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Biographical films, or biopics, are usually grand, inspirational cinematic masterpieces. They win awards and break box office records. The thing is, real life isn't always full of movie magic. Sometimes writers and directors have to tweak reality so that audiences can feel good about rooting for an essentially good (though flawed) main character.
Keep reading to learn the truth behind some of your favorite biopics. Find out why Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum's children are still apologizing for their father's actions, and how the real P.T. Barnum was less like High Jackman and more like Sacha Baron Cohen.
Kundun Left Out Torture And Slavery
Martin Scorsese's 1997 film, Kundun, chronicles the life and writings of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. The movie portrays Tibetans as nonviolent victims of Communist China. However, the truth is a little more complicated.
Before China invaded Tibet, the 'peaceful' monks often kept and tortured human slaves. Scorsese conveniently left that part out of his movie.
The Miracle Worker Ignores Hellen Keller's Interest In Eugenics
The Miracle Worker is based on the real life of Hellen Keller, a young blind and deaf girl, and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Keller is certainly inspirational. Despite all of her hardships, she still managed to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree and become a world-class writer.
Her interest in eugenics just wasn't inspirational movie material. She wrote, "It is the possibility of happiness, intelligence and power that give life its sanctity, and they are absent in the case of a poor, misshapen, paralyzed, unthinking creature.” She added that allowing a "defective" child to die was simply a “weeding of the human garden that shows a sincere love of true life.”
The Motorcycle Diaries Left Out Che Guevara's Racism
The Motorcycle Diaries is a 2004 biopic based on the diaries of a 23-year-old Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The film didn't adapt the entirety of Che's diary, though. They didn't include this passage that details Guevara's thoughts about black people:
"those magnificent examples of the African race who have maintained their racial purity thanks to their lack of affinity with bathing... indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink."
Pawn Sacrifice Didn't Discuss Bobby Fischer's Anti-Semitism
In 2014, Tobey McGuire played chess champion Bobby Fischer in the film, Pawn Sacrifice. The film didn't shy away from showing Bobby's delusions and explosive personality.
They did leave out his anti-semitic comments. Although Bobby Fischer was half Jewish, he continually denied the validity of his Jewish ancestry. Grandmaster Jan Hein Donner wrote, "[Bobby] idolized Hitler and read everything about him that he could lay his hands on. He also championed a brand of anti-semitism that could only be thought up by a mind completely cut off from reality."
The Iron Lady Erased Margaret Thatcher's Racism And Homophobia
Meryl Streep garnered tons of praise for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. While the film does a good job of celebrating Thatcher's accomplishments, it leaves out some of the things she did that didn't hold up so well in 2011 (when the film was released).
Thatcher stubbornly stigmatized LGBT people in legislation and encouraged Australia to block immigration from Asia.
Straight Outta Compton Left Out Dr. Dre's Assault Charges
In an attempt to focus on the positive, Straight Outta Compton edited out some of its characters' less appealing traits. When the movie came out, music journalist Dee Barnes published an article about being assaulted by Dr. Dre in 1991.
Dre settled out of court with Barnes and has since said that he regrets how he acted. Although the film shows the ups and downs of Dre's life, it conveniently leaves out this particular "down."
The Social Network Incorrectly Portrayed Eduardo Saverin As A Saint
Movies are easier to swallow when they have a clear protagonist and antagonist. Life doesn't usually operate in such clear black and white. The Social Network needed a villain, so Mark Zuckerberg's character was shaped to fill that role. Eduardo Saverin became the innocent victim.
In reality, Zuckerberg and his family were heavily invested in Facebook from the beginning. Saverin wasted the company's funds at parties in New York. He also went behind his friends' backs and took out free ads on Facebook for his personal startup.
Lincoln Wasn't As Racist As The Real Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln undoubtedly helped the anti-slavery movement. But just because he was less racist than most, doesn't mean he was completely correct about race.
The real Abe Lincoln actually wrote, "There is a physical difference between the white and black races that will for ever forbid the two races from living together on terms of social and political equality." Even though he was a driving force behind freeing the slaves, he still wasn't quite as inclusive as we all might imagine.
The Theory Of Everything Skips Over Hawking's Difficult Marriage
The Theory Of Everything is partially based on Jane Hawking's 610-page memoir. In her book, she talks about some of the darkest moments from her marriage to Stephen Hawking.
The film focuses on Hawking's disease and mostly presents the central couple as a unified force. However, the real Jane describes Stephen as an "all-powerful emperor" and a "masterful puppeteer." Stephen Hawking had an affair with his nurse, Elaine, who has been accused of abusing the famous genius.
The Walk Left Out All Of Petit's Friends Getting Deported
The 2015 film The Walk is a Hollywood adaptation of the 2008 documentary, Man on a Wire. In both films, Phillipe Petit is portrayed as an inspirational hero who successfully walks across a tightrope strung up between the twin towers.
