They might not be explicitly billed as such - more often, they're coded as drama - but the narrative arc always ends with them dead/unhappy.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
And at first glance, it's easy to excuse that on the grounds of historical accuracy: oh, but X really did die or suffer! That's the truth!
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Replying to @fozmeadows
Well, yes. But sooner or later, EVERYONE dies or suffers, & yet we manage to tell stories about other icons that don't hinge on that aspect.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
Intentionally or not, the effect of this is to continually frame historically diverse narratives as cautionary tales ending in tragedy.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
The fact that films are more likely to be made about figures whose endings are tragic in the first place is a facet of the same problem.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
This is why, for instance, we're given a tragic film about Lili Elbe instead of a period spy thriller about the Chevalier d'Eon.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
Or why we'll get Agora, with its tragic arc about Hypatia's death, instead of an uplifting drama about Agnodice's life and achievements.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
Hidden Figures - which I'm desperate to see - is a notable break in pattern, and also, not coincidentally, wildly successful.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
WE NEED TO TELL MORE UPLIFTING DIVERSE HISTORICAL STORIES, instead of relentlessly framing everything around tragedy.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
Not only is it necessary and important, but there's clearly an audience for it - and a wealth of amazing stories as yet untold to draw from.
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If we can make umpteen films about Alexander the Great that stop short of depicting his death and leave him triumphant, there's no excuse.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
Yes, the lives of some historical figures are more intimately twined with tragedy than others, and yes, those stories are important, too.
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Replying to @fozmeadows
But the repeat decision to frame the majority of diverse historical stories as leading directly to the protagonist's death? Unnecessary.
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