The cinema has considerable power in shaping our perceptions of the past. History's most momentous events or greatest figures are inextricably bound up with their presentation on film. What is the relationship between audience, film producer, actor and historical figure or event? How does film affect popular understanding of history? This text attempts to answer these and other questions, examining the relationship between film and the historical record, comprising essays on films as diverse as Gandhi, Malcolm X, Dr. Strangelove, Jurassic Park, Houdini, Bonnie and Clyde and Julius Caesar. It is illustrated with photographs from many periods of cinema. The writers include Gore Vidal, Simon Schama, Antonia Fraser, Stephen Jay Gould and Stephen Ambrose.