In this article, Seán Lang examines the power of film to shape AS/A students’ perception and even understanding of the past. He argues that teachers of Years 12 and 13 underestimate at their peril the impact film can have on how students shape their perception of history. Although, as he observes, films can play fast and loose with historical accuracy - and lest we forget, he reminds us of some gems of historical make-believe - we should resist the temptation to reject what they have to offer our students on those grounds. After all, they can offer a powerful means to examine and evaluate differing interpretations of the past. Seán Lang invites us to use these sources with open eyes, and he suggests ways in which the 20th century’s most powerful medium can be used to enhance our students’ understanding of the past it examines.