Réponse:
To what extent do (American) biopics portray reality?
Explications:
The biopic has existed since the beginning of the seventh art (The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots [1] in 1895 or The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ [2] in 1898 are the first examples) and has experienced a revival of interest in recent years. However, if there is a film genre that is subject to debate, it is this one. Unreliable actors, incomplete or even misleading history, factual manipulation..., these are some of the elements that often lead to discussion. It is a fact, the biopic synthesizes in itself a good number of questionings around the Cinema and its relationship to reality.
Biopics are often criticized for not sticking closely enough to reality. And we can easily understand that, for some hardcore fans of the chosen personality, this can be shocking. It is to forget a little quickly that fiction has no vocation to state any objective reality. Let's leave this vain attempt to documentaries. If speaking of biopic inevitably refers to the notion of biography, it seems necessary to add the qualifier of "fictionalized". Because above all, these exceptional personalities are there to serve the film and not the opposite. These destinies, often out of the ordinary, offer a tragic or romantic potential that cinema is fond of. Some critics point out that it is easier to transpose the stories of celebrities than to create original ones. It is true that in addition to the marketing argument (a celebrity is above all a brand), certain careers offer a first choice material, not to say a "turnkey" scenario to the authors. While not without meaning, this hypothesis is not always verified. When in 2007 Todd Haynes tackled the mythical figure of Bob Dylan (I'm Not There [3]), he did not take the easy way out or the blockbuster approach, choosing in particular to entrust the title role to six different actors (including one woman)! With The Van Gogh Passion [4], the directors opt for animation to take us directly into the master's paintings. The bewitching Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [5] revisits in a poetic and melancholic way the last days of this western icon. Alongside the easy exploitation of existing subjects, the genre is also a mine of more singular explorations.