# Can a story based on factual, historical events be subject to spoiling? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007 "2014-03-06T13:20:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/21 "2014-03-07T02:08:55Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > What about the fact the movie was released _5.5 months ago_? It’s even available on DVD and Blu Ray now. Time has little to do with whether something is a spoiler. The only reason why people often say older stuff isn’t a spoiler is because the twist has become common knowledge. Are you telling me that you’ve never watched a movie for the first time six months after its release? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/22 "2014-03-07T02:13:23Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > It may not be a “true story,” but I’ll wager that most folks know the basic plot arc of \*Arsenic and Old Lace \*before they actually see it on stage or screen. A few months ago, I was privileged to see the reactions of several young women who were NOT so forewarned. They came as close to literally laughing their asses off as I have ever seen; one piece of my furniture almost did not survive. Had they known anything about the show going in, the shock value that generated the humor would have been lost. Since then, I’ve been a converted champion of keeping spoilers secret. I think I may have read about it at one time, and I was crushed. Luckily, I now don’t remember. Hopefully seeing the early parts of it won’t remind me. That is, assuming it’s on video somewhere, as there’s no way I’ll see the actual play in this hick town, and I don’t foresee being able to afford to go see it elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/23 "2014-03-07T02:24:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Time has little to do with whether something is a spoiler. The only reason why people often say older stuff isn’t a spoiler is because the twist has become common knowledge. > Are you telling me that you’ve never watched a movie for the first time six months after its release? That’s how I watch 99% of the movies I see. And that means that if I want to avoid spoilers, I avoid threads that talk about the movie! Hell, even if there’s a spoiler for a movie I haven’t seen yet in a thread about something totally different, _I don’t get upset at that poster_, no matter how long after its release. If I want to avoid spoilers, it’s my responsibility to avoid them. And yes, this has actually happened to me multiple times, so I’m not just speaking hypothetically. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/24 "2014-03-07T02:53:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I wish someone would make a Jesus biopic _loosely_ based on the New Testament. They did. It was called the Passion of the Christ and based on the writings of an insane German nun from IIRC the 19th Century. > [@](#): > > to watch the Christian audience’s jaws drop when they release Jesus instead of Barabbas. Actually, in a sense that’s what happened. Barabbas’ first name was “Jesus” and Barabbas" is a Hellenization of the Hebrew phrase “Bar Abba” or “son of the Father”. According to the Book of Matthew, Jesus the Messiah was sacrificed so that Jesus the Son of the Father could live. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/25 "2014-03-07T14:21:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Time has little to do with whether something is a spoiler. The only reason why people often say older stuff isn’t a spoiler is because the twist has become common knowledge. > > Are you telling me that you’ve never watched a movie for the first time six months after its release? Exactly. See my \*Arsenic and Old Lace \*example above. That movie had been out for 70 years, but my friends didn’t know the plot, and they wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much if they did. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/26 "2014-03-07T14:54:07Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Exactly. See my \*Arsenic and Old Lace \*example above. That movie had been out for 70 years, but my friends didn’t know the plot, and they wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much if they did. There’s been a few times I’ve managed to see movies with absolutely zero knowledge about the movie other than the title. (The Warriors and Heaven Can Wait come to mind.) If the movie is good at all, even if it’s just mediocre, it can be a wonderful experience. In fact, I wish I could have seen Psycho not even knowing the title. The surprise of finding out that the main plot and main character were not what it looked like at first would have been great, and then seeing still another big surprise at the end would have been awesome. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/27 "2014-03-07T15:41:46Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > What about the fact the movie was released _5.5 months ago_? It’s even available on DVD and Blu Ray now. See our Guidelines [on use of spoiler tags.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697117#post7697117) A movie that’s six months old in the US may not be released yet in the UK (or vice versa) and we do have a fair number of non-US posters. But, as per the ARSENIC AND OLD LACE or PSYCHO examples above, just because something is old doesn’t mean the plot twists will be known to everyone. As I said before, there’s no real firm rules on the use of spoilers, we need a co-operative attitude. Those who don’t want to see spoilers should be careful about what they read, and the rest should be careful about helping them out (by using spoiler alerts in thread titles, and spoiler tags in posts.) No one is going to be warned or admonished for failure to use spoiler tags (unless it’s a deliberate bit of nastiness rather than just being unaware.) ---
**Author:** ![Peaton\_of\_peat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecae2f/32.png) [@Peaton\_of\_peat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peaton_of_peat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/28 "2014-03-07T16:46:08Z")
I hope I’m not the only one who was hoping this was going to be about _Game of Thrones_, trying to lift the spoiler rule there. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/29 "2014-03-07T18:09:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You had to buy the Director’s Cut. Ah, see that’s how they screw you out your hard earn pennies. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/30 "2014-03-07T18:28:07Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Ah, see that’s how they screw you out your hard earn pennies. Well worth it, though-it comes with three alternate endings. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007/31 "2014-03-07T19:56:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Well worth it, though-it comes with three alternate endings. I personally like the ending where Paul listens to (reads what) Jesus said when he was alive, and insists that Christians must follow all the Jewish rules. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-story-based-on-factual-historical-events-be-subject-to-spoiling/683007.md?page=1)