The real-life story doesn't have the same happy ending as the movie. In the film, Petit decides to stay in New York with his friends. In reality, Petit quietly stayed behind as all of his friends got deported.
A Beautiful Mind Overlooked Nash's Anti-Semitism And Sexual Assault
John Nash is portrayed as a hero in the film A Beautiful Mind. While Nash was a brilliant man who struggled with schizophrenia, he definitely wasn't perfect.
Although John Nash and his wife deny any allegations that he slept with men, several of his male friends have stated that Nash made awkward passes at them. Nash also said some pretty nasty things about Jewish people, but he has since blamed those statements on his disease.
Ray Charles Fathered 12 Children With 10 Different Women
The film Ray follows Ray Charles on his rise to stardom. It's a compelling tale about a man who overcomes the odds and blesses us all with the gift of music. The film includes some of Ray Charles' family drama, but not all of it.
Charles was married twice, and he had twelve children with ten different women. A lot of his children didn't even meet their father until they were in their teens.
Awakenings Didn't Include Oliver Sacks Own Experimentation With Drugs
In the 1990 film Awakenings, Robin Williams plays Oliver Sacks, a doctor who realizes that he can wake catatonic patients with a drug intended to be used for a different purpose.
In his memoir, the real Oliver Sacks wrote about a man who after a night involving amphetamines, cocaine and PCP, awoke with an extremely heightened sense of smell. Years later, Sacks revealed that this man was in fact himself. The movie left out all experimentation with recreational drugs.
The Dreamer Of Oz Left Out L. Frank Baum's Ignorant Beliefs About Native Americans'
The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story is a 1990 biopic starring John Ritter as Lyman Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The film focused more on Baum's creativity and less on his beliefs about Native Americans. Baum wrote two editorials about Native Americans for the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer which claim that the safety of white settlers depends on the genocide of American Indians. I don't think I can ever look at The Wizard of Oz the same way again.
Walk The Line Doesn't Show Johnny Cash Killing Like 50 Endangered Condors
Walk the Line isn't exactly a stunning portrait of Johnny Cash. It includes a lot of harsh details about his life, including his alcoholism and his tumultuous relationship with June Carter.
It does ignore that Cash almost caused the extinction of an entire species. In the summer of 1965 on a trip to Los Padres National Forest in California with his nephew, Cash accidentally set fire to acres of forested area. His actions caused the deaths of 49 of the area's 53 endangered condors. His response: "I don't care about your damn yellow buzzards."
Get On Up Leaves Out That James Brown Stole His Biggest Song
Get On Up doesn't paint James Brown as a saint. Chadwick Boseman plays him as he was — a troubled man with a history of marital assault.
The film does gloss over the fact that Brown stole his biggest hit from a girlfriend. His ex, Betty Jean Newsome, took him to court because he lifted the main melody of "It's a Man's World" from a riff she sang during a car ride. Newsome won her case.
The Real P.T. Barnum Wasn't As Family Friendly As Hugh Jackman In The Greatest Showman
The Greatest Showman is a circus musical that celebrates human diversity through spectacle and song. The film probably wouldn't have been so happy-go-lucky if it had included P.T. Barnum's involvement in minstrel shows.
Barnum was a strong advocate for the anti-slavery movement. The way he expressed politics wouldn't fly today, though. Barnum was a producer and promoter of minstrelsy. The shows were often ironic and used humor to expose prejudice (kind of like an old-timey Borat). Still, not a good look for a family musical.
Birdman Of Alcatraz Leaves Out The Violent Prison Instigator Part
The 1962 biopic Birdman of Alcatraz tells the story of a mild-mannered prison inmate named Robert Stroud. In the film, Stroud, played by Burt Lancaster, is somewhat rebellious, but certainly not violent. He breeds sparrows and canaries to show just how kind and gentle he is.
In real life, though, Stroud wasn't all that gentle. The real Stroud once assaulted a hospital orderly and even stabbed a fellow inmate.
Gandhi Slept With Underage Girls
There's a lot wrong with the Gandhi biopic (and Ben Kingsley in brown face is one of them). Most people assume that Gandhi was morally superior because he starved himself for a noble cause.
In truth, Gandhi's behavior with young girls was pervy, to say the least. As a 'test' of his piety and purity, he would sleep next to young girls - including his grand-niece - and force himself not to touch them or become aroused. He also said some pretty rough things about women and wouldn't allow his wife to take life-saving penicillin (the same penicillin that saved his own life some years later).
Remember The Titans Forgot To Mention That Herman Boone Was A Huge Jerk
The 2000 inspirational football drama Remember the Titans tells the story of black and white football players coming together despite intense societal racial tension.
The team's solidarity was fostered by their coach, Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington. The real Herman Boone didn't treat the young athletes in his care particularly well. He was pretty abusive, and the school actually rallied to have him fired because of his behavior.