USFREEDOM911
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN
One of my favorite movies.
"We're all travelers in this world.
From the sweet grass to the packing house.
Birth 'til death.
We travel between the eternities."
The end credits seem to indicate that this movie is a true story.
Giving specifics about the characters... such as so and so married and their children still ranch in wyoming. While so and so got a degree in medicine, went to china to start a hospital, and disappeared in the revolution...
Are those correct and is this movie really based on true events? or is this one of those movies that makes up an epilogue to make it seem as if it is a true story?--Taltamir 05:59, 9 July 2007 (UTC)
The end credits do indeed give the impression that the movie portrays some actual, documented events. However, according to the Making of... extra on the DVDs, the movie is probably best-categorized as "historical fiction", much like some of James Mitchner's writing. The Broken Trail screenwriter called it "a collection of true stories", and Robert Duvall said that he heard of the legend of "Smallpox Bob" from his own grandfather. It would seem that the underlying elements were basically true, in that economic upheaval in China led to families selling children into slavery, a good portion of those children were brought to the US, and many of the girls and women were forced into prostitution/sexual slavery. At the same time, some men earned a living driving livestock across the western territories and states. Did the two mix as shown on screen?
Perhaps, although there doesn't seem to be any specific records to prove that. Of course, absence of proof is not proof of absence; proof merely differentiates a verifiable statement from a speculation that may or may not be true. In sum, Broken Trail probably depicts a reasonable estimation of the events and conditions of the time, and tells a story that, if not entirely true, is nevertheless truthful.
"We're all travelers in this world.
From the sweet grass to the packing house.
Birth 'til death.
We travel between the eternities."
The end credits seem to indicate that this movie is a true story.
Giving specifics about the characters... such as so and so married and their children still ranch in wyoming. While so and so got a degree in medicine, went to china to start a hospital, and disappeared in the revolution...
Are those correct and is this movie really based on true events? or is this one of those movies that makes up an epilogue to make it seem as if it is a true story?--Taltamir 05:59, 9 July 2007 (UTC)
The end credits do indeed give the impression that the movie portrays some actual, documented events. However, according to the Making of... extra on the DVDs, the movie is probably best-categorized as "historical fiction", much like some of James Mitchner's writing. The Broken Trail screenwriter called it "a collection of true stories", and Robert Duvall said that he heard of the legend of "Smallpox Bob" from his own grandfather. It would seem that the underlying elements were basically true, in that economic upheaval in China led to families selling children into slavery, a good portion of those children were brought to the US, and many of the girls and women were forced into prostitution/sexual slavery. At the same time, some men earned a living driving livestock across the western territories and states. Did the two mix as shown on screen?
Perhaps, although there doesn't seem to be any specific records to prove that. Of course, absence of proof is not proof of absence; proof merely differentiates a verifiable statement from a speculation that may or may not be true. In sum, Broken Trail probably depicts a reasonable estimation of the events and conditions of the time, and tells a story that, if not entirely true, is nevertheless truthful.
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