Top 10 Movie Mistakes Only a Historian Would Notice
#10: Inaccurate Warfare
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“Braveheart” (1995) Believe or not, Mel Gibson’s poor attempt at a Scottish accent wasn’t the only thing about “Braveheart” that upset war historians. One of the main issues involved the historical Battle of Stirling Bridge. “Braveheart” managed to leave out the bridge part of one of the most notorious battles in Scottish history. During the conflict, William Wallace and Andrew Moray strategically placed themselves in a way that obliged British forces to cross a bridge. After the bridge was bottlenecked with soldiers, it collapsed and resulted in victory for the Scots. “Braveheart” featured the battle in a field without a bridge or tactical advantage in sight. To add historical insult to injury, the blue face paint and tartan kilts also wouldn’t have been worn at that time.
#9: Wrong Fruit
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“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) You’d have to really know your produce to spot this one. Though the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series isn’t the pinnacle of historical truths, there are some minor details that could have been more accurate. For example, we see fruit in the film a number of times, namely Granny Smith apples. But the films are supposed to take place in the 1700s. Granny Smith apples were first discovered and cultivated as a hybrid by Maria Ann Smith in late 1860s Australia. This means we see pirates eating apples that won’t exist for over a century. Who knew the cursed pirate gold wouldn’t be the most far-fetched aspect of this fantasy franchise?
#8: The Escape
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“The Sound of Music” (1965) The final scene of this classic scene sees the Von Trapps escape Salzburg, Austria by heading into the Alps as they’re accompanied with the song “Climb Every Mountain”. However, in the true account of the Von Trapps’ escape, there were no mountains. In fact, they only had to cross the railroad tracks. The family would have actually been in Nazi Germany territory if they took a mountain route. Maria Von Trapp actually pointed this out in real life after viewing the film for the first time. As Salzburg does not border Switzerland, she had reasonable complaints about Hollywood’s geography. We guess crossing railroad tracks just isn’t as sensational as hiking the Alps.
#7: Electric Chair
“The Green Mile” (1999) “The Green Mile” is a film that is widely acclaimed and remembered. However, people may have forgotten about a glaring inaccuracy in the movie. The film’s most tragic scene involves the use of an electric chair. The device itself was used within the movie’s Louisiana prison in 1935. However, the chair wasn’t used as capital punishment in the state until 1941. Executions were also carried out at the courthouse, and not the prison itself until 1957. Considering this scene is so pivotal to the movie, it’s surprising that no one pointed these flaws out. The fantastical and tragic nature of the plot probably distracted people from these factual errors.
#6: Wrong Tools
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“10,000 B.C.” (2008) This film is greatly flawed, highly inaccurate, and takes incredible liberties with history. One issue historians were quick to point out was the use of metal tools. The film takes place between the paleolithic and mesolithic period. During that era, metal tools just plain didn’t exist. Sapiens would’ve used smaller stone tools, and wood or bone arrows and spears. It would take them until the late-mesolithic and early Bronze Age to refine and polish these implements. The film also features certain animals, like carnivorous birds, that were long extinct by that time. And those pyramids you see in the film? Yeah, those are about 8000 years early. All in all, We wouldn’t recommend using “10,000” B.C.” as a resource for any school papers.
#5: Costume Faux-Pas
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“Marie Antoinette” (2006) “Marie Antionette” is a highly stylized movie that took some creative freedoms that may irk fashion historians. Firstly, there’s a heavy use of pastel colors for the film’s costuming as a whole. While such styles were available at the time, bright, vibrant colours were far more fashionable in that era. The dress Marie wears to the masked ball is actually accurate in color. However, its sheer sleeves and tulle overload make it an inaccurate style for the time. Ultimately, footwear contributed to the biggest blunder. A pair of Converse shoes can also be spotted in the film. Apparently the director did it deliberately for the fun of it. While some audience members may have liked that choice, the sneakers may have driven historians crazy.
#4: Misinterpreting the “Heroes” & “Villains”
“300” (2006) Anyone familiar with Greek history could’ve spotted a few inaccuracies in the “300” trailer alone. Although we all enjoyed Gerard Butler’s abs, Spartans wore more clothing and armor than the movie would have you believe. But that was far from the most offensive inaccuracy. In the film, the Persians are shown to be owning slaves. They took extreme liberties with how they portrayed Xerxes. However, was he mischaracterized and slavery was not a widespread practice for the Persians. Ironically, the Spartans were actually the ones who had a serving class known as Helots. Granted, we weren’t exactly expecting the film to be totally correct, these major factual inaccuracies may change the way you see the heroes and villains on your next rewatch.
#3: Wrong Accent
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“Mary Queen of Scots” (2019) A few of the move’s smaller historical liberties slipped under people’s radars. But one thing that didn’t go unnoticed by historians was Mary’s accent. Though she was ultimately known as the Queen of Scots, she spent the majority of her childhood in France. Mary also married the Dauphin of France, becoming queen consort from 1558-1560. She then returned to Scotland, but only at the age of 18. It is thus far more reasonable to assume that Mary Stuart actually spoke with a French accent. The heavy Scottish accent portrayed in the film just wouldn’t make sense when the actual history is considered.
#2: The “Unsinkable” Titanic
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“Titanic” (1997) There are a number of historical issues in “Titanic”, some of which you may have heard of by now. However, a glaring question that has been debated amongst history enthusiasts is whether or not the ship was advertised as “unsinkable” prior to its maiden voyage. Ads for the maiden voyage chiefly focussed on luxury and accommodations, aimed at wealthy potential travellers. Though it may have been discussed amongst industrial circles as unsinkable, the idea wasn’t truly public and widespread until after the ship met its demise. It was truly considered state-of-the-art engineering. However, wealthy socialites would likely not have cared for such technical details. For the film’s purposes, however, the oft-repeated term serves to heighten the drama and irony of the disaster.
#1: The Queen & The Bubonic Plague
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“Shakespeare in Love” (1998) While “Shakespeare in Love” may have won an Oscar for Best Picture, it couldn’t take home a grand prize for accuracy. The movie aimed to chronicle the playwright's struggles with theatre and romance and started in 1593. However, playhouses were closed then due to a plague outbreak and other major social issues. But an open theatre wouldn’t have changed another major plot point. Queen Elizabeth I appears in person to take in a play. However, since actors commonly traveled to her court, the idea of her going to a playhouse is wrong. The queen’s presence and societal problems are only a couple of the film’s inaccuracies. “Shakespeare In Love” may have wooed the academy, but it’s unlikely to charm anyone who knows their history.
