“BOBBY” The bastardization of history for the narcissistic need of a self-aggrandizing filmmaker.

December 9, 2010

“BOBBY” The bastardization of history for the narcissistic need of a self-aggrandizing filmmaker.

I finally got around to watching the movie “Bobbie” not too long ago. It’s a pretty good movie, detailing the lives of fictional characters inserted for the actual five individuals injured in the attack that took Bobby Kennedy’s life.

As a story, it tends to fluctuate between intriguing and mundane. I found myself wondering, “why should I care about these individuals?” – of course, at the end you realize what they all seemingly have in common and you have that ‘Ohhhhhhh so THAT’s why!’ moment. So it ends up being an intriguing film afterall.

But then, for a history purist like me, I was darn near pissed off that “Bobbie’s” characters were NOT based upon the actual individuals who were injured in the attacks. So many thoughts went through my mind – were the true stories not intriguing enough?… how can someone intentionally bastardize factual events?… How many people will walk away thinking these were the true events?… Don’t we have an obligation to honestly and factually report history?… Has the rewriting of history gotten so out of hand that it’s no long done subtly or subversively but blatantly and unapologetically?

Soooo…. Being who I am, I immediately ran to the library to find a book stating the facts of the RFK assassination so I would have the real story. And yes, the stories of those also shot by Sirhan Sirhan were intriguing… as are the intrigues and possible conspiracy theories.

So, why did Emilio Estevez have to tweak with history… change history… LIE about history… why?!? If he just wanted to present a cross-section docudrama about various social strata of the 1960’s, couldn’t he have done that through a completely fictional movie? Was he therefore using RFK and his assassination to project his (Estevez’s) own statement about the 60’s? At that point didn’t he cross the line of intellectual necrophilia and disgustingly dismiss historical fact as a disposable hurdle to his own creative juices?

I admit I’m a historical purist… a somewhat intellectual snob… and an unapologetic, intolerant, passionate foe of dishonesty, spin, subterfuge, and lies. Emilio Estevez’s “Bobbie” goes beyond the Oliver Stone style of twisting history (which can be described as illuminating an alternative point of view) – this goes to out-and-out rewriting history and presenting as fact something that is any but! It is unacceptable!