Magdalen Emeritus Fellow in Modern History, Professor Laurence Brockliss, and alumnus Justin Hardy (History, 1983) will publish their new book, The Filmmaker as Historian (Palgrave Macmillan), next month.
The book directly challenges the long-held dismissal by many academic historians that films and television programmes about the past are of no serious scholarly value. While the authors agree that most – whether Hollywood features or general television documentaries – may fall short, they argue that this is not always the case.
Instead, Laurence and Justin examine a mix of recent costume dramas and presenter-led documentaries focusing on episodes in the history of Britain, France, and the United States between the American Revolution and the First World War. They conclude that while the documentary is often structurally superior as a reliable vehicle for introducing past events, the greatest potential lies in a hybrid genre: something like a costume drama where the filmmaker expertly uses documentary techniques to balance between narrative and fact.
Laurence was a Tutor and Fellow in History at Magdalen from 1984 to 2017 and is the author of numerous works, including the recent Male Professionals in Nineteenth Century Britain (with Harry Smith). Co-author Justin Hardy, who read History at Magdalen and was tutored by Laurence, is a Senior Lecturer in Screen Writing at University College London. He has directed over 100 films for major broadcasters and has been recognised with four Royal Television Society Awards for historical works.
The Filmmaker as Historian is set for publication in December.