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Document Type

Article

Abstract

Movies claiming to represent historical events remain popular. Historical films, however, differ from a disciplined study of the past, which is constrained by evidence from the past. Looking for an evidence-based historical argument in historical movies misses what they do best. A case in point is Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. This film combines two genres--exploitation films and World War II films. With Hitler and Nazis, argues the author, we viewers want justice achieved through vengeance—and Tarantino’s film gives us that. Historical movies in general give us the simpler past we want. They seldom, however, help us consider the full costs of gaining justice, especially in light of the Good News.

About the Author

Dr. Mike Kugler primarily teaches European history from the Reformation through the modern era. His research and writing include the Enlightenment era, particularly in Scotland; historical narrative in a variety of forms, including formal history but also film and graphic novels; and more recently, the history of incarnational theology. He has presented papers at a wide variety of conferences and has published reviews and essays in Fides et Historia, The Eighteenth-Century: Theory and Interpretation, and Scotia.

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