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Here's a fun subject.

Click here for the full article.

10) 10,000 B.C.

Director Roland Emmerich is usually a stickler for realism (see: sending a computer virus via Macintosh to aliens in Independence Day). So we hate to inform him that woolly mammoths were not, in fact, used to build pyramids. Heck, woolly mammoths weren't even found in the desert. They wouldn't need to be woolly if that were the case. And there weren't any pyramids in Egypt until 2,500 B.C or so.

9) Gladiator

Emperor Commodus was not the sniveling sister-obsessed creep portrayed in the movie. A violent alcoholic, sure, but not so whiny. He ruled ably for over a decade rather than ineptly for a couple months. He also didn't kill his father, Marcus Aurelius, who actually died of chickenpox. And instead of being killed in the gladiatorial arena, he was murdered in his bathtub.

8) 300

Though this paean to ancient moral codes and modern physical training is based on the real Battle of Thermopylae, the film takes many stylistic liberties. The most obvious one being Persian king Xerxes was not an 8-foot-tall Cirque du Soleil reject. The Spartan council was made up of men over the age of 60, with no one as young as Theron (played by 37-year-old Dominic West). And the warriors of Sparta went into battle wearing bronze armor, not just leather Speedos.

7) The Last Samurai

The Japanese in the late 19th century did hire foreign advisers to modernize their army, but they were mostly French, not American. Ken Watanabe's character was based on the real Saigo Takamori who committed ritual suicide, or "seppuku," in defeat rather than in a volley of Gatling gun fire. Also, it's doubtful that a 40-something alcoholic Civil War vet, even one with great hair, would master the chopsticks much less the samurai sword.

6) Apocalypto

This one movie has given entire Anthropology departments migraines. Sure the Maya did have the odd human sacrifice but not to Kulkulkan, the Sun God, and only high-ranking captives taken in battle were killed. The conquistadors arriving at the end of the film made for unlikely saviors: an estimated 90% of indigenous American population was killed by smallpox from their infected livestock.

5) Memoirs of a Geisha

The geisha coming-of-age, called "mizuage," was really more of a makeover, where she changed her hairstyle and clothes. It didn't involve her getting... intimate with a client. In the climactic scene where Sayuri wows Gion patrons with her dancing prowess, her routine - which involves some platform shoes, fake snow, and a strobe light - seems more like a Studio 54 drag show than anything in pre-war Kyoto.

4) Braveheart

Let's forget the fact that kilts weren't worn in Scotland until about 300 years after William Wallace's day and just do some simple math. According to the movie, Wallace's blue-eyed charm at the Battle of Falkirk was so overpowering, he seduced King Edward II's wife, Isabella of France, and the result of their affair was Edward III. But according to the history books, Isabella was three years old at the time of Falkirk, and Edward III was born seven years after Wallace died.

3) Elizabeth: The Golden Age

In 1585, when the movie takes place, Queen Elizabeth was 52 years old - Cate Blanchett was 36 when she shot the film - and was not being courted by suitors like Ivan the Terrible (who was dead by then). And though the movie has her rallying the troops at Tilbury astride a white steed in full armor with a sword, in fact she rode side saddle, carrying a baton. She was more of a regal majorette than Joan of Arc.

2) The Patriot

Revolutionary War figure Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion was the basis for Mel Gibson's character, but he wasn't the forward-thinking family man they show in the flick. He was a slave owner who didn't get married (to his cousin) until after the war was over. Historians also say that he actively persecuted and murdered native Cherokees. Plus, the thrilling Battle of Guilford Court House where he vanquishes his British nemesis? In reality, the Americans lost that one.

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey

According to this film, in year 2001 we would have had manned voyages to Jupiter, a battle of wits with a sentient computer, and a quantum leap in human evolution. Instead we got the Mir Space Station falling from the sky, Windows XP, and Freddy Got Fingered. Apparently the lesson here is that sometimes it's better when the movies get the facts all wrong.

Sound pretty accurate to me. Any comments?

Originally posted by Impediment
Here's a fun subject.

Click here for the full article.

10) 10,000 B.C.

Director Roland Emmerich is usually a stickler for realism (see: sending a computer virus via Macintosh to aliens in Independence Day). So we hate to inform him that woolly mammoths were not, in fact, used to build pyramids. Heck, woolly mammoths weren't even found in the desert. They wouldn't need to be woolly if that were the case. And there weren't any pyramids in Egypt until 2,500 B.C or so.

