Reinterpret History

Relying on film to reinterpret history is always fascinating because anyone can spin a story to fit their point of view. There are varying reasons for this, but it happens. I look at two big movies that portrayed larger than life musicians Ray Charles (Ray) and Johnny Cash (Walk the Line). These two movies were loosely based on events surrounding Ray and Johnny, but they are not documentaries. They present facts loosely based upon life. Each have a story, but no one wants to see ever micromanaged minute of Ray Charles life. So directors have to draw the line somewhere. They have to think of budgets (big or small), locations, actors, ect. Things will be left out or even added.
Is it more entertaining to re-shape history? I do not want to go and watch a detail reenactment of anyone's life, but some of the high points is a good focal point. Film and history can be a good mix, but I would not look for an accurate portrayal of anything in film.

The Past... the Present

Understanding the past to understand the present. I have always liked that saying. Isn't that why we have history lessons throughout school?
I always thought History lessons were not given to bore me or make me learn boring facts and dates for an exam. It was exciting to take a certain period and really dig deep and see why things happened or what caused certain events to take place. That is my own out of mind opinion, but maybe someone shares that with me.
History was meant to be learned from. Things take time to learn from and see the bigger perspective of the situation. Plus, history always has a chance of repeating.