An Analysis of Historical Movies

Name
Professor
Course
Date
Historical Movie Analysis
Movie #1: Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Self Made is an American miniseries drama based on Madam C.J. Walker's biography called On Her Own Ground that A'Lelia Bundles wrote. The miniseries premiered on Netflix on 20 March 2020. It stars Octavia Spencer as Madam C.J. Walker, an African American woman who maneuvers from deep poverty to construct a beauty industry and becomes the first woman self-made millionaire, hence, the film title. Other characters are Tiffany Haddish as Lelia, Carmen Ejogo as Addie, and Garette Morris as Cleophus Walker.
The film Self Made is not historically accurate as many facts contradict those in the original source where the film was adapted, the biography. David Lindquist, in a publication in Indianapolis Star, analyzes the misrepresentation of history in the film. For example, Madam Walker wishes to sell Munroe's "hair grower" in the film, but she is denied. The truth is that Walker sold Malone's products in Denver and St. Louis before she opened her beauty business organization. Munroe plays Malone, a non-fiction character, in the film (Lindquist). The film depicts Munroe as moving to Indianapolis and struggling to succeed under Walker's shadow.
I learned new knowledge from the film after researching the historical accuracy of the film. For example, I now know that Madam Walker and Munroe were not real-life rivals because Munroe is a fictional character. However, Malone and Walker were business rivals because they ventured into a similar industry. The film is great, and I recommend it to a person interested in history and business inspiration.
Movie #2: Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 drama film adapted from the Rwandan genocide that happened in 1994. It stars Don Cheadle as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and Sophie Okonedo as Tatiana, Rusesabagina's wife. Rusesabagina tries to save the lives of his family and more than 1000 other refugees by providing them a haven in his hotel des Millie Collines. The film addresses the themes of political corruption, genocides, and the effects of war and violence.
The film Hotel Rwanda is not historically accurate and does not document the actual events of the 1994 genocide Rwanda, meaning it is a fiction movie. The National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide in Rwanda released a statement on 22 October 2020 terming the movie as a work of fiction. According to the report titled "Light on many of the inaccuracies recounted in the movie Hotel Rwanda, including the misrepresentation of Paul Rusesabagina as a hero," the film is neither a live documentary nor an account of any witnesses in the genocide. According to accounts of survivors who were in the hotel, Rusesabagina was in charge of the hotel. Still, he only gave refuge to his allies and the few people who could pay for the accommodation (National Commission for the Fight against Genocide).
I learned that the film is not an accurate account of the event during the genocide. I believed the content of the film after watching it until I did further research. However, it gives a good representation of the situation in the worst massacre in Rwandese history, a country in East Africa. I recommend the film to peop...