9) Gladiator

Emperor Commodus was not the sniveling sister-obsessed creep portrayed in the movie. A violent alcoholic, sure, but not so whiny. He ruled ably for over a decade rather than ineptly for a couple months. He also didn't kill his father, Marcus Aurelius, who actually died of chickenpox. And instead of being killed in the gladiatorial arena, he was murdered in his bathtub.

8) 300

Though this paean to ancient moral codes and modern physical training is based on the real Battle of Thermopylae, the film takes many stylistic liberties. The most obvious one being Persian king Xerxes was not an 8-foot-tall Cirque du Soleil reject. The Spartan council was made up of men over the age of 60, with no one as young as Theron (played by 37-year-old Dominic West). And the warriors of Sparta went into battle wearing bronze armor, not just leather Speedos.

7) The Last Samurai

The Japanese in the late 19th century did hire foreign advisers to modernize their army, but they were mostly French, not American. Ken Watanabe's character was based on the real Saigo Takamori who committed ritual suicide, or "seppuku," in defeat rather than in a volley of Gatling gun fire. Also, it's doubtful that a 40-something alcoholic Civil War vet, even one with great hair, would master the chopsticks much less the samurai sword.

6) Apocalypto

This one movie has given entire Anthropology departments migraines. Sure the Maya did have the odd human sacrifice but not to Kulkulkan, the Sun God, and only high-ranking captives taken in battle were killed. The conquistadors arriving at the end of the film made for unlikely saviors: an estimated 90% of indigenous American population was killed by smallpox from their infected livestock.

5) Memoirs of a Geisha

The geisha coming-of-age, called "mizuage," was really more of a makeover, where she changed her hairstyle and clothes. It didn't involve her getting... intimate with a client. In the climactic scene where Sayuri wows Gion patrons with her dancing prowess, her routine - which involves some platform shoes, fake snow, and a strobe light - seems more like a Studio 54 drag show than anything in pre-war Kyoto.

4) Braveheart

Let's forget the fact that kilts weren't worn in Scotland until about 300 years after William Wallace's day and just do some simple math. According to the movie, Wallace's blue-eyed charm at the Battle of Falkirk was so overpowering, he seduced King Edward II's wife, Isabella of France, and the result of their affair was Edward III. But according to the history books, Isabella was three years old at the time of Falkirk, and Edward III was born seven years after Wallace died.

3) Elizabeth: The Golden Age

In 1585, when the movie takes place, Queen Elizabeth was 52 years old - Cate Blanchett was 36 when she shot the film - and was not being courted by suitors like Ivan the Terrible (who was dead by then). And though the movie has her rallying the troops at Tilbury astride a white steed in full armor with a sword, in fact she rode side saddle, carrying a baton. She was more of a regal majorette than Joan of Arc.

2) The Patriot

Revolutionary War figure Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion was the basis for Mel Gibson's character, but he wasn't the forward-thinking family man they show in the flick. He was a slave owner who didn't get married (to his cousin) until after the war was over. Historians also say that he actively persecuted and murdered native Cherokees. Plus, the thrilling Battle of Guilford Court House where he vanquishes his British nemesis? In reality, the Americans lost that one.

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey

According to this film, in year 2001 we would have had manned voyages to Jupiter, a battle of wits with a sentient computer, and a quantum leap in human evolution. Instead we got the Mir Space Station falling from the sky, Windows XP, and Freddy Got Fingered. Apparently the lesson here is that sometimes it's better when the movies get the facts all wrong.

Sound pretty accurate to me. Any comments?

300 was based on miller's adaptation, not the actual history, so...

others seem right on the money, though...

screw accuracy, though, i want to be entertained. if i wanted facts, i'd watch the discovery channel...

Man, that list is all wrong.

Originally posted by Raoul
screw accuracy, though, i want to be entertained. if i wanted facts, i'd watch the discovery channel...

These days the Discovery channel is more like a Roland Emmerich movie than an actual ventue for watching anything akin to fact.

Originally posted by Devil King
These days the Discovery channel is more like a Roland Emmerich movie than an actual ventue for watching anything akin to fact.

i haven't watched discovery in about three years... good times, they were...

