So, here's a thought. I was just having a conversation with my friend about the cinema. I was complaining how rubbish my local one is as it only showed Titanic 3D for two weeks and our conversation went something like this:

"Well lets be honest, Titanic was poop anyways. 'Here, have an old movie BUT NOW IT'S IN 3D!!!!!!!!'"

"Hey it was for the 100th anniversary... have some respect, Daniel!"

"I do have respect.. however Titanic wasn't the only disaster that happened neigh on 100 years ago. Only reason why we know it happened 100 years ago is because people have monetised the shit out of the disaster...so."

And that got me thinking. Is he right? Is creating films or TV shows or such just a way of making money out of a horrific event, or does it also serve good?

I have been of the opinion that, although I accept it is a way to make money, there are plenty of positives about turning something such as the Titanic into a film and TV series and creating the many documentaries. It is a way of preserving history. I was astonished by the amount of comments that sprung up on the internet within the past few weeks of people exclaiming, "how have you seen Titanic already? It's not out yet. How do you know what happened?" and "What?! Titanic is based on real life?! I thought it was just a film!"

So many people seem to have no idea of this horrible disaster and so by creating the film, it is therefore educating them. Of course, it can be argued that it is because it has been made into a film that people only associate it with fictional Hollywood. But that says more about the education system than the film industry.

I think it is important for people to know about history. It is our history that has created who we are today. It should not be forgotten, or not even told. At least if people are making films about it, it is forcing people to think about and remember the past.

Another example of this is war films and particularly War Horse. Once again, there have been so many comments about how 'unrealistic' it is. "Why would you make a film just about some horse when all these people lost their lives in the war?" Well that is exactly it. We know so much about all the soldiers who battled because we have been told as such. We have been taught about the events, read about them, watched them. But no one ever tells the story of the horses. This isn't fictional. The events that play out in the film are based on real accounts, of real horses. Somewhere in the war, no doubt a Joey existed. All these horses existed. They were put through the war to protect our country along with the soldiers, but this is the first film that has told their story. It is not any more or any less than the soldiers stories. They are all as heroic and deserve to be remembered.

It has educated people. Before the book/film, I will admit that I had no idea about how horses had been used within the war. It opened my eyes, just the same as it did to many others. I don't see how that can be a bad thing. And although it is a way of making money, that money is helping to keep our film industry going. 

I believe that history is extremely important in our world. The events of the past have shaped our future and it is something we always need to remember. The people (and animals) who went through these awful disasters deserve to be remembered. Mistakes must be learned from as it is the only way forward. And as much as these films are a way of making some cash, they help to do this. They educate and they keep history alive.