Advertisements
Non-fiction films give us an impossible insight into some of the most dramatic moments in history. As viewers, we get to see what went down when important decisions were made that potentially shaped the way our world is today. We also get to understand what our ancestors had to struggle with, and what for.
But ask any expert about the historical accuracy of certain “based on a true story” films and you might just get laughed right out of the museum. You see, filmmakers need to tell a compelling story while sticking to the truth as much as possible. This can be a challenge seeing as how some details, though real, may seem so ludicrous or outright boring that they don’t make the final cut.
Take, for instance, these 15 critically acclaimed films with some rather noticeable flaws!
1. Braveheart
Braveheart’s William Wallace (Mel Gibson) became an inspiration to the entire world to hate the English. It’s a great movie which has received a ton of awards. However, it was far from accurate; one of the biggest mistakes was the depiction of Scotsmen wearing kilts. In the 1300s, they wore things called
But perhaps the largest historical inaccuracy is the film’s title. William Wallace was not Braveheart. The nickname was given to him after he had his heart carried to the Church of Holy Sepulchre all the way in Jerusalem. The nickname had more to do with a literal heart than anything else.
2. Titanic
Titanic didn’t launch Leonardo DiCaprio to fame, but it did cement a place for him in Hollywood. It’s a shame that the movie, despite the mountains of historical data available about what truly happened on the Titanic during its final moments, doesn’t stick to historical facts.
In the movie, third-class passengers were locked below the decks and out of view. In truth, nobody was under the decks, and nobody was discriminated against when all hell broke loose.
While we’re on the topic of third-class passengers, there’s absolutely no way Jack Dawson (DiCaprio) could’ve made it to the top deck to mingle with the wealthy. Similar to riding a plane in today’s time, those in economy aren’t allowed to just barge into first-class. That separating curtain actually means something.
3. Back to the Future
We’re pretty sure that everything about time travel in this movie is completely scientifically accurate, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) can be seen rockin’ on a Gibson ES335 guitar during the Under the Sea dance. This might not seem like a big deal, but guitar lovers around the world cringed knowing that this particular model was released in 1958, a full three years after the dance was supposed to take place.
We wish this was all this classic film had wrong about the past, but unfortunately, the opposite is true. While Marty is at a dinner with his young mom, an episode of Honeymooner’s is playing on TV. That episode, which Marty calls a classic in the film, aired on December 31, 1955. Their dinner took place on November 5, 1955.
4. Malcolm X
This film starring Denzel Washington has been praised for not only excellent performances from all involved but for staying true to many of the events that actually happened in Malcolm’s life. Historical facts in this Spike Lee film did not sway too far away from the true happenings of Malcolm’s rise and demise.
However, in the film, the Nation of Islam’s involvement in Malcolm X’s death was toned down to such an extent that Louis Farrakhan, the man who called for Malcolm’s death repeatedly, was not at the scene of his murder.
Furthermore, the man in the film who introduced Malcolm to the Nation was not a fellow inmate but rather his own brother. In the end, not staying completely true to historical evidence did not tarnish Malcolm’s legacy, nor did it raise the Nation to any praiseworthy status. We couldn’t have asked for more.