Bibliophiles know that Jane Austen was a woman of her own time in the late 17th – early 18th century. There were speculations of a few brief romances here and there, but Austen remained single to her last breath. The film Becoming Jane depicts the early life of the esteemed writer and her efforts to solidify herself and her literary talents in a time that held women back.
In the film, Austen involves herself with an apprentice lawyer, Tom Lefroy, whom she believes is the union she needs for her future career as a novelist. Of course, the movie ended with a giddy romance that viewers are sure to swoon over, but what may be a shock to viewers is that the whole romance story was made up. Like so many women today, Jane Austen didn’t marry because she put herself and her aspirations first. Without being weighed down by domestic duties, Austen had the freedom to focus on her writing. Despite theories that Austen had love for a specific individual, it’s interesting to see her history depicted with both romance and a determination to succeed in literature.
This is the couple everyone and their mother knows. If you’ve never seen the movie, you’ve heard of it, especially the door scene where there was definitely room for Jack. Regardless, this movie was adored by many when it came out, but most didn’t realize the love story was fake.
While the event is real, the characters are fictional. James Cameron, the director of Titanic, decided to add a romance element to the film. It was meant to make the audience connect with the tragedy on a more personal level. It hit the mark, too! Viewers adored Jack and Rose, and many shed tears over their heartbreaking love story.
The film Pocahontas is a wonderful star of Disney’s earlier 2D animation movies. Pocahontas has important messages and history, and it’s evidently loved, seeing as many still adore the film today. If the romance between Pocahontas and John Smith made you ill at ease, your feelings were telling you some semblance of truth.
Their love story was fabricated partly due to the 19th-century Romantic era. It’s true the two had a relationship, but it was one of friendship, not oddly placed romance. Pocahontas provided aid to the English settlers, and not to mention, she was very young while John Smith was much older. The movie is beautiful and relevant today, and if the romance made you uncomfortable, you’ll be relieved to know that the love story was only created for the film.
Shakespeare in Love is a film that entails how and what influenced Shakespeare to write his infamous play “Romeo and Juliet.” Not sure if there’s much truth in this film, and it’s more of a fictionalized account. First off, Viola de Lesseps is a fictional character created solely for the film.
The movie depicts Shakespeare falling for Viola, who then becomes his inspiration for “Romeo and Juliet.” The love story is music to your ears; who wouldn’t want to be the muse of a talented and revered playwright and poet? Despite the fabrication of the love story, the media loved the film with its 92% Rotten Tomatoes score. Romance is always going to find a way to people’s hearts!
Braveheart is about a Scottish patriot, William Wallace, who gets pulled into revolt against the English when the love of his life is killed. This historical war drama ends with the death of Wallace, but not before he solidifies himself as a symbol for a free Scotland.
Sounds good on paper, right? I hate to break it to you, but fabrication far outweighs the truth in this film. The patriot’s life is significantly inaccurate, and so is the love story between Princess Isabella and William. There’s a deviation from truth in Wallace’s attire, the timeline, and the portrayal of many events and battles. On top of that, the reality of Isabella’s situation is shocking – she was a young child when Wallace died and was never romantically involved with him.
A film that paved the way for musicals, The Sound of Music, is a heartfelt romantic movie. Based on real-life events of the Von Trapp Family singers, a renowned concert group preceding World War II, Maria resides in the home of widowed Captain Von Trapp and his seven children, where she brings love and music to light up the Trapp's lives.
While the film holds some truth, there are a few inaccuracies. The movie glorifies a love-at-first-sight story, but reality was the complete opposite. Rather, Maria admitted she didn’t initially love Von and instead “liked” him and loved his children. According to nationalarchives.gov, because of Maria’s unending love for the children, she really “married the children.” Her decision to marry the captain was out of duty.
Moses may be able to part the sea, but it doesn’t look like he can part fabrication from the truth. If you’ve seen the film The Ten Commandments, then you were probably swept away by the exciting romance between Moses and the Egyptian princess Nefertari.
Well, I hate to break the bad news, but there was never a love story in store for Moses. Nefertari existed in a different time and context within ancient Egyptian history, and it shouldn’t be a shocker that the romance in the film isn’t in the Bible. Regardless of the fabricated love story, the strong romantic connection between the princess and Moses is intriguing.
In the original source material, Homer’s epic The Iliad, the demigod Achilles doesn’t fall for Briseis. His romantic feelings are usually reserved for another….Patroclus, perhaps? Regardless, the film Troy decides to make Patroclus Achilles’ cousin and have the skilled demi-god fall head over heels for a woman who initiates the dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon.
How Achilles and Briseis become acquainted does have the potential to confuse viewers. He initially took her as a war prize, and from there, the assumed romantic affection began. Many view this couple in the film as having a love story, when the more accurate synopsis of history is that Achilles likely viewed Briseis as a possession and a conduit of personal honor.
This is the first couple on the list whose relationship wasn’t fabricated, although the nature of their romance was. A Beautiful Mind glorified Josh’s and Alicia’s romance. Their love was depicted as a stable and happy marriage when in reality they faced many setbacks and complications.
