"Was the printing press invented by King Arthur? Did William 'Braveheart' Wallac
e father Edward III of England? And did Jon Bon Jovi rescue an Enigma machine du
ring World War II? From ancient Egypt to the Tudors to the Nazis, the film indus
try has often defined how we think of the past. But how much of what you see on
the screen is true? And does it really matter if filmmakers just make it all up?
Picking her way through Hollywood's version of events, acclaimed historian Alex
von Tunzelmann sorts the fact from the fiction. Along the way, we meet all our
favourite historical characters, on screen and in real life: from Cleopatra to E
lizabeth I, from Spartacus to Abraham Lincoln, and from William Shakespeare to J
ohn Lennon.
