroes' films like John Rambo's First Blood, which, however, is focused much on entertainment. The film's historical issues, set in the West part of Ireland during the famed potato famine, represent real historical events. Nonetheless, the film's depiction as comparable to other contemporary war heroes' films is similarly structured as every post -Vietnam action film on ex-military individuals who lash out at the hypocritical human military systems that use and then abandon the heroes after warfare. The critical difference in post-Vietnam action film's is that their sequels relate to then-contemporary political strife, wars, and politics, while "Black47" trails that of a 19th-century soldier James Frecheville –Martin- as he assaults the British military and administrative system, officials, and priests, whom he believes to be responsible for the persecution of his family. Realistic historical details are apparent in its predictable stock plot of a warrior feeling disenfranchised