History Main / RoseTintedNarrative

* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' does this for UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan, with the interesting workaround that it takes place in TheFuture where the protagonists must fight against hostile aliens because no decent person could ever do a rose-tinted narative about the ''actual'' [[MoralEventHorizon WWII-era Japan]]. Co-creator Creator/LeijiMatsumoto is admittedly heavily influenced by the 19th century Romantic writers & artists.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film]]

The Romantic movement of the 19th century was a style of art that stirred the emotions, like sadness, joy and nostalgia. Later, some people used that style to depict things they favored in an idealized manner, even if such things were already seen as positive.

This trope can be applied to people, places, historical events, ideologies or anything else. Although only occasionally accurate to the facts, they can still make for great stories.

Note that this isn't about just trying to make something look good, or make it look exciting. It's about stirring the emotions, not just pumping the adrenaline.

May lead to ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything if part of the romanticizing requires the people to not do the evil parts of the job.

This trope can be applied to people, places, historical events, ideologies or anything else. Although only occasionally accurate to the facts, they can still make for great stories. If taken too far, though, they can make their subjects into a MarySuetopia.

This trope can be applied to people, places, historical events, ideologies or anything else. Although only occasionally accurate to the facts, they can still make for great stories. If taken too far, though, they can make their subjects into {{Mary Sue}}s or {{Mary Suetopia}}s.

* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' does this for UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan, with the interesting workaround that it takes place in TheFuture where the protagonists must fight against hostile aliens, because no decent person could ever do a rose-tinted narative about the ''actual'' [[MoralEventHorizon WWII-era Japan]]. Co-creator Creator/LeijiMatsumoto is admittedly heavily influenced by the 19th century Romantic writers & artists.

* ''Film/ThreeHundred'': the Spartans are [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade beatified]] as ultimate badasses and the Persians are [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade vilified]] as subhuman monsters, because the story is told by a Spartan as morale booster to his army. [[WordOfGod Word of]] [[Creator/FrankMiller God]] is that a lot of that is in-universe propaganda, due to the UnreliableNarrator. In other words, the rose tinting is happening ''in-universe''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse: The New Adventures'', "Mouse from Another House"[[note]]Which gives this version of Mighty Mouse a Franchise/{{Superman}}-like [[OriginsEpisode origin]] [[SuperheroOrigin story]].[[/note]] was also meant to deconstruct this trope, but John (who had previously worked on this show) and others who were involved felt that it had been lost on the viewers, since the director [[PoesLaw misinterpreted the story as a straight pathos tale instead of a satire of one]], and played it as such..

%%* In Creator/RudyardKipling's "Literature/TheThreeDecker",

* ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'': romanticizes the antebellum United States South. Due to [[EnforcedTrope many people in the South not being that far removed from the War or Reconstruction]]).

* Deconstructed in the infamous ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy]]'' episode [[Recap/RenandStimpy2x07SonofStimpy Son of Stimpy]], as a means of indirectly criticizing Hollywood productions that creator Creator/JohnKricfalusi feels rely more on this trope (and others), and less on the actors' acting and the interactions of the characters. He intentionally wrote the episode the way he did in order to prove the point that it wasn't that difficult to stir the viewers' emotions by using certain theatrical and music tricks in a story[[note]]Or even an entire production as a whole.[[/note]] that (he feels) has no real substance.[[note]]"And [he] didn't have to [[Disney/{{Bambi}} shoot anyone's mother]], either." He also cites ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' as another film that he feels relies more on "fake pathos" and less on the interactions between the characters.[[/note]] The article in question has all of the "stinky" details.[[note]]i.e., to the point where "stinky" is...uh, an important plot point. Be warned, this episode really is that stupid. Again, however, this was intentional, so that he could prove the previously mentioned point.[[/note]]

* Deconstructed in the infamous ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy]]'' episode [[Recap/RenandStimpy2x07SonofStimpy Son of Stimpy]], as a means of indirectly criticizing Hollywood productions that creator Creator/JohnKricfalusi feels rely more on this trope (and others), and less on the actors' acting and the interactions of the characters. He intentionally wrote the episode the way he did in order to prove the point that it wasn't that difficult to stir the viewers' emotions by using certain theatrical and music tricks in a story[[note]]Or even an entire production as a whole.[[/note]] that (he feels) has no real substance.[[note]]"And [he] didn't have to [[Disney/{{Bambi}} shoot anyone's mother]], either." He also cites ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' as another film that he feels relies more on "fake pathos" and less on the interactions between the characters.[[/note]] The article in question has all of the "stinky" details.[[note]]i.e., to the point where "stinky" is...uh, an important plot point. Be warned, this episode really is that stupid. Again, however, this was intentional, so that he could prove the previously mentioned point.[[/note]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse: The New Adventures'', "Mouse from Another House"[[note]]Which gives this version of Mighty Mouse a Franchise/{{Superman}}-like [[OriginsEpisode origin]] [[SuperheroOrigin story]].[[/note]] was also meant to deconstruct this trope, but John (who had previously worked on this show) and others who were involved felt that it had been lost on the viewers.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse: The New Adventures'', "Mouse from Another House"[[note]]Which gives this version of Mighty Mouse a Franchise/{{Superman}}-like [[OriginEpisode origin story]].[[/note]] was also meant to deconstruct this trope, but John (who had previously worked on this show) and others who were involved felt that it had been lost on the viewers.

