Abiographical filmorbiopic(/ˈbaɪoʊˌpɪk/)[1]is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used.[2]They differ fromdocudrama filmsandhistorical drama filmsin that they attempt to comprehensively tell a single person's life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives.[3]
Context
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Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of theCollege of Staten Islandand Dennis P. Bingham ofIndiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.Custen, inBio/Pics: How Hollywood Constructed Public History(1992), regards the genre as having died with theHollywood studio era,and in particular,Darryl F. Zanuck.[4]On the other hand, Bingham's 2010 studyWhose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre[5]shows how it perpetuates as a codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown byRick Altmanin his study,Film/Genre.[6]Bingham also addresses the male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other, the former generally dealing with great accomplishments, the latter generally dealing with female victimization. Ellen Cheshire'sBio-Pics: a life in pictures(2014) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s. Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list.[7]Christopher Robé has also written on the gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article, "Taking Hollywood Back" in the 2009 issue ofCinema Journal.[8]
Roger EbertdefendedThe Hurricaneand 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 Hurricaneis not adocumentarybut aparable."[9]
Casting
editCasting can be controversial for biographical films. Casting is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person.Anthony Hopkinsfelt that he should not have playedRichard NixoninNixonbecause of a lack of resemblance between the two.[citation needed]The casting ofJohn WayneasGenghis KhaninThe Conquerorwas objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord. Egyptian critics criticized the casting ofLouis Gossett Jr.,an African American actor, as Egyptian presidentAnwar Sadatin the 1983 TV miniseriesSadat.[10]Also, some objected to the casting ofJennifer LopezinSelenabecause she is a New York City native ofPuerto Ricandescent whileSelenawasMexican American.[11]
Film representations
editBecause the figures portrayed are actual people, whose actions and characteristics are known to the public (or at least historically documented), biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses.[citation needed]Warren Beatty,Faye Dunaway,Ben Kingsley,Johnny Depp,Jim Carrey,Jamie Foxx,Robert Downey Jr.,Brad Pitt,Emma Thompson,Tom Hanks,Eddie Redmayne,andCillian Murphyall gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics:[citation needed]Beatty and Dunaway asClyde Barrow and Bonnie ParkerinBonnie and Clyde(1967), Kingsley asMahatma GandhiinGandhi(1982), Depp asEd WoodinEd Wood(1994), Carrey asAndy KaufmaninMan on the Moon(1999), Downey asCharlie ChaplininChaplin(1992) and asLewis StraussinOppenheimer(2023), Foxx asRay CharlesinRay(2004), Thompson and Hanks asP. L. TraversandWalt DisneyinSaving Mr. Banks(2013), Redmayne asStephen HawkinginThe Theory of Everything(2014), and Murphy asJ. Robert OppenheimerinOppenheimer(2023).
Some biopics purposely stretch the truth.Confessions of a Dangerous Mindwas based ongame showhostChuck Barris' widely debunked yet popularmemoirof the same name, in which he claimed to be aCIAagent.[12]Kafkaincorporated both the life of authorFranz Kafkaand thesurrealaspects of his fiction.[citation needed]TheErrol FlynnfilmThey Died with Their Boots Ontells the story ofCusterbut is highly romanticized. TheOliver StonefilmThe Doors,mainly aboutJim Morrison,was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actorVal Kilmer,look-wise and singing-wise, but fans and band members did not like the way Val Kilmer portrayed Jim Morrison,[13]and a few of the scenes were even completely made up.[14]
In rare cases, sometimes calledauto biopics,[15]the subject of the film plays themself. Examples includeJackie RobinsoninThe Jackie Robinson Story(1950),Muhammad AliinThe Greatest(1977),Audie MurphyinTo Hell and Back(1955),Patty DukeinCall Me Anna(1990),Bob MathiasinThe Bob Mathias Story(1954),Arlo GuthrieinAlice's Restaurant(1969),FantasiainLife Is Not a Fairytale(2006), andHoward SterninPrivate Parts(1997).
In 2018, themusicalbiopicBohemian Rhapsody,based on the life ofQueensingerFreddie Mercury,became the highest-grossing biopic in history at the time.[16][17][18]In 2023, it was surpassed byOppenheimer,based on the life ofJ. Robert Oppenheimerand the creation of theatomic bombin World War II.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Biopic".Dictionary.
- ^Bastin, Giselle (Summer 2009)."Filming the Ineffable: Biopics of the British Royal Family".A/B: Auto/Biography Studies.24(1): 34–52.doi:10.1353/abs.2009.0008.Retrieved29 May2013.
- ^"What is a biopic? Seven questions about biographical films answered".BBC.April 2024.Retrieved8 June2024.
- ^Custen, George F. (1992).Bio/pics: how Hollywood constructed public history.Rutgers University Press.ISBN978-0-8135-1755-1.OCLC24247491.
- ^Bingham, Dennis (2010).Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre.Rutgers University Press.ISBN978-0-8135-4658-2.OCLC318970570.
- ^Altman, Rick (1999).Film/genre.British Film Institute.ISBN978-0-85170-717-4.OCLC41071380.
- ^Cheshire, Ellen (2014).Bio-Pics: a life in pictures.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-17205-9.
- ^Robé, Christopher (Winter 2009). "Taking Hollywood Back: The Historical Costume Drama, the Biopic, and Popular Front U.S. Film Criticism".Cinema Journal.48(2): 70–87.doi:10.1353/cj.0.0082.JSTOR20484449.S2CID153354352.
- ^Ebert, Roger (7 January 2000)."The Hurricane".Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^Miller, Judith (2 February 1984)."UPSET BY 'SADAT,' EGYPT BARS COLUMBIA FILMS".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^Tracy, Kathleen (2008).Jennifer Lopez: A Biography.Greenwood Publishing Group. p.53.ISBN978-0-313-35515-8.
- ^Stein, Joel (7 January 2003)."Chuck Barris: Lying to Tell the Truth".Time.ISSN0040-781X.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^"Gary James' Interview with Ray Manzarek".Classicbands.Retrieved29 May2013.
- ^"Chat with Ray Manzarek".Crystal-ship. 17 November 1997.Retrieved1 September2012.
- ^"autobiopic – definition of autobiopic in English | Oxford Dictionaries".Oxford Dictionaries | English.Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2017.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^Spanos, Brittany(10 January 2019)."Korean, Japanese Fans Can't Stop Watching 'Bohemian Rhapsody'".Rolling Stone.Retrieved15 January2019.
- ^"Vanilla Ice Biopic Happening with Dave Franco in the Lead?".MovieWeb.4 January 2019.Retrieved15 January2019.
- ^"Bohemian Rhapsody becomes highest-grossing biopic of all time".The Indian Express.17 December 2018.Retrieved15 January2019.
- ^Pulver, Andrew (18 September 2023)."Oppenheimer overtakes Bohemian Rhapsody to become biggest biopic of all time".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved19 September2023.