What are the most misleading (inaccurate and/or agenda pushing) historical movies ever!? (Poll included)

[Buster's Uncle]

Lexicus, you read the Unmitigated Pedantry Blog, don't you?

 

[Kyriakos]

Anyone is free to think whatever. I'm here for the movies ^^

 

[Lexicus]

Lexicus, you read the Unmitigated Pedantry Blog, don't you?

Naturally.

I've watched Bridge on the River Kwai. It's kinda racist, but I don't think it's very historically inaccurate.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

Fine fine stuff, there. North Carolina roolz!

 

[AmazonQueen]

^It doesn't seem to be the persian resume, that they weren't seen as horrible oppressors. Their empire sort of collapsed pretty fast when met with an opposing force of smaller size but meant to attack them (even before Macedonia, both Athens and Sparta conquered large parts of Persia on their own, let alone the revolt in Egypt).
Sparta was Sparta, they barely saw themselves as part of a civilization, and after their first defeat to Thebes they never again rose to prominence. Did ally with Persia, against Alexander, only to be defeated again.
It didn't have to be that way, though (with Sparta). And at least they did have free women (women ended up controlling most of the money in Sparta, due to men serving in the army forever).

Persian rule collapsed partly because it was so light.
Unlike Roman rule with its Romanisation there was no "Persianisation". You kept your own rulers, culture and religion, and sent your overlords taxes and troops when required.
For ordinary inhabitants of the Empire the Persians were barely noticeable except for those like the Hebrews who found them less oppressive than their previous conquereors, but the local rulers had no reason to stay loyal and switched sides quite readily when Alexander came along.
More Greeks fought for the Persians than against them and quite a few of the "Persian" leaders were Greek. Thermistocles himself ended his life in Persian service.

 

[Kyriakos]

Different people have different favorite tyrants. Hopefully we can leave it at that.

 

[AmazonQueen]

This is not really the thread for that, imo, and certainly not for "my favorite tyrant is better than yours". No one invades others due to benevolence.

No, Persian empire, Athenian empire, Alexander's empire, none of them were benevolent (any more than British was) but the depiction of gallant Greeks and villainous Persians in 300 is nonsense.

 

[Kyriakos]

Well ok, I do feel this isn't really a history-heavy debate. Nor do I personally find any use in blanket statements like "all were the same because I feel this is a good summation". You are obviously free to think so, I hope we can move on.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

I'd say Kyr has made his wish to not be in this debate anymore clear, and we should honor that...

 

[Edmund Ironside]

I see that Birth of a nation is 'winning' currently, a worthy leader i think. You can vote for up to 7 movies. I voted mainly for Mel Gibson movies, as Mel Gibson and inaccurate historical movies go together like milk and cookies!

 

[Kyriakos]

I haven't watched Birth of a Nation.. Doubt it would interest me either.

 

[Remorseless1]

I'll admit up front I love Braveheart. Yes, it as faithful to the history ax "300," but Gibson is good at storytelling. It's a movie some Scots have told me they secretly enjoy watching the English get whipped a few more times.

To be fair, it's difficult to make a movie that is true to a historical event.

 

[Gori the Grey]

but I will die on the hill of Sparta being basically the worst society in human history

Not 21st c. USA? Little surprised, Lex. Little disappointed.

 

[Lexicus]

Okay, maybe like the Third Reich and Pol Pot were worse.

 

[¯\_ (ツ)_/¯]

I think you can find historical inaccuracies in every movie. After all, they are really fictional stories intended by the author to convey their particular message. (heroism, anti-war, racism, etc.) What do you think of the latest version of All Quiet on the Western Front?

 

[Ajidica]

I think you can find historical inaccuracies in every movie. After all, they are really fictional stories intended by the author to convey their particular message. (heroism, anti-war, racism, etc.) What do you think of the latest version of All Quiet on the Western Front?

I actually watched it Friday. I did not like it (if you can say you 'like' that sort of movie!) as much as the original. The original did a much better job establishing how the main character changed, such as when he was on leave and visited his old school. The original also I felt did a much better job of making the main character just a person whose death was just a number in war. The remake felt like it didn't trust the audience and went over the top.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

The version starring John-boy ca 1980 was decent.

 

[Kyriakos]

I recently watched a documentary about the battle of Kursk. But a movie made about it would likely be extremely boring - let alone if it stuck to facts.

 

[Josu]

Thunder in the sun

 

[Edmund Ironside]

I think you can find historical inaccuracies in every movie. After all, they are really fictional stories intended by the author to convey their particular message. (heroism, anti-war, racism, etc.)

That certainly is true, I guess the issue is where the inaccuracies are so great as to lead people to being given a false or misleading impressions of what actually happened. Once you have built up an idea in your head of how something happened you may be resistant to changing that opinion compared to if you were simply learning something for the first time. For example when I was much younger I learned in very simplified history books that the Romans literally left Britain (included with pictures showing Romans waving goodbye to the natives from ships as they left). I was quite resistant for a while to my Dad telling me it was actually much more complex then that, and that the Romans didn't just up and leave the country!

Atun-Shei films actually made two videos on this subject. The first arguing that historical inaccuracies in movies don't matter:

Then he made his very own historical movie, changed his mind on the subject, and made a video disagreeing with his first video!