That's my opinion. I hate the books (movies, audiobooks, what-have-you) that are
based upon historical events, and so take liberties with the facts. I've had this opinion for a long time.
Why do I think this way? Because people accept some of what's in those media as the truth, when it isn't the truth. That results in all kinds of problems, IMHO, because of the fact that people
act based upon what they believe to be the truth. So, without trying to overstate the case or be melodramatic, I think that they can be dangerous.
Aside from that, the adage "truth is stranger than fiction" is spot-on. Or, more to the point, truth is more
interesting than fiction. It is rare that a writer can make up any story about, say, World War II, that is as interesting as stories that really happened in that conflict. So, why the need for fictionalization? And, why would anyone--and I've run into many people like this--like historically-based media but dislike real history?
But I'm a hypocrite. There are some historically-based movies that I've watched and enjoyed, and some historically-based TV shows that I've gotten hooked on in the past. Right now, I'm addicted to old
Hogan's Heroes episodes.
However, having said all of that, the main point of my post is to tell you about an
excellent article on this subject--the best one that I've ever seen on the subject (although I haven't seen all that many, to be honest with you). And, no I don't feel that way because it agrees with me! The article is on
the webpage of this BBC-run website.