Historical Film Advisor in the Firing Line

The historical consultant to the new film Gladiator II has come in for some criticism over the historical accuracy of the film. Alexander Mariotti has now come out and defended himself and his comments will find plenty of support among his fellow film and drama advisors. In their job they constantly wrestle with the demands of historical truth versus entertainment and in a commercial world it is always the director who has the final say.

Mariotti argues that the Gladiator film’s characters are inspired by historical figures rather than being direct representations. Furthermore, he rightly asserts that while Shakespeare’s historical plays are lauded by audiences, no-one expects them to be historically accurate – they are entertainment and as such, to be enjoyed.

A historical advisor will comment on the accuracy of scripts, actions, costumes and props, and suggest improvements. But when film shooting starts, the set designers, costume department, stunt advisors and the director take over and the original script can change – sometimes dramatically. Non-contemporary dialogue can creep in during takes and subsequent editing may also disrupt historical sequences. Meanwhile, tight budgets can limit the time that the historical consultant is allowed on set to comment on inaccuracies. With all these constraints, next time you see a ‘howler’ in a drama, it’s probably not the fault of the historical advisor!