When you watch a historical movie, the words “Based on a true story” appear on the screen.
You may wonder and ask: Are these movies really historically accurate?
Here are some of them.
The Wolf Of Wall Street
It follows Jordan Belfort’s rise from a stockbroker to his downfall by opening his corrupt and fraud heavy company Stratton Oakmont.
The craziness and wild behaviour you see on screen actually happened behind Jordan’s life and company.
The swallowing of goldfish, luxurious holidays, drugs and accents, they are all like.
There were some scenes that were just inserted to increase the drama like the arrests towards the end.
Pocahontas
Disney’s sleeper hit features a Powhantan woman who falls in love with an English captain, John Smith.
Disney as expected took a lot of liberty in telling this story the way that it is a musical.
Pochantas’ real name was Amonute and she was only a child when John arrived.
She also married another man before her tragic passing at 22.
Zodiac
This 2007 mystery tells the true story of the Zodiac Killer manhunt between the late 1960s and the early 1970s.
It may be dialogue driven but its pinpoint accuracy makes it one of the most anxiety-inducing movies ever released.
Every detail from the detective’s obsession, to the riddles and the killer’s taunts was shockingly accurate.
You have to see the movie to believe it!
Gladiator
It’s the biggest movie to be shot in Malta and has won five Oscars including Best Picture.
However, it’s not the most historically accurate movie you will ever see.
Maximus, the main lead is completely fictional and the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was not killed by his son Commodus but by chickenpox.
Commodus’ behaviour was also very dramatized and not involved in the climactic duel with Maxmimus.
It gets some marks for its production values and gladiator arena sequences.
Bohemian Rhapsody
The story of how rock’s greatest band was formed got high marks on the accuracy test.
While the timeline depicted in the movie was not exactly in the order of how it was portrayed in reality, the details were there.
From their iconic Live Aid performance, to the creation of some of their most famous songs, and Freddie telling the band he was HIV positive.
Rami Malek also pulled out a stunning lead performance securing his first Oscar win.
There were however some crucial moments in Freddie and the band’s life left out.
Braveheart
Another best picture winner, Braveheart tells the story of William Wallace leading Scotland to freedom against England in the 13th century.
It is an outstanding movie but it’s also very dodgy with its historical accuracy.
In the movie William is raised as a poor highlander when he was of noble birth and his relationship with Isabella of France was made up.
The Battle of Stirling Bridge was also very inaccurate because of the blue face paint, the weapons, and the lack of a bridge.
To top it all off, the title is misleading as the real Braveheart is not William Wallace but Robert The Bruce.
The Social Network
Depicting Mark Zuckerberg’s creation of Facebook, the biggest social network site on the planet, this movie got many things right.
The legal battle between him, the Winklevoss twins and his best friend Eduardo was shot to the same point.
The timeline was also accurate from his college days to the company’s start-up.
The only thing they went too far with was Mark’s personality as he was never selfish nor sarcastic.
Alexander
Narrating the life of the Greek king, Alexander is infamous for being a bad and historically inaccurate movie.
His relationships were always with women unlike the movie’s bisexual portrayal.
Alexander’s involvement in three major battles was merged into one and the Persians were never disorganized.
Since its release there have been four director’s cuts to address its inaccuracies.
What is your favourite historical movie? DM us and let us know!
