Pansette Film Analysis
Far too often, history is viewed as a large web of events woven together by a small number of important individuals who made some sort impact during their short time on earth. This incorrect view of history has been perpetrated throughout the years due to many historians failing to expand their historical horizons and look beyond what is strictly before them. The true story of us lies in the details. Beyond the major events of the past, beyond the well known figure heads, lie the stories of everyday individuals. Microhistory focuses on small, well-defined events that show how common individuals feel and interact. They intend to ask big questions in seemingly small places (Lecture 11/3). Through the use of courtroom documents, parish records,
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In the film, the trial of Pansette is a large, public affair. The townspeople are all transported to the trial and get to openly participate in the spectacle. Often, they went from standing on the sidelines listening intently to the goings on of the trial to being an active participant moments later. Even compared to today’s trials, this is outlandish and obviously embellished for the viewing pleasure of the audience. Davis describes the trial of Pansette in a way that was much more accurate for the time. Trials held during the Old Regime in France were private and terrifying. Unlike the charged energy seen in the movie’s courtroom, criminals were questioned one on one. The judges conducted their hearings this way in order to intimidate the accused into confessing. By portraying the trial as public, the film not only misrepresented an important historical feature of France, it also underscored the intelligence of Pansette. While it is easy to imagine that he could fool the judges with a handful of villagers singing his praises on the sidelines, it is much harder to picture Pansette singlehandedly misleading a room full of judges with just his wit and intelligence. In real life, he didn’t crack or slip up under pressure, he maintained his facade even when faced with the
In the film, the trial of Pansette is a large, public affair. The townspeople are all transported to the trial and get to openly participate in the spectacle. Often, they went from standing on the sidelines listening intently to the goings on of the trial to being an active participant moments later. Even compared to today’s trials, this is outlandish and obviously embellished for the viewing pleasure of the audience. Davis describes the trial of Pansette in a way that was much more accurate for the time. Trials held during the Old Regime in France were private and terrifying. Unlike the charged energy seen in the movie’s courtroom, criminals were questioned one on one. The judges conducted their hearings this way in order to intimidate the accused into confessing. By portraying the trial as public, the film not only misrepresented an important historical feature of France, it also underscored the intelligence of Pansette. While it is easy to imagine that he could fool the judges with a handful of villagers singing his praises on the sidelines, it is much harder to picture Pansette singlehandedly misleading a room full of judges with just his wit and intelligence. In real life, he didn’t crack or slip up under pressure, he maintained his facade even when faced with the