It depends, really. We actually studied this in history a while back.
Some historical movies are very educational, and most are to some extent. However, there are many aspects of historical films that make them inaccurate, and this can cause a lot of problem for people who think they're completely factual.
For instance, parts of the storyline may be changed from the actual recount for a number of different reasons, e.g.
- To keep the pace going smoothly
- The part may be altered to make it more appropriate
- Events may be exaggerated or added in (factual or fictional ones) to keep the audience interested.
Etc..
They are good for showing you the effects an event has had on many different people, and particularly on the main character, so we can see how they really felt as portrayed by the actors, as not everyone is good at empathising with those they do not know much about, or cannot imagine for themselves.
So, there you go, that's my view :3
