300 (2006)
The Persians didn't use elephants in battle (nor rhinos).
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Poll: Have We Been Misinformed by Movies?
When movies include real historical figures or claim to be based on true events, they still tend to stray away from the facts, all in the name of our entertainment.However, as an audience we might remain under the impression that some of these falsities are true. So now it's time to set the record straight.
Which of the following facts are you most surprised by, having possibly been misled by what a movie has taught you?
Make Your Choice
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Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator (2000)
Roman emperor Commodus wasn't killed in a gladiator fight. However, he was a gladiator enthusiast to the extent that he planned to inaugurate the new year 193 as a gladiator in the arena. This caused so much outrage that political opponents conspired to assassinate him. When an attempt to poison him failed, he was strangled to death in his bath on the last day of the year 192.
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Mel Gibson in Braveheart (1995)
13th century Scots didn't put blue war paint on their faces nor did they wear kilts. The blue face paint was a custom of the Picts in Roman times, while wearing a kilt became a Scottish custom only in the 17th century.
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Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Irene Bedard, John Kassir, Judy Kuhn, Danny Mann, and Frank Welker in Pocahontas (1995)
Pocahontas and John Smith became friends but their encounter wasn't romantic. Pocahontas married another English colonist called John Rolfe.
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Jason Isaacs stars as Col. Tavington
In the Revolutionary War British soldiers didn't burn down a church full of people.
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F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus (1984)
Fellow composer Salieri didn't lead Mozart to his death. Mozart died from an illness, not as a result of malicious intent.
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Peter O'Toole and Zia Mohyeddin in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Arabia's deserts mostly consist of gravel and rock, rather than sand.
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Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game (2014)
Alan Turing didn't single-handedly invent the machine that deciphered the Germans' Enigma code. A similar machine was already invented by Polish cryptanalysts. Turing developed an improved version that could break the code faster. Mathematician Gordon Welchman also contributed to the new design.
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Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge is only about 12m high and not as steep as a wall.
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Argo (2012)
After the Iranian Revolution the six American hostages never went to a marketplace to pretend they were location scouting. They hid inside for 79 days. Since Tony Mendez took an earlier flight when they left Iran, he wasn't with the hostages while they were boarding the plane. There were no issues at the airport: no phone call to the fake production house nor a chase down of the airplane.
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Christopher Stanley and Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Torture or 'coercive interrogation techniques' didn't provide the information that led to bin Laden.
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Zardoz (1974)
I can't be surprised by these facts, since I already knew all of them.
However, as an audience we might remain under the impression that some of these falsities are true. So now it's time to set the record straight.
Which of the following facts are you most surprised by, having possibly been misled by what a movie has taught you?
Make Your Choice
-
-
Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator (2000)
Roman emperor Commodus wasn't killed in a gladiator fight. However, he was a gladiator enthusiast to the extent that he planned to inaugurate the new year 193 as a gladiator in the arena. This caused so much outrage that political opponents conspired to assassinate him. When an attempt to poison him failed, he was strangled to death in his bath on the last day of the year 192. -
Mel Gibson in Braveheart (1995)
13th century Scots didn't put blue war paint on their faces nor did they wear kilts. The blue face paint was a custom of the Picts in Roman times, while wearing a kilt became a Scottish custom only in the 17th century. -
Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Irene Bedard, John Kassir, Judy Kuhn, Danny Mann, and Frank Welker in Pocahontas (1995)
Pocahontas and John Smith became friends but their encounter wasn't romantic. Pocahontas married another English colonist called John Rolfe. -
Jason Isaacs stars as Col. Tavington
In the Revolutionary War British soldiers didn't burn down a church full of people. -
F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus (1984)
Fellow composer Salieri didn't lead Mozart to his death. Mozart died from an illness, not as a result of malicious intent. -
Peter O'Toole and Zia Mohyeddin in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Arabia's deserts mostly consist of gravel and rock, rather than sand. -
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game (2014)
Alan Turing didn't single-handedly invent the machine that deciphered the Germans' Enigma code. A similar machine was already invented by Polish cryptanalysts. Turing developed an improved version that could break the code faster. Mathematician Gordon Welchman also contributed to the new design. -
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge is only about 12m high and not as steep as a wall. -
Argo (2012)
After the Iranian Revolution the six American hostages never went to a marketplace to pretend they were location scouting. They hid inside for 79 days. Since Tony Mendez took an earlier flight when they left Iran, he wasn't with the hostages while they were boarding the plane. There were no issues at the airport: no phone call to the fake production house nor a chase down of the airplane. -
Christopher Stanley and Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Torture or 'coercive interrogation techniques' didn't provide the information that led to bin Laden. -
Zardoz (1974)
I can't be surprised by these facts, since I already knew all of them.
