Selected notablefilms à clef

• 8½ (1963) is based onFederico Fellini's experience suffering from "director's block".^[3]
• 8 Mile (2002) is inspired by the life ofEminem.
• 21 (2008)
• Adaptation (2002); while parts of the film are adapted fromSusan Orlean's non-fiction bookThe Orchid Thief, most of the film is a heavily fictionalized account ofCharlie Kaufman's difficulty in adapting the book into a screenplay.
• All Good Things (2010) is inspired by the life ofRobert Durst.
• All the King's Men (1949), is based on the life ofHuey Long.^[4]
• All That Jazz (1979), a musical film by Bob Fosse loosely based on his struggle with life and health during post production of his 1974 filmLenny and his 1975 Broadway musicalChicago.^[5]
• Almost Famous (2000), is based on writer, directorCameron Crowe's experience as a teenaged writer forRolling Stone magazine.
• Alpha Dog (2006), based on the story ofJesse James Hollywood and themurder of Nicholas Markowitz.
• Annie Hall (1977), believed to be a version ofWoody Allen's own relationship withDiane Keaton (whose birth name is Diane Hall). Allen has denied this in interviews, however.
• The Birth of a Nation (1915), Austin Stoneman is based onThaddeus Stevens.
• The Carpetbaggers (1964),^[1] based on the book byHarold Robbins, whose main character, Jonas Cord, is influenced byHoward Hughes
• Casino (1995) is based onFrank Rosenthal and theStardust casino.^[4]
• Citizen Kane (1941), is partially based on the life ofWilliam Randolph Hearst.^[1]
• A Cock and Bull Story (2005)^[6]
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006) is based onVogue magazine editorAnna Wintour.
• Diva (1981) is based on the early European career of sopranoJessye Norman.
• Dreamgirls (2006), themusical film based on the career ofThe Supremes.
• The Celebration (1998) was based on an alleged real-life story that directorThomas Vinterberg heard on Danish radio.
• The Fabelmans (2022), loosely based onSteven Spielberg's adolescence and first years as a filmmaker.^[7]
• The Five Heartbeats (1991) inspired loosely by the lives ofThe Temptations,The Dells,The Four Tops,Wilson Pickett,James Brown,Sam Cooke,Frankie Lymon and others.^[8]
• The Ghost (2010), based onTony Blair,2003 invasion of Iraq, thewar on terror, thespecial relationship andWMD scandals.
• The Goddess^[1] (1958) said to be based onMarilyn Monroe.
• The Greek Tycoon (1978),^[1] influenced byAristotle Onassis.
• The Great Dictator (1940), Adenoid Hynkel is based onAdolf Hitler.
• The Mechanism (TV series): about Brazilian political corruption.
• Guru (2007), based on the rise and business practices ofDhirubhai Ambani.
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)^[9]
• I'm Not There (2007), a series of stories loosely inspired by the life ofBob Dylan. While some segments are more literal interpretations of parts of Dylan's life (such as the segment featuringCate Blanchett), others are heavily fictionalized accounts inspired by Dylan's music (such as the segment featuringRichard Gere).
• Imitation of Life (1934)^[1]
• Iruvar (1997), Tamil movie based on true events surrounding the tenuous friendship and later intense political rivalry betweenKarunanidhi andM.G. Ramachandran.
• Last Days (2005), a barely concealed dramatization ofKurt Cobain's final days.^[4]
• The Last Samurai (2003), inspired by the 1876Satsuma Rebellion and also on the story ofJules Brunet, a French army captain who fought in theBoshin War.
• The Last Tycoon (1976)^[1][4]
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), which features a protagonist based loosely onJacques-Yves Cousteau.^[10]
• Lost in Translation (2003); Charlotte and John are believed to be based loosely on writer-directorSofia Coppola and her ex-husband,Spike Jonze.
• Magnolia (1999), is loosely inspired byPaul Thomas Anderson's experience in dealing with his father's death from cancer.
• Mr. Arkadin (1955)
• Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Henri Verdoux is based onHenri Désiré Landru.
• Network (1976)^[1]
• The Power and the Glory (1933) is loosely based on the life ofC.W. Post.
• Primary Colors (1998) is a thinly veiled depiction ofBill Clinton's1992 presidential campaign.^[11]
• The killers inPsycho (1960),The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), andThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) are all modeled closely afterEd Gein, who murdered two women, robbed many graves, and made clothing and furniture out of human skin and bones.
• The killers inRope (1948),Compulsion (1959),Scream (1996),Funny Games (1997 and 2008), andMurder by Numbers (2002) are all believed to be based on infamous kidnapper-murderer duoLeopold and Loeb, who attempted to commit theperfect crime after learning ofFriedrich Nietzsche'sUbermensch Theory.^[12][13][14]
• Saving Private Ryan (1998), based loosely on theNiland brothers.
• Scarface (1932), is largely based on the life ofAl Capone.
• The Sea Hawk (1940), Geoffrey Thorpe is based onSir Francis Drake.
• The Shootist (1976)
• A Star Is Born (1937)^[15][16]
• Stillwater (2021) is based on the experiences of Curt andAmanda Knox, although the film hinges on the prosecution's disproven version of theincident.
• Sunset Boulevard (1950)^[1]
• Sweet Smell of Success (1957) is based on the life ofWalter Winchell.^[4]
• Talk Radio (1988)^[17]
• Velvet Goldmine (1998) is largely based on the career ofDavid Bowie.
• White Hunter Black Heart (1990)^[18] based on film directorJohn Huston
• Withnail & I (1987) is based on the experiences of writer/directorBruce Robinson, represented in the film by "I" (Paul McGann), and his friendVivian MacKerrell, represented in the film by Withnail (Richard E. Grant), as struggling actors living inCamden Town in the late 1960s. The character of Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) is based on Italian film directorFranco Zeffirelli, who Robinson claims made amorous advances during the filming ofRomeo and Juliet.
• Z (1969) is a thinly veiled account of the events surrounding the 1963 assassination of Greek politicianGrigoris Lambrakis, which was part of the series of events that led to the country's1967 military coup.

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading