Truth and Lives on Film

The Legal Problems of Depicting Real Persons and Events in a Fictional Medium

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by John T. Aquino

Type

Didactic

Subject

Economics

Keywords

legal issues, characters, reality

Publishing date

2022

Publisher

McFarland & Co

2nd edition

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 272 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4766-8823-7

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Book Presentation:
As early as the Silent Era, movie studios were sued over depictions of real people and events. Filmmakers have always altered the details of true stories and actual persons, living or dead, to make narratives more workable and characters more compelling. When truth and fantasy become inextricably mixed, the effect on people’s lives can be significant, even devastating.

This expanded second edition presents an updated history of legal issues surrounding the on-screen embellishment of reality, with a focus on important court decisions and the use of disclaimers. Seventeen courtroom dramas are given fact-versus-fiction analyses, and the The Perfect Storm (1991) is covered in extensive detail. A concluding chapter is devoted to actors who became so identified with fictionalized characters that they sought exclusive rights to those personas.

About the Author:
John T. Aquino is an attorney, journalist and author in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has served as editor of three national trade magazines, has written several trade books, short stories, and over 4,000 bylined articles for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and websites on entertainment law, intellectual property law, and other issues. He is a member of several state and federal bars, and the National Press Club and the Mystery Writers of America.

Press Reviews:
From the first edition:

• "Provides a framework for thinking about legal issues in film"—Choice

• "An excellent and concise study of the many legalities pertaining to ‘fictional-factual’ movies…highly recommended"—Hal Erickson, author of Any Resemblance to Actual Persons: The Real People Behind 400+ Fictional Movie Characters

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co