Fiction disclaimers on Non-Fiction movies
It's Memorial Day Weekend in the US, so I was watching one of my favorite Memorial Day movies; Hamburger Hill (1987). This movie is based on events surrounding the taking of Hill 937 in Vietnam. The movie accurately mentions the dates and locations of this battle. At the end, this disclaimer is shown:
Why would this disclaimer be displayed at the end of a film like Hamburger Hill?
Best Answer
It's not a non-fiction film. From the IMDb page:
A very realistic interpretation of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
It is a fictionalization of the actual events.
Nearly all - if not all - narrative films carry this disclaimer, even if the people depicted in the film are real people... the reality is, some stuff will be fictionalized for story purposes... some of the characters will be made up either entirely or possibly combined from several actual people. Some names may be changed if the real people (or their families should they be deceased) refuse to give permission to the production company to use their name.
If it were a documentary, that would be different... but this is still a "based on real events" movie... it may as well all be fake because there's no way to know what actually happened and what did not.
Pictures about "Fiction disclaimers on Non-Fiction movies"
How do you write a fiction disclaimer?
"To protect the privacy of certain individuals the names and identifying details have been changed." "This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental."What is a fiction disclaimer?
Every reader is familiar with the typical fiction disclaimer. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.What is a movie disclaimer?
The standard disclaimer for any film states that \u201call the characters and events depicted are fictitious. Any resemblance to a person living or dead is purely coincidental\u201d.Why do films have the disclaimer?
Now, decades later, many films still include a disclaimer to reduce the chances of the studio getting sued. Even a movie like Raging Bull, that's based on Jake LaMotta's memoirs and employed him as a consultant, ended by declaring that all the events are fictional.Fiction vs Non Fiction Movies
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