"Hidden Figures" Movie

Saw a trailer for this film which is a dramatization "based on true events", purporting to tell the story of three African American women who worked on the Mercury program in the 1960's that put the first American in orbit. One of the women (in the film) apparently plays a key role saving the launch, and as we know John Glenn's blast off and orbit was successful, so much of the drama is... where?

I have trouble with these docu-dramas since they re-write history by spicing it up with fiction. While I understand that telling a good story requires sometimes taking liberties, perhaps the "based on true events" label should be left off.

I "figure" (hehe...see what I did there?) there should be some discussion about the math in this film, so I am opening this thread as the film opens widely today.

Quote: Ayecarumba

One of the women (in the film) apparently plays a key role saving the launch, and as we know John Glenn's blast off and orbit was successful, so much of the drama is... where?

A lot of "drama" takes place behind the scenes.

Did you know Apollo 11s lunar module, the Eagle, came close to crashing on a field of boulders? That Neil Armstrong had to take control over the landing computer and hand-fly the LEM?

Had the Eagle crashed and killed Armstrong and Aldrin, everyone would know the story. Averted disasters don't often get remembered.

Of course he told her to check them
weeks or months before the launch.
And of course it took 3 days and not
25 minutes. And she was 44, not 25
something like the actress. They weren't
taking off from Gilligan's Island on a
rocket built by the Professor, these were
real rocket scientists.

Ever have one single dramatic incident
happen in your life that would transfer
well to film? Neither have most people.
That's why fiction was born, to dramatize
the trivial, to concoct stories that 'might'
have happened. We don't want to see
events on screen that are as boring as
our daily lives. Even so called 'reality'
TV is anything but real, it's all faked
and scripted and dramatized.

Here is the actress discussing her execution of one of the scenes where she is doing calculations with a chalkboard:

Quote: Ayecarumba

Here is the actress discussing her execution of one of the scenes where she is doing calculations with a chalkboard:

Not even a slide-rule? :)

Quote: Evenbob

Of course he told her to check them
weeks or months before the launch.
And of course it took 3 days and not
25 minutes....

That is the problem. In reality, John Glenn didn't ask for her to check the figures. It never happened. However, if you watch the movie, this fiction becomes reality, and folks in the audience that don't know any better will walk out thinking it was only one person that saved the entire Space Program in 25 seconds.

Quote: Nareed

Not even a slide-rule? :)

Hehe... She IS that bright.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Hehe... She IS that bright.

In reality it took 3 days, so she's average
bright.. The actress is 46 so at least
they got the age right. They did crap like
this in the movie about the Enigma machine.
Almost none of the drama in the movie
really happened. But who wants to see
reality. It's why people originally went
to movie theaters, to escape the drudge
of everyday life.

Quote: Ayecarumba

That is the problem. In reality, John Glenn didn't ask for her to check the figures. It never happened. However, if you watch the movie, this fiction becomes reality, and folks in the audience that don't know any better will walk out thinking it was only one person that saved the entire Space Program in 25 seconds.

But how many times do you know any scene in a movie based on a true story is accurate? Probably should be glad you don't.

I enjoyed "Amadeus" but it wasn't accurate either. I watched "Blow" last night, probably wasn't accurate either, though based on an American who moved cocaine into the US with the Columbian cartel.

And on and on. Probably too many to name.

I think people complain the most about Oliver Stone though, in this regard.

What about Dragnet. "This story is true, only the names are changed to protect the innocent?" Now if a movie says that you should expect a lot of purity.

I have to admit Dragnet was pretty dry stuff sometimes. But I'm sure they had to 'imagine " some of the scenes, and didn't have exact details.