The real couple experienced long periods of separation and divorce. There was even a time when the two lived in separate rooms and Alicia referred to Nash as her “boarder.” The film evidently heavily romanticizes the couple’s love story and ignores the complexities and challenges they faced.
The love story and plot of Casablanca are complex. The truth resides in the origins of the film: it’s based on a play, “Everybody Comes to Rick’s,” which was inspired by the writer’s time in Europe during the early years of World War II. Casablanca uses real historical events as its source material, but the characters, Rick and Ilsa, are fictional.
Unlike most of the love stories on this list, Rick’s and Ilsa’s is one of tragedy. Their past love for each other is undeniable, and their feelings are clear, but there is a bit of unfaithfulness going around. While the two lovers are gallivanting in their passion for each other, Ilsa’s husband is in a concentration camp. I told you it was a complex one, but the circumstances are what make it tragic. Eventually, Rick sacrifices his love for Ilsa, so she isn’t weighted down by the choice to return to her husband, but she essentially does it out of duty, love, and to gain her husband’s freedom.
Another classic 2D animation from Disney’s peak is Hercules. This is a take on the Greek mythology tale, but grab onto something because it’s about to get tragic and morbid. Hercules, or more accurately Heracles, was snatched as a baby by Hades and forced to live among mortals as a demigod. As a teenager, he must prove his worth to reside among the gods on Mount Olympus by fighting a series of evil creatures.
Now, there is evidently accuracy in Disney’s take on the tale, with some inaccuracies, but that’s inevitable with historical retellings. What’s strikingly different is the romance between Megara and Hercules. The Disney film depicts the love story to be one of deep love and happiness. In the myth, the goddess Hera despised Hercules, so she made him go into a fit of madness, subsequently causing him to kill Megara and their children. In typical Greek mythology fashion, two people endure turmoil, heartbreak, and despair as a product of the gods'/goddesses’ jealous loathing and boredom.
A gem of a movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows Quasimodo, a disfigured bellringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, who spends time locked in a tower. The movie is wonderful, with beautiful storytelling, characters, songs, and visuals. Esmeralda is another star of the movie, with her kindness and unfaltering beauty.
Something that many viewers have to say about the film is that the relationship between Esmeralda and Captain Phoebus is insincere. Truly, their love story was inauthentic; while Phoebus is vying for Esmeralda, and she’s falling for it, the captain is engaged to another woman. Their love story is driven by physical desire and manipulation, from the captain, ending with a romance that formed too quickly without any genuine affection.
While the events in Pearl Harbor are true, the romance between the three main characters is purely fictional. The film follows two friends who enter World War II as pilots, where Rafe goes off to Europe to fight in the war, and Danny stays on the home front. The main woman of the film is Evelyn, who is initially with Rafe, but once he goes off to England to fight, she finds herself in the arms of his friend Danny. Messy, isn’t it?
Eventually, the three reunite in Hawaii just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The historical event the film depicts is very serious and significant, although many believe the movie detracts from that tense history and focuses instead on the fabricated romance. The love triangle was used as a narrative construct for drama and emotion, but don’t you think the historical attack on Pearl Harbor was tragic enough to induce exactly that?
Another fantastic Disney film from their stint with 2D animation, Mulan follows a brave woman, Mulan, who takes her father’s spot in the Chinese military. Due to the patriarchal regime she lives under, she must impersonate a man to train and serve. Mulan then uses her smarts to ward off a Hun invasion. So far, the plot of Mulan is based on some truth, following a specific source material: The Ballad of Mulan, which emerged in China and was likely passed down verbally.
It's when you get to the romance between Mulan and Li Shang that the fabrication comes in. The folk ballad Disney bases the film on doesn’t have a hint of romance in it, and instead was a narrative meant to inspire. Despite the fabricated love story, many watchers adored the romance between Mulan and Li Shang and were unhappy about the live-action film omitting his character completely.
Anastasia is a beautiful movie based on the tragic end of the Romanov family. The last ruling dynasty of Russia was brutally overthrown by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918, hence the film Anastasia. The movie, however, focuses on the young Anastasia’s escape and follows her efforts to return.
Of course, the film has some inaccuracies, but the love story between Anastasia and Dimitri is completely fabricated. The two characters are somewhat based on real people, but their circumstances are different from what’s portrayed in the film. Essentially, the love story was created to appeal to a wider audience and enhance the narrative. Even though the romance is a fake one, it’s a love story many adore.
The love story between Frank Abagnale Jr. and Brenda Strong wasn’t entirely false, although the extent of the relationship was fabricated in the film Catch Me If You Can. Brenda is based on a flight attendant Frank dated while he was living in Louisiana, but the film heavily dramatizes the character.
Instead of Brenda representing one person, she’s an amalgamation of several of Frank’s past relationships. If you don’t know, Frank Abagnale Jr. is a renowned con artist who was great at forging checks and impersonating roles. It’s an interesting movie that follows true events with a fabricated story of young love.
