Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures brings to light a portion of NASA history that, while not entirely unknown, is certainly underrepresented in historical accounts of the early days of space flight. The acting is first rate, the story, with its multiple threads, remains coherent and important reminders of how things were in the not too distant past are portrayed clearly enough to make a point, though perhaps presented with overly-softened edges. I would compare this film to A Beautiful Mind, The Imitation Game, Apollo 13 and a host of other films that get the broad strokes right (and are good films as films, quite apart from any historical commentary they might offer). Not a perfect film (very, very few of those) but one well worth a viewing and likely to inspire discussion of a variety of issues (the discussion of which may well be more important than the film itself).
Like all historical dramas, it is not a precise recreation of historical events, nor should such recreation be expected of any such film--they are not intended as such, in the first place, and cinematic presentations of history should be judged on different terms than more traditional forms like monographs, academic journal articles and the like. I've spent the better part of two decades working with and researching such materials (it was the subject of my MA thesis) and making use of them in the classroom and, over time, I have become ever more convinced that nitpicking is the least useful approach to critiquing historical feature films.
The deviations in detail from history do not detract from the larger context portrayed in the film. Moreover, any decent historical feature film should be an inspiration to seek out more information, not be viewed as the final authority on any topic. I can easily foresee a project for a survey course in US history where the book upon which the film is based, and the film, are assigned, analyzed and discussed as part of post-WWII US history.
In any case, my daughter and I very much enjoyed it and I recommend it as a family friendly way to spend time at the cinema--if memory serves, not one gunshot was fired or even suggested (I don't oppose guns in movies--Shoot 'Em Up and John Wick are repeat viewings from my collection, just to name two, but it's nice to have an occasional movie without gunfire that is primarily aimed at adults and isn't a wacky comedy).
Like all historical dramas, it is not a precise recreation of historical events, nor should such recreation be expected of any such film--they are not intended as such, in the first place, and cinematic presentations of history should be judged on different terms than more traditional forms like monographs, academic journal articles and the like. I've spent the better part of two decades working with and researching such materials (it was the subject of my MA thesis) and making use of them in the classroom and, over time, I have become ever more convinced that nitpicking is the least useful approach to critiquing historical feature films.
The deviations in detail from history do not detract from the larger context portrayed in the film. Moreover, any decent historical feature film should be an inspiration to seek out more information, not be viewed as the final authority on any topic. I can easily foresee a project for a survey course in US history where the book upon which the film is based, and the film, are assigned, analyzed and discussed as part of post-WWII US history.
In any case, my daughter and I very much enjoyed it and I recommend it as a family friendly way to spend time at the cinema--if memory serves, not one gunshot was fired or even suggested (I don't oppose guns in movies--Shoot 'Em Up and John Wick are repeat viewings from my collection, just to name two, but it's nice to have an occasional movie without gunfire that is primarily aimed at adults and isn't a wacky comedy).