-->- '''"Rose Tint My World"''', ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''

* ''SpaceBattleshipYamato'' does this for ImperialJapan, with the interesting workaround that it takes place in TheFuture where the protagonists must fight against hostile aliens, because no decent person could ever do a rose-tinted narative about the ''actual'' [[MoralEventHorizon WWII-era Japan]]. Co-creator Creator/LeijiMatsumoto is admittedly heavily influenced by the 19th century Romantic writers & artists.

* ''ThreeHundred'': the Spartans are [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade beatified]] as ultimate badasses and the Persians are [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade vilified]] as subhuman monsters, because the story is told by a Spartan as morale booster to his army. [[WordOfGod Word of]] [[Creator/FrankMiller God]] is that a lot of that is in-universe propaganda, due to the UnreliableNarrator. In other words, the rose tinting is happening ''in-universe''.

%%* Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were accused of doing this with ''{{Evita}}''.

* ''ThreeHundred'': the Spartans are [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade beatified]] as ultimate badasses and the Persians are [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade vilified]] as subhuman monsters, because the story is told by a Spartan as morale booster to his army. [[WordOfGod Word of]] [[FrankMiller God]] is that a lot of that is in-universe propaganda, due to the UnreliableNarrator. In other words, the rose tinting is happening ''in-universe''.

* ''GoneWithTheWind'': romanticizes the antebellum United States South. Due to [[EnforcedTrope many people in the South not being that far removed from the War or Reconstruction]]).
* MarkTwain's ''TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'', and, to an even greater extent, ''Adventures of Huck Finn'', are the work of an author trying to reconcile his nostalgia for the old South with his knowledge that slavery is bad.

The Romantic movement of the 19th century was a style of art that stirred the emotions, like sadness, joy and nostalgia. Later, some people used that style to put things they favor in an idealized manner, even if such things were already seen as positive.

The subjects of these works could be people, places, events, ideologies or other things. Although these are only occasionally accurate to the facts, they can still make for great stories. If taken too far, on the other hand, they can make their subjects into {{Mary Sue}}s or {{Mary Suetopia}}s.

* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'', portraying William Wallace and the Scots as strong [[CloserToEarth earthly]] [[NobleSavage noble]] types, and the English as monsters who all have perms.

** ''{{Goodfellas}}'' and ''{{Casino}}'' could be {{deconstruction}}s of this kind of portrayal.
** For that matter, ''Godfather Part II'' was a pretty thorough {{deconstruction}} of the notion of Mafioso-as-hero. [[spoiler: Vito never chose to be a gangster, but was forced into it and never wanted his sons to follow him. Michael's criminal actions cost him his family. At the end of the first movie it's possible to see Michael Corleone as a hero: by the end of the second he's merely a ''[[IncrediblyLamePun coglione]]''.]]
* ''ThreeHundred'',in which the Spartans were [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade beatified]] as ultimate badasses and the Persians were [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade vilified]] as subhuman monsters.
** [[WordOfGod Word of]] [[FrankMiller God]] is that a lot of that is in-universe propaganda, due to the UnreliableNarrator.
** There's also the pederasty and slavery : the latter is not mentioned at all, and the Spartans ''mock'' the Athenians for their practice of pederasty, which existed in Sparta at the time as well.

* ''GoneWithTheWind'', especially the film, romanticizes the antebellum United States South. For that matter, just about every form of media regarding that era made in the South, due to [[EnforcedTrope many people in the South not being that far removed from the War or Reconstruction]]).
** MarkTwain's ''TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'', and, to an even greater extent, ''Adventures of Huck Finn'', are the work of an author trying to reconcile his nostalgia for the old South with his knowledge that slavery is bad.
** ''Literature/ARoseForEmily'' is a particularly disturbing allegorical {{Deconstruction}} of this trope being applied to the antebellum southern US.
* In Creator/RudyardKipling's "Literature/TheThreeDecker", this is part of his description of the three-volume novel.

[[folder:Theater]]
* Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were accused of doing this with ''{{Evita}}''. And they were bashed by certain political sectors in Argentina for not doing it enough.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The documentary ''The Revolution Will Not Be Televised'' portrayed Hugo Chavez as a martyr during his near-ousting.
[[/folder]]

-->- '''[[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow The Rocky Horror Show]]'''

* ''SpaceBattleshipYamato'' does this for ImperialJapan, with the interesting workaround that it takes place in TheFuture where the protagonists must fight against hostile aliens, because no decent person could ever do a rose-tinted narative about the ''actual'' [[MoralEventHorizon WWII-era Japan]]. Co-creator LeijiMatsumoto is admittedly heavily influenced by the 19th century Romantic writers & artists.

* ''ThreeHundred''. Notably, the way in which the Spartans were [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade beatified]] as ultimate badasses and the Persians were [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade vilified]] as subhuman monsters had some [[UnfortunateImplications deeply racist undertones]], given the current tension between the West and the Middle East.

-->- '''TheRockyHorrorShow'''

** ''ARoseForEmily'' is a particularly disturbing allegorical {{Deconstruction}} of this trope being applied to the antebellum southern US.

* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'', portraying William Wallace and the Scots as strong [[CloserToEarth earthly]] [[NobleSavage noble]] types, and the English as {{complete monster}}s who all have perms.

* ''{{Braveheart}}'', portraying William Wallace and the Scots as strong [[CloserToEarth earthly]] [[NobleSavage noble]] types, and the English as {{complete monster}}s who all have perms.

->''"Rose tint my world. Keep me safe from my trouble and pain."''

* In RudyardKipling's "Literature/TheThreeDecker", this is part of his description of the three-volume novel.