Which historical movie has probably been responsible for the most historical innacuracies?

Answer 1

To me this is a no-brainer:

JFK.

There is more nonsense, more made-up history, more inaccuracies in this one movie than in possibly ALL other history-based motion pictures. If someone ever asks to list these I will be happy to but that would extend beyond the scope of your question.

I don't know of ANY serious historian that believes Oliver's Twist on the Kennedy assassination. Personally I think the movie was misnamed.

JFK SHOULD have been named "Dallas in Wonderland."

Answer 2

The Birth of a Nation
Most inaccurate historical movies are seen by the audience as fantasy. Gladiator and even JFK had little effect on the historical perceptions. of the audience. The Birth of a Nation was in part responsible for the resurgence of th Klan in the period after WWI.

Answer 3

My vote is ironically one of my favorite movies... Gladiator (although I certainly agree that JFK and Pearl Harbor are pretty flawed). I also noticed your name is "Fargo." That movie is probably the most innacurate because the whole incident portrayed in the movie never happened by the admission of the film's producers, but since not a single thing in the movie is correct I'll go with choice number two... back to Gladiator.

Wow, where to begin...

Well I guess first the movie makes it out that Commodus Caesar only reigns for a few months. (the Emperor in the movie and Jaquine Pheonix's character). He actually ruled for 12 years... but that's only where it starts. Commodus believe it or not was a lot worse than he was made out in film. He believed himself to be a reincarnate of Hercules. He was quite blood thirsty. It is true that he fought in the gladatorial arena however, and was the only Emperor ever to do so. His father is also accurately portrayed as the philosopher emperor (Marcus Aurelius), although there is no evidence to suggest that Commodus killed him.

There is no evidence whatsoever that Lucilla (his sister) had an incestual relationship with Commodus as is portrayed in the film. Commodus actually did have her executed though... she survives in the movie.

Gaius Gracchus was indeed a senator in the senate as the movie portrays, but far before the time of Commodus... in fact several hundred years earlier, prior to the fall of the republic and rise of the empire.

Cassius is a character in the movie, but also out of his time. He too was a senator and conspirator against Julius Caesar, but is portrayed in the film as the announcer of the gladiatorial games.

Commodus is assasinated, but not by a guy named Maximus... Maximus is completely made up, although he really was killed by a wrestler (not a gladiator). Maximus is loosely based on this character as I understand it.

Now we're just splitting hairs here, but Commodus is portrayed to have a beard in all of his coins and statues. Commodus in the movie has no beard... but that's sorta stupid.

Also the area in the opening scene of the movie is somewhat geographically incorrect for the specific band of Germans the Romans were fighting... the climate was too "alpine..." should have been more temporate, but again, I guess that's probably splitting hairs.

Funny thing is it's one of my favorite movies....

Answer 4

All Hollywood moves have to be embellished, just to keep people come out to the theater. So, I'd say, any movie that depicts so called actual events fit your scenario.

Answer 5

Maybe "Amadeus". Wonderful movie, but full of apocrypha and inaccuracies about Mozart's life and the (non-existant) rivalry between Mozart and Salieri.

Answer 6

Pearl Harbor. It was more of a love story than an accurate film.