Past imperfect

There is no denying the tremendous power movies have in shaping our perceptions of the past. From Julius Caesar to Joan of Arc to Gandhi, many of history's greatest figures have become inextricably bound to their screen images. It may not be the job of filmmakers to ensure the historical accuracy of these films, especially when deviation serves a compelling dramatic purpose. But wouldn't it be useful - and fascinating - to learn what has been changed, and for what reason? In Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies, sixty of the world's most lauded historical writers look beneath the celluloid surface of popular movies to examine the relationship between film and the historical record. Beginning with a probing conversation between historian Eric Foner and director John Sayles (Eight Men Out, Matewan), Past Imperfect surveys nearly one hundred classic films, including Spartacus, Gone with the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, and Malcolm X. Best-selling authors such as Gore Vidal, James M. McPherson, Antonia Fraser, William Manchester, and Simon Schama skewer, praise, pick apart, and otherwise illuminate these cinematic portrayals of history, telling us as much about what the filmmakers got right as about where they went wrong.