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Comment by saycheese | Hacker News Reader

Thanks, though I have no idea what the "Fargo treasure" is, so I'm not able to comment on it.

Do you have links to it, proof it's fake, the related death, etc.?

(Attempted to Google "Fargo treasure" but it appeared there were a number of different Fargo treasures.)

EDIT: Link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/kumiko-the-treasure-hunter/t...

Yes, I would hope it's obvious that a fictional treasure is not real. Difference between your example and mine is the source is claiming it's real, aware people are dying, and spending money to help look for missing people.

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Fargo the movie. Which in my opinion should not have said "this is a true story" in the movie or TV series. It's sort of "cheating" and uncool when credits in a movie state something as fact - which they know people will read as fact, but is actually made up.

Fargo is based on a true story: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_56de2c53e4b0ffe6f8ea78c4

Uh, no, it's not. Did you read the link you posted? Two minor details from two separate cases were (allegedly) kind of related. Everything else was made up.

"Based on a true story" is not the same thing as a documentary; it's assumed that aparts of the story are not real; how much is made up is up to the writer, not the reader.

Not sure what you point is. Fargo says "This is a true story".

It adds that apart from the name changes "the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

A blatant lie, not at all in the manner of "based on a true story".

Fargo's credits state:

"The persons and events portrayed in this production are fictitious."

Every single modern movie has that lawyer-require statement just in case they get sued.

No, real (by intent and marketing, not necessarily truthfulness) documentaries (which are modern movies) do not.

Movies that are actually intended as works of fiction (even if inspired by real events, and even if—well, given the purpose, especially if—including some characters retaining the names of those in the real events doing some of the things they actually did) have it.

Still not sure what your point is. You seem stuck.

Nobody reads the tiny print in end credits. Viewers were told in opening credits that every detail except the names was true.

Someone went looking for the buried money and got themselves killed as a direct result of the statement in the opening credits.

"Based on a true story" is one of those film-marketing buzzphrases that means almost nothing. If the initial inspiration for the story is a true story, even if it bears little resemblance to the final product, it is "based on a true story". See also: Subway's "made with 100% chicken"

Many horror movies do the same thing nowadays, probably because it makes it more engaging for the audience?

It's especially funny when the story involves poltergeists or other paranormal elements. At least Fargo could plausibly have actually happened.

To be fair I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a movie/series state the literal "this is a true story", it's usually more along the lines of "based on a true story" to excuse their creative liberties.

I suspect he's referring to the scene in the movie Fargo where a character buries some cash in the snow. I haven't seen the movie in a while, and couldn't find a clip of where the money came into the character's possession.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/kumiko-the-treasure-hunter/t...

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