Truman is a 1995 American Biographical Drama Made-for-TV Movie directed by Frank Pierson that follows Harry S. Truman's (Gary Sinise) rise to the presidency and his decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan.
The movie also stars Diana Scarwid, Richard Dysart, Colm Feore, James Gammon, Tony Goldwyn, Pat Hingle, Harris Yulin, Leo Burmester, Amelia Campbell, Virginia Capers, John Finn, and Željko Ivanek.
It premiered on HBO on September 9, 1995.
Tropes for the film:
- Alliterative Name: Clark Clifford.
- Artistic License – History: The movie has a number of inaccuracies:
- When confronted on whether to drop the atom bomb in order to end World War II, Truman believes that he must go forward with it in order to save millions of lives. While this was certainly one of the pros of the bombings, and Truman would later take credit for saving lives, in actuality Truman was convinced by his advisors that dropping the bomb would display American superiority over the Soviet Union, an idea which was representative of the nascent Cold War tensions between the two powers.
- In the movie, Truman is shown to racially integrating the military in around late 1945 or 1946. In reality, Truman did not sign Executive Order 9981, which de-segregated the armed forces, until July 1948.
- In a conversation with Truman, General Douglas MacArthur claims that he defeated the Japanese "alone" in the Eastern Theatre of World War II. In reality, the United States was not the sole Allied force fighting the Japanese; the Australians, Chinese, Dutch, and various colonial guerilla forces all played substantial roles in deterring Japanese expansion in the Far East and Pacific, with the eight year long Second Sino-Japanese War being the second-bloodiest front in World War II. This case could be somewhat justified in that the movie is being told from Truman's perspective, and given that Truman had a personal grudge against MacArthur, it would make sense for the general to be portrayed in the movie as annoyingly arrogant.
- At the end of the movie, Harry and Bess Truman are seen boarding a train at Washington's Union Station after leaving the White House, while crowds cheer them on. In reality, Truman left Washington after his presidency in a rather humble and anti-climactic manner; he simply got in his car and drove all the way back to his home in Missouri.
- Character Title: Truman.
- The Film of the Book: Based on David McCullough's 1992 book of the same name.
- Historical Domain Character:
- Truman, the 33rd President of the United States.
- Bess Truman, Harry Truman's wife.
- One-Word Title: Truman.
- Tagline: "Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning book".
