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Distortions and inaccuracies in historical films
There are only two big budget movies in the UK today, one about Wilberforce and one about Bell. However, the movie about Bell is full of distortions and inaccuracies. It portrays the Zong case, where 132 Africans were thrown overboard, as an abolitionist debate, when it was actually the opposite. The final ruling in the case treated Africans as no more than horses and cattle, reinforcing slavery. The movie is also historically inaccurate in portraying slavery in a positive light. It is directed by a black woman with the aim of including a black character in a period drama, but fails to tell the true story of black people in that era. The need for factual underpinning in films coming out of the UK is highlighted.