Good Films, Bad History

How much does historical accuracy matter in filmmaking? Many viewers would tell sticklers for historical accuracy to, in the words of Ridley Scott, "get a life"; however historical misrepresentation can be quite damaging, warping people's views of events, figures, and cultures. A necessary caveat is that this list will not include tongue-in-cheek films (Marie Antoinette and Amadeus), or those with overt fantasy elements (Anastasia).

Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News on Wikimedia

1. Lawrence Of Arabia

This might be starting off on a controversial note. While David Lean's 1962 desert epic received some criticism from biographers, this film doesn't try to be history, it tries to be myth. Lean depicts Lawrence as he described himself in his autobiography: a complicated, larger-than-life figure engaged in self-mythology.

Incorporates artwork by Howard Terpning on Wikimedia

2. Apollo 13

A few minor quibbles can be had with Apollo 13 concerning technical minutiae; other than that, Ron Howard nailed it. Drawing directly from mission transcripts with the help of NASA consultants, parts of this film are practically a documentary. They even filmed the zero gravity scenes in the same plane, nicknamed the Vomit Comet.

Astronaut David R. Scott, Apollo 15 commander. on Wikimedia

3. Das Boot

Life on a WWII submarine had to suck, and Wolfgang Peterson made sure audiences understood just how much it sucked. Das Boot was adapted from a novel by German war correspondent, and several of the submarines' officers were consulted. The replica sub was built from 1930s plans and the cast stayed inside for weeks to achieve that pasty undersea pallor.

Schlemmer on Wikimedia

4. Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World

Book purists may grumble about this adaptation compressing several novels and changing the enemy from the Americans to the French (to better appeal to American viewers), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is pretty darn accurate. It doesn't hurt that the source material is meticulously researched and immersive.  

Jack86mkII on Wikimedia

5. 12 Years A Slave

Drawing from Solomon Northup's memoir of the same name, 12 Years a Slave has been called one of the most accurate depictions of enslavement put to film. The film refuses to soften or shy away from the horrors of its subject, especially the religious justifications masters used for their actions. Several experts on both the period and Northup himself were consulted on the project. 

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6. A Night To Remember

While Titanic may get all the glory for its recreation of the interiors and sinking of the ship, 1958's A Night to Remember paved the way. Rather than focusing on a love story, this film uses survivor testimony to explore how class divide impacted survival rates. The one glaring inaccuracy is that the ship sinks intact, which was not widely accepted at the time.

John J. Floherty on Wikimedia

7. Come And See

Cited as the greatest anti-war film ever made, and a harrowing experience that most people only see once, Come and See follows a child soldier in the Belarussian reistance during WWII. The film was co-written by an ex-partisan who was the same age as the protagonist. This lead role was played by a non-professional actor who experienced hunger, fatigue, and live ammunition (yikes!) during filming.

Stanisweb17 on Wikimedia

8. The Name Of The Rose

Adapted from the Umberto Eco novel and beloved by medievalists, The Name of the Rose is considered one of the most accurate film depictions of medieval life. This film reconstructs not only the monasteries of the 14th century, but also the multi-lingual, philosophical environment. Production went so far as to paint pigs appearing in one scene to appease a historical consultant.

Elio Pallard on Wikimedia

9. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Westerns are not generally known for historical accuracy, but The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is the rare exception. This long, meandering film with a long, meandering title exists aims to deconstruct the myths around Jesse James, portraying him as a violent, paranoid murderer. A far cry from the American Robin Hood of dime novels.

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10. All Quiet On The Western Front

The third film to win Best Picture, All Quiet on the Western Front was one of the first anti-war films, inspired by someone who survived it. Based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel, this film is as brutal and unromantic as trench warfare really was. As a bonus, many German veterans were utilized not only as advisors but in minor roles.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

Now that we've looked at some films that clearly put time and effort in depicting their historical settings, let's look at a few that prized entertainment over accuracy.

1. Braveheart

The first time we'll see Mel Gibson on this list, Braveheart's historical inaccuracy section on Wikipedia has seven subcategories. Almost every single historical figure featured is depicted so inaccurately that they may as well exist in an alternate reality. The standout is Isabella of France's one-night-stand with William Wallace (resulting in the future Edward III, gasp!) when Isabella would have been 3 in real life. 

Scott Neeson on Wikimedia

2. Pocahontas

Great music, beautiful animation, appalling whitewashing of history. Rather than being a young woman on the verge of marriage, Matoaka was a preteen whose rescue of John Smith was likely invented by the man himself, a strict disciplinarian and genocidal maniac. Mel Gibson once again at the scene of a crime.

Gdgourou on Wikimedia

3. 10,000 BC

Not to be confused with the (equally inaccurate) film where Raquel Welch wears a fur bikini, Roland Emmerich's 2008 is historically inaccurate in both directions. Prehistoric critters like woolly mammoths and saber-tooth cats are depicted as plentiful rather than on the verge of extinction, while written language and metal tools show up 7,000 years early. Also, woolly mammoths help build the pyramids.

Flying Puffin on Wikimedia

4. JFK

JFK is not so much a film as it is a three-hour conspiracy theory. The film was criticized before it was released for its suggestion that LBJ was involved with the assassination and critics weren't much nicer after they saw it. One critic even compared it to be the Nazi propaganda film Triump of the Will. 

Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News on Wikimedia

5. Apocalypto

Apocalypto, set in 1511, has a lot for historians to admire—recreations of Maya architecture & textiles, the use of Maya actors, Yucatec Maya used for the dialogue—and a lot to dislike. The most contentious issue is Mel Gibson's conflation of Maya and Aztec cultures, attributing Aztec human sacrifices to Maya, depicting them as savage and bloodthirsty.

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6. Pearl Harbor

While producers of Pearl Harbor may claim that they tried for historical accuracy, we doubt they tried very hard. The most egregious change is having the Japanese purposefully bomb a naval hospital, which they tried to avoid in reality. Also so inaccurate it becomes offensive is FDR rising from his wheelchair to prove that "the impossible can happen".

Unknown navy photographer on Wikimedia

7. The Last Samurai

Let's make something clear: the innacuracy is not white samurai Tom Cruise, who plays a composite of two historical figures. Rather, its depiction of samurai rebelling out of a noble sense of justice warps their real motivations. Samurai did not want Japan to be moderniszed because they would lose their positions of power.

Tamoto Kenzō (photographer, 1832-1912) on Wikimedia

8. Gladiator

Ridley Scott hired historical advisors for Gladiator, but didn't listen to them, calling the facts "unbelievable" to an audience raised on sword-and-sandals flicks. Marcus Aurelius' death at Commodus' hands, Commodus' own death, and much of the republican debate were invented for the film. One historian requested their name be left out of the credits.

Jean-Léon Gérôme on Wikimedia

9. Alexander

25 Greek lawyers threatened to sue Oliver Stone for his (moderately accurate) depiction of Alexander the Great's sexuality. However, the film's depiction of Persians presents more of a problem. Alexander is rife with orientalism, presenting the disjointed, turbaned Persian armies as no match for Alexander.

Yair-haklai on Wikimedia

10. The Patriot

Mel Gibson and Roland Emmerich teamed up for The Patriot in 2000, and it was about as accurate as you can imagine. The film invents and relishes in atrocities committed by the British, while lionizing and ignoring any violence committed by revolutionaries. If you watched the church burning scene and thought it bore resemblance to the war crimes of WWII, that's no coincidence—the event was directly lifted from 1944.

Domenick D'Andrea on Wikimedia