--- title: "As a general principle, I believe films are the wrong medium for fact… — Roger Ebert Quote #90 | QuotesBy.net" description: "As a general principle, I believe films are the wrong medium for fact. Fact belongs in print. Films are about emotions. My notion is that JFK is no m… — a quote by Roger Ebert." image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png" --- > # As a general principle, I believe films are the wrong medium for fact. Fact belongs in print. Films are about emotions. My notion is that JFK is no more, or less, factual than Stone's Nixon or Gandhi, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Amistad, Out of Africa, My Dog Skip or any other movie based on 'real life.' All we can reasonably ask is that it be skillfully made and seem to approach some kind of emotional truth. [Roger Ebert](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert)\#90 [Film](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/film/)[Emotion](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/emotion/)[History](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/history/)[Truth](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/truth/)[Fiction](https://quotesby.net/topics/fiction/) [WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CAs%20a%20general%20principle%2C%20I%20believe%20films%20are%20the%20wrong%20medium%20for%20fact.%20Fact%20belongs%20in%20print.%20Films%20are%20about%20emotions.%20My%20notion%20is%20that%20JFK%20is%20no%20more%2C%20or%20less%2C%20factual%20than%20Stone%27s%20Nixon%20or%20Gandhi%2C%20Lawrence%20of%20Arabia%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Amistad%2C%20Out%20of%20Africa%2C%20My%20Dog%20Skip%20or%20any%20other%20movie%20based%20on%20%27real%20life.%27%20All%20we%20can%20reasonably%20ask%20is%20that%20it%20be%20skillfully%20made%20and%20seem%20to%20approach%20some%20kind%20of%20emotional%20truth.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Roger%20Ebert%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FRoger-Ebert%2F90%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CAs%20a%20general%20principle%2C%20I%20believe%20films%20are%20the%20wrong%20medium%20for%20fact.%20Fact%20belongs%20in%20print.%20Films%20are%20about%20emotions.%20My%20notion%20is%20that%20JFK%20is%20no%20more%2C%20or%20less%2C%20factual%20than%20Stone%27s%20Nixon%20or%20Gandhi%2C%20Lawrence%20of%20Arabia%2C%20Gladiator%2C%20Amistad%2C%20Out%20of%20Africa%2C%20My%20Dog%20Skip%20or%20any%20other%20movie%20based%20on%20%27real%20life.%27%20All%20we%20can%20reasonably%20ask%20is%20that%20it%20be%20skillfully%20made%20and%20seem%20to%20approach%20some%20kind%20of%20emotional%20truth.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Roger%20Ebert&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FRoger-Ebert%2F90%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FRoger-Ebert%2F90%2F) ## About this quote What does it mean?Films prioritize emotional truth over factual accuracy regardless of real life claims.In plain termsMovies are about feelings, not hard facts like books.What can you take from it?Judge historical films by emotional truth not just facts. ### Where it applies - historical movies - film criticism ### Putting it to work - evaluate emotional impact - accept dramatization ### Questions to consider - Does factual accuracy matter in drama? - How is emotional truth measured? ### Another view Some viewers need factual precision regardless of medium. ## More from Roger Ebert 1. > A children's movie is a movie at which adults are bored. A grown-up movie is a movie at which children are bored. A family movie is a movie at which, if it's g… [Permalink to quote \#89](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/89/ "Permalink to quote 89") 2. > By directing one good film, you prove that you had a movie inside of you. By directing two, you prove you are a director. [Permalink to quote \#91](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/91/ "Permalink to quote 91") 3. > Once is the kind of film I've been pestered about ever since I started reviewing again. People couldn't quite describe it, but they said I had to see it. I had… [Permalink to quote \#88](https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/88/ "Permalink to quote 88") ## Related quotes 1. > Fiction has to be plausible. All history has to do is happen. [Harry Turtledove](https://quotesby.net/Harry-Turtledove)[Harry Turtledove quote \#1](https://quotesby.net/Harry-Turtledove/1/ "Permalink to quote 1") 2. > One's moviegoing tastes and habits change - I still like in movies what I always liked but now, for example, I really want documentaries. After all the years o… [Pauline Kael](https://quotesby.net/Pauline-Kael)[Pauline Kael quote \#25](https://quotesby.net/Pauline-Kael/25/ "Permalink to quote 25") 3. > He did not write about this war and that revolution, but about war and revolution in general, the state of mind and emotion, not facts. [Dmitri Shostakovich](https://quotesby.net/Dmitri-Shostakovich)[Dmitri Shostakovich quote \#32](https://quotesby.net/Dmitri-Shostakovich/32/ "Permalink to quote 32") ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a general principle, I believe films are the wrong medium for fact. Fact belongs in print. Films are about emotions. My notion is that JFK is no more, or less, factual than Stone's Nixon or Gandhi, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Amistad, Out of Africa, My Dog Skip or any other movie based on 'real life.' All we can reasonably ask is that it be skillfully made and seem to approach some kind of emotional truth.", "url": "https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/90/", "spokenByCharacter": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Ebert" } } { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://quotesby.net/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Authors", "item": "https://quotesby.net/authors/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Roger Ebert", "item": "https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Quote #90", "item": "https://quotesby.net/Roger-Ebert/90/" } ] } ```