You might enjoy this site:

http://www.cracked.com/

cracked it awesome.

Originally posted by Impediment

....

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey

According to this film, in year 2001 we would have had manned voyages to Jupiter, a battle of wits with a sentient computer, and a quantum leap in human evolution. Instead we got the Mir Space Station falling from the sky, Windows XP, and Freddy Got Fingered. Apparently the lesson here is that sometimes it's better when the movies get the facts all wrong.

...

crylaugh

When I see how much time people put into going on about FICTIONAL movies like this, I just think Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Enjoy the movie.


If it's a non fiction film and all the research is wrong, then that's a different matter.

Originally posted by Impediment


8) 300

Though this paean to ancient moral codes and modern physical training is based on the real Battle of Thermopylae, the film takes many stylistic liberties. The most obvious one being Persian king Xerxes was not an 8-foot-tall Cirque du Soleil reject. The Spartan council was made up of men over the age of 60, with no one as young as Theron (played by 37-year-old Dominic West). And the warriors of Sparta went into battle wearing bronze armor, not just leather Speedos.



But a lack of the greek navy and a few thousand additional warriors gets a pass?

Originally posted by ragesRemorse
But a lack of the greek navy and a few thousand additional warriors gets a pass?

Not to mention that there was anything historically inaccurate about a huge Ogre and a few hundred persian-goblin-ninjas... oh yeah, and don't forget about the huge mutated rabid Rhinos.

i'll never understand why people keep complaining about the innaccuracies of 300...the whole point of the portrayal of the persians is a visual metaphor...the story is from the spartan viewpoint...the spartans viewed the persian forces as invading monsters....hence the film portrayed them physically as monsters....

nobody complains about the more subtle ways it is done...for example the giant red eyed wolf...when in reality it was probably just a normal wolf

10,000 B.C. should be number one.

Originally posted by jaden101
i'll never understand why people keep complaining about the innaccuracies of 300...the whole point of the portrayal of the persians is a visual metaphor...the story is from the spartan viewpoint...the spartans viewed the persian forces as invading monsters....hence the film portrayed them physically as monsters....

nobody complains about the more subtle ways it is done...for example the giant red eyed wolf...when in reality it was probably just a normal wolf

Well anybody who went to go see 300 and expected to see even a remotely historically accurate movie is an idiot in the first place.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
10,000 B.C. should be number one.

I'm pretty sure "1 Million Years BC" was worse.

I don't really think 10 000 BC or 2001 A Space Odyssey should be on that list at all. Nor 300 really.

Terminator should be on that list then skynet has'nt taken control of the planet

.

1915's The Birth of a Nation should be somewhere in the top five.

Originally posted by Blinky
Not to mention that there was anything historically inaccurate about a huge Ogre and a few hundred persian-goblin-ninjas... oh yeah, and don't forget about the huge mutated rabid Rhinos.

You serious?

I was under the impression that the patriots character was more or less based on Daniel Morgan..He seems the more likely anyway..

Originally posted by Impediment
9) Gladiator

Emperor Commodus was not the sniveling sister-obsessed creep portrayed in the movie. A violent alcoholic, sure, but not so whiny. He ruled ably for over a decade rather than ineptly for a couple months. He also didn't kill his father, Marcus Aurelius, who actually died of chickenpox. And instead of being killed in the gladiatorial arena, he was murdered in his bathtub.

Can one really die from the Chicken Pox? I never knew this.

Originally posted by Impediment
Can one really die from the Chicken Pox? I never knew this.

Chicken pox can be fatal, though it's extremely rare. I think they meant smallpox though, as that certainly is deadly and smallpox outbreaks happened several times in Rome's history.

I just looked it up.

Sources I saw said it is not known exactly what disease offed him.

Originally posted by Dark-Jaxx
I just looked it up.

Sources I saw said it is not known exactly what disease offed him.

There was a smallpox epidemic during the time of his death if I recall, so it's a likely cause. He could have died of old age just the same though.

Originally posted by Robtard
There was a smallpox epidemic during the time of his death if I recall, so it's a likely cause. He could have died of old age just the same though. Yeah Smallpox is most likely.

He was only 58 when he died, though at that time death from age may not have been uncommon, don't know.

Yeah. Smallpox is a more believable substitute.

