Biography distortion

Is it ever appropriate for a director or author to distort the facts of someone's life in a biographical work?

I feel that there is a time and a place for everything. In this case, I think that there are appropriate instances in where an author or director can distort the facts of a persons life. Movies are the prime example of this appropriate setting. The main goal of movies is to entertain the masses, create a fan base for certain actors, and to make money. When documenting the events of a persons life, some things may be altered to show an emotion, or to shed light to an important subject related to the persons life. A director may want to reveal a different side of a person, or may want to depict them as someone the public doesn't really know or understand. A biographical movie has the ability to introduce a new person to the public, but as a movie, has the right to change events, or names of people, to create a certain image. Movies are not concerned with sticking to the exact story of a person's life, but do have the responsibility make sure important facts are not changed, like their profession. Ultimately, the movie should get across the broader aspects of a person life, and should be allowed to alter some events to create a more exciting story.

When dealing with a biographical book, I believe that there are no instances in where details of a person's life should be altered. Biographies are geared at getting truthful and factual information about a person, and skewed or wrong information would defeat the purpose of a biography. If there is speculation about events or relationships related to the person, then it is the author's responsibility to the public to reveal that information dealing with the event is not known completely. It is impossible to know everything about a person, especially if you do not know the person personally, or if they are an important person in history. But obviously there are ways to document a person's life without altering or distorting the facts of their life. Biographies have been written for many years and when information is wrong, that author is criticized for it, because it is wrong to lie to the public.

The author's main objective when writing a biography should be to document all the events of a person's life correctly, trying their best not to give the public wrong or incomplete information. The director of a movie has more elbow room to get his/her creative message across. Although they may be documenting a person's life on screen, they have, and will continue to distort facts to achieve their goal of entertaining the public. In conclusion, I believe that movies are the appropriate places where the facts of a person's life can be altered, but biographical novels are not. They should always have the public's best interests in mind, and should aim at giving the most up to date and truthful information possible.