GREG my friend, I certainly wasn't trying to stifle conversation and I really couldn't agree with you more. Books or movies, it seems to be gaining in popularity to not only distort the truth, but completely dismember it and throw it in a vat of acid. Though this has always happened to some degree, in the past it seemed that books especially might just "embellish" a few facts to improve the tale, but more and more the program seems to be revisionism. And in the movies, its even worse at times.

The Hunley story was worthy of the telling as close to the known facts as possible and would have been very exciting. An awful lot of th War Between the States stuff is incredibly glamorized or just plain, outright lies and fabrications. In the case of the Bishop movie I mentioned above (and that I can't remember the title of), he was completely trashed! Do you find Pat Sky's line going through your head?---"Reality is bad enough, Why should I tell the truth?"

McGrath, I think you have a point in a way. Maybe its just me, but I have seen several excellent British documentaries on American subjects and been impressed that we HERE have never done the subject as well. One comes to mind immediately because the Hollywood piece was excellent and as close as I suppose they can get to the truth (so its probably not the best example). The movie "Ghosts of Mississippi" tells the tale of the final conviction of Byron Beckwith for the murder of Medgar Evers. Though the movie gets lost in the family problems of the DA, it does at least portray history accurately and James Woods as Beckwith is superb. But I saw a British documentary that was far more compelling and accurate as it traced the parallel lives of the two principals, Beckwith and Evers. But again, I guess we Americans as a group seem to need a love interest or something.

We have an odd way of seeming to need some subplot in everything though. Even comedy. The Marx brothers were wonderful in "A Night at the Opera" and its generally conceded to be a great comedy thanks to Irving Thalberg and his commitment to having a plot since the public wouldn't buy just zaniness. I think he was wrong, at least for some of us. Most Marx fans prefer "Monkey Business" or "Animal Crackers" which had paper thin plots and unrestricted wackiness.

Oh well, what do I know? We all want it our way anyhow and are willing to bitch at length (like this) when we don't like it.

Hey Greg, that's another Ambrose definition.

EGOTIST n, A person of low taste who thinks more of himself than of me.

Spaw