Originally posted by Impediment
8) 300

Though this paean to ancient moral codes and modern physical training is based on the real Battle of Thermopylae, the film takes many stylistic liberties. The most obvious one being Persian king Xerxes was not an 8-foot-tall Cirque du Soleil reject. The Spartan council was made up of men over the age of 60, with no one as young as Theron (played by 37-year-old Dominic West). And the warriors of Sparta went into battle wearing bronze armor, not just leather Speedos. The fact that 300 was based off of a very stylized graphic novel, and that neither the novel nor the film claimed to be historically accurate, makes this guy lose points.

There are probably dozens of films that are more inaccurate than these 10, the author's just picking them because they're known commodities that he can make lame jokes about and (almost) everyone will get them.

Bump.

Any new thoughts anyone?

how about space cowboys when, at the end, they blast tommy lee jones off to the moon while riding a massive nuclear warhead platform at 30,000mph and despite him having no way to land he still manages to walk away from the crash and sit against a rock on the moon and look at the earth until he dies.

This is the Historical thread. Not the science thread.

bollocks...i knew i was doing it in the wrong one too...

I can't believe Pocahontas and Anastasia weren't on this list. Even "The New World," which is an improvement from Disney's Pocahontas took liberties. Also, since most archeologists believe the Trojan War did take place now, would Troy apply here?

'Troy' should be on that list because the Trojan War was supposed to have lasted years...not just a week or two.

Many Muslims believe that the movie 'Gandhi' was historically incorrect...but I don't know why.

Originally posted by Blinky
Well anybody who went to go see 300 and expected to see even a remotely historically accurate movie is an idiot in the first place.

Agreed.

How is Pathfinder not on this list?

There's an anachronism in Saving Private Ryan that's forgivable, but Spielberg and his entourage still should have spotted it. The phone in the Ryan family farmhouse had a coiled cord instead of a straight one. Coiled phone-cords weren't invented until the 50's.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
There's an anachronism in Saving Private Ryan that's forgivable, but Spielberg and his entourage still should have spotted it. The phone in the Ryan family farmhouse had a coiled cord instead of a straight one. Coiled phone-cords weren't invented until the 50's.

Goddamn, I knew there was something wrong in that scene.

If 2001 one is on the list, you may have well as added Total Recall as well.

I think that was suppose to take place in 2004 or something.

Yeah... if you're gonna go that far, there's no proof that the events of Star Wars occured a long time ago...

Well, the Memoirs of a Geisha comments weren't exactly accurate themselves.

Mizuage is an extremely elaborate ceremony that takes place for months, or even years, in an Apprentice's life. Once an apprentice, the geisha must learn to sleep on a stand instead of a pillow, so that her hair won't get smushed during the night, because it obviously takes a lot of time and pain to get the "half-peach" hairstyle that Apprentices where. They wear a red band in their hair, signally to all the people who might become a client that this particular apprentice is getting ready for their mizuage - which men see as extremely erotic because the half-peach is "split," and then has the red in the middle.

Then the apprentice must learn to dance, play the shamisen, walk correctly, talk correctly, even learn how to pour tea or sake in different ways for different people.

The mizuage starts when the apprentice and her sister decide who should be candidates to, frankly, de-virginize the apprentice. To these men, the apprentices very privately give "ekubu," a rice cake with, again, a suggestive red jelly filling.

Then the sister lets the men who recieve the ekubu know when bidding begins, and start to sell the apprentice's virginity in an auction-like manner. As soon as the highest bid comes, the apprentice and the "winner" have a very important tea ceremony to bind themselves together in this "first act," and then they have sex, usually in a room in the Teahouse which the man and apprentice frequent.

Then the apprentice wears a white band instead of a red one, and can officially charge her clients more. She is also eligible to have a danna, very much like being a mistress - the danna provides an apartment, food, kimono, pays for concerts for the geisha so she can publicize herself to other clients...

So, long explanation, but mizuage is just the whole sexual deal, the rest is going from student to apprentice, from apprentice to full-fledged geisha. The money from the mizuage is supposed to pay the debt to her okyia, or the house that supported her while she becomes a geisha.

Of course there's a lot more, but I think this is enough blabbing for many, many days.

transformers: the animated movie was set in 2005..

Originally posted by Kovacs86
Yeah... if you're gonna go that far, there's no proof that the events of Star Wars occured a long time ago...


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Smiley, you're back! How are your 2 brothers doing?