# What historical events are too controversial to dramatize? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies\ **Created:** [December 7, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168 "2022-12-07T21:51:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/1 "2022-12-07T21:51:07Z")
While I’m sure there’s always someone out there who’d want to try, there are certain historical events that would be regarded as forbidden territory for anything’s not a documentary (i.e., a movie, TV program, or play). Even if it happened hundreds of years ago, the event would still be regarded by many people as too controversial, upsetting, ugly, and depressing for it to be the subject of drama. What do you think would be off-limits? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/2 "2022-12-07T21:55:50Z")
As a subject, I can’t think of one really. The most horrible events I can think of have been dramatized and portrayed – the Holocaust, human slavery, sex crimes, murders, incest, what else? – and those portrayals are a lot more than would be necessary just to be the subject of drama. I mean, you can talk about something without portraying it. And I predict the very next post will name something that I should have thought of. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/3 "2022-12-07T21:56:15Z")
Dramatize? Nothing. Pretty much every controversial, ugly, depressing event/phenomenon has already been dramatized. We’ve got 9/11 movies, we’ve got Holocaust movies, we’ve got movies that deal with rape, etc… About the only thing I can think of that is _unlikely_ to be dramatized by a Western movie studio would be a movie that treats Mohammed as a regular character and shows his face. All the Muslims would lose their shit (see the crap about the Jyllands-Posten cartoons), even if it wasn’t a movie _about_ Mohammed. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/4 "2022-12-07T21:57:05Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > too controversial, upsetting, ugly, and depressing Those are all good in this context, no? You have your _The Killing Fields, Come and See_, _The Last Temptation of Christ_ for that matter… > [@bump](#): > > Western movie studio A Hollywood studio is going to have its own calculus for what to produce, of course, much different to that of an independent producer. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/5 "2022-12-07T22:02:33Z")
The Trump administration. I mean how could you make it any worse than what is already public? Its just one continuous cluster fuck after another and has no end in sight. A dramatization of it just wouldn’t do it justice. That and the asshole or his surviving family would probably demand royalties. Please. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/6 "2022-12-08T11:27:03Z")
A correct historical dramatization of the Armenian genocide would be extremely problematic, because in whatever country it would be produced, this country would get into a massive diplomatic conflict with Turkey, who still deny this genocide and where it’s even illegal to mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/7 "2022-12-08T12:09:24Z")
You are probably right but to my mind that is probably all the more reason to do it. A de facto ban on depicting it is not great from an educational point of view. Same for the life of Mohammed. The fact is that death threats and violence would likely follow any major movie representation of the life of Mohammed and of early Islam. That is a great shame but makes the need to tell the story even more pressing. It is perhaps the contrarian in me but were I a film-maker, being told there were subjects I couldn’t cover would _definitely_ make me more interested in covering them. The _fact_ I’m being warned off is a worthy story in and of itself. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/8 "2022-12-08T13:10:26Z")
Right–“drama” being the key word. What about which topics can’t be turned into a comedy? Could there be a 911 comedy? A comedy about COVID-19? A comedy about the Trump administration? A comedy about a mass shooting? A comedy about the McKinley assassination? Comedy about the Great Depression, the Titanic, climate change, the Cold War, etc.? What if it’s more satirical than humorous, ect.? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/9 "2022-12-08T13:14:17Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > It is perhaps the contrarian in me but were I a film-maker, being told there were subjects I couldn’t cover would _definitely_ make me more interested in covering them. The _fact_ I’m being warned off is a worthy story in and of itself. Agree in principal. The challenge is that movie-making is a _business_ for _entertainment_. The fact it’s become the de facto way of teaching oral history to the masses is unfortunate. If you can figure out how to make a profit without your sponsors’ businesses’ profits being harmed, you’ll be green-lighted. Until then, not. Now it would be cool for somebody with “I don’t care” money like Musk or Gates (to mention two polar opposite personalities) to underwrite the project. But even they’d still need help with distribution, even if it was solely via YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/10 "2022-12-08T13:21:49Z")
I was wondering if anyone had made a movie about the Donner Party, and sure enough… > **[The Donner Party (2009) - IMDb](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1219336/?ref_=m_tt_urv)** > > The Donner Party: Directed by Terrence Martin. With Crispin Glover, Clayne Crawford, Michele Santopietro, Mark Boone Junior. After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846-1847, a number of trapped settlers join together in a... However, reviews claim it is not very historically accurate. But since the incident is reasonably well known in popular culture, and since there’s probably a fair bit of morbid curiosity about cannibalism (they made a movie about the soccer team whose plane crashed in the Andes), there probably wouldn’t be many of the obstacles @LSLGuy cites above to making another film about it. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/11 "2022-12-08T13:44:08Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > The Trump administration. We’ve already had at least one: > **[Donald Trump Played by Brendan Gleeson - The Comey Rule | SHOWTIME](https://www.sho.com/the-comey-rule/cast/donald-trump)** > > Learn more about Brendan Gleeson in the role of Donald Trump on the SHOWTIME Original Series The Comey Rule. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/12 "2022-12-08T13:46:07Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > A correct historical dramatization of the Armenian genocide would be extremely problematic, because in whatever country it would be produced, this country would get into a massive diplomatic conflict with Turkey, who still deny this genocide and where it’s even illegal to mention it. There was the Canadian film Ararat, and Turkey was kind of waffling on it: didn’t want to censor it because they were trying to join the EU at the time, then the distributor buckled under threats anyway, but it played on TV a few years later. > **[Ararat (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ararat_(film))** > > Ararat is a 2002 historical-drama film written and directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Charles Aznavour, Christopher Plummer, David Alpay, Arsinée Khanjian, Eric Bogosian, Bruce Greenwood and Elias Koteas. It is about a family and film crew in Toronto working on a film based loosely on the 1915 defense of Van during the Armenian genocide. In addition to exploring the human impact of that specific historical event, Ararat examines the nature of truth and its representation through art. The geno... ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/13 "2022-12-08T13:59:40Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > What about which topics can’t be turned into a comedy? Could there be a 911 comedy? A comedy about COVID-19? A comedy about the Trump administration? A comedy about a mass shooting? A comedy about the McKinley assassination? Comedy about the Great Depression, the Titanic, climate change, the Cold War, etc.? What if it’s more satirical than humorous, ect.? _Gacy: The Musical_ probably wouldn’t fly.\* \*when the story first broke, a Chicago DJ adapted lyrics from Pink Floyd. _Hey! Gacy! Leave those kids alone_ _All in all, it’s just another kid in the crawl_ ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/14 "2022-12-08T14:10:32Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > What about which topics can’t be turned into a comedy? Could there be a 911 comedy? A comedy about COVID-19? A comedy about the Trump administration? A comedy about a mass shooting? A comedy about the McKinley assassination? Comedy about the Great Depression, the Titanic, climate change, the Cold War, etc.? What if it’s more satirical than humorous, ect.? There is absolutely nothing that can have, or should have, immunity from being a comedic target. All of the above barely cause a judder on the needle of the controversy meter. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/15 "2022-12-08T14:29:13Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > What about which topics can’t be turned into a comedy? > [@commasense](#): > > I was wondering if anyone had made a movie about the Donner Party, and sure enough… They made one about Alferd Packer: > **[Cannibal! The Musical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibal!_The_Musical)** > > Cannibal! The Musical (originally known as Alferd Packer: The Musical) is a 1993 American black comedy musical film directed, written, produced, co-scored by and starring Trey Parker in his directorial debut while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder, before reaching fame with South Park alongside his friend Matt Stone who also stars in and produced the film. It is loosely based on the true story of Alferd Packer and the sordid details of the trip from Utah to Colorado that left h... ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/16 "2022-12-08T14:52:59Z")
I think the operative factor here is time. For example, you could have comedies about the Great Depression, McKinley assassination, Titanic, etc… because that stuff is beyond living memory. A 9/11 comedy would go over like a lead balloon because it’s too recent and too raw for most people I think. Something like the Cold War is probably ok- it ended peacefully 30 years ago, we “won”, and there have been comedies about it already, albeit mostly darkly satirical ones like “Dr. Strangelove”. Same basic idea about COVID, although I’d think that it is a bit riper, in that there was a lot of weird and funny about the lockdown periods that would seem to be especially fertile for comedy. Climate change… it would probably be a lot like “Don’t Look Up” if it could be done, and would likely harden attitudes on both sides of the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/17 "2022-12-08T14:57:17Z")
You people are looking at this too limited. Any historical event where you dramatize it in a way that is favorable to the ‘side’ that is way out of favor, considered evil etc. I know, almost a tautology, but I thought I would mention it 🙂 In a more in-the-theme answer I would say recent historical events which haven’t been ‘resolved’ yet so there are many passionate people all over the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/18 "2022-12-08T15:01:54Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Comedy about the Great Depression, the Titanic, climate change, the Cold War, etc.? Already subjects of comedies. [Great Depression](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Moon_(film)), [Titanic](https://www.deseret.com/2000/3/12/19495621/titanic-spoof-is-riotous-fun-br-comedy-lampoons-the-movie-local-foibles-and-politics), [climate change](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After_Tomorrow), etc. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/19 "2022-12-08T15:11:04Z")
> [@bump](#): > > A 9/11 comedy would go over like a lead balloon because it’s too recent and too raw for most people I think. Something like the Cold War is probably ok- it ended peacefully 30 years ago, we “won”, and there have been comedies about it already, albeit mostly darkly satirical ones like “Dr. Strangelove”. 22.3 years [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/612DEoTFH0o/maxresdefault.jpg "Aids is finally funny") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=612DEoTFH0o) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168/20 "2022-12-08T15:25:34Z")
> [@bump](#): > > A 9/11 comedy would go over like a lead balloon because it’s too recent and too raw for most people I think. Not a direct 9/11 comedy but Chris Morris (of course) did create “[Four Lions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Lions)” in 2010. A comedy about a group of inept Islamic suicide bombers. This was just a few short years after the very real [tube and bus suicide bombings in London.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bombings) Mind you, Chris Morris is well known for exactly this sort of subject. His masterpiece "[Brass Eye"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Eye) involved such notable amusing subjects as Aids, Paedophilia and child murderer Myra Hindley. If anyone were to create a 9/11 comedy he’d be a likely candidate (and I’d definitely watch it) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168.md?page=2)