Questions tagged [historical-accuracy]
Questions about the precise conformity of events or characters portrayed in films or TV shows to real figures/events.
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Why did King Henry V have Cambridge and Grey’s heads cut off?
In Netflix movie The King (2019), what mistakes have Cambridge and Grey made to have King Henry V have their heads cut off? Wikipedia article on this movie didn't give me clear explanation on this.
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1answer
112 views
Why was Shakuntala Devi's husband not gay in the film?
The film Shakuntala Devi is based on the real-life personality, and in real life it was all over the news that her husband was gay after she mentioned it during the release of her book The World of ...
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84 views
Which Inca deities are shown in “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”?
In the movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold, when the kids enter the temple a giant monkey-like deity (made of gold) is shown. Which Inca deity is it?
Here is an image of the poster:
Two deities are ...
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115 views
If Japan won WWII, why would they write from right to left and in kyujitai form?
Can someone please expound the following comment based on the screenshot below? I don't speak Japanese, so please forgive my benightedness. How does Japan's imaginary winning World War II affect ...
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How historically accurate is Outlander?
Caveat: OBVIOUSLY I'm NOT asking if the idea of a time-travelling 20th century Lady is accurate ;)
How historically accurate is the TV show Outlander?
I'm thinking specifically of its depiction of ...
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Is Jimmi Lee Jackson's Eulogy accurate as presented in Selma?
I'm trying to determine how historically accurate the speech from the movie Selma (2014) given by Martin Luther King, Jr. at Jimmi Lee Jackson's funeral is, but I can't find a transcript of the actual ...
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1answer
137 views
Where do Gregor and Konrad meet up with British soldiers in episode 4 of World on Fire? How could they have gotten there alone?
In episode 4 of World on Fire, Gregor and Konrad meet a British army unit in the scene that starts at 32m57s after the two had last been seen escaping (while there was still snow on the ground) a ...
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1answer
135 views
Sound-proof, anti-Soviet spies room
In the movie "The Coldest Game" (2019), taking place during the Cold War, a special room of the Polish embassy is shown. The room contains a sound-proof glass box, raised from the floor, inside which ...
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Scene in “12 Strong” on women's education in Afghanistan based on what?
In the movie "12 Strong" (2018) there is a scene in which a Taliban imam in Afghanistan publicly executes a woman for educating her children and after he does so, he raises up a book and says that it ...
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1answer
429 views
Why was the Hollywood sign destroyed?
Why was the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles destroyed in the movie "Argo"? Was the sign also destroyed in real life during 1980?
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152 views
Does isolation in Moana reflect a real island?
I know polynesians went through a period where they generally didn't discover new islands. I've heard the movie Moana was meant to reflect the period when they stopped exploring. But this is a lot ...
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Is the scene where Schindler discusses miscalibrating machines taken from true events?
I realize that the movie has many inaccuracies, but is this bit one of them? Is there any evidence that the Oskar Schindler wanted Germany to lose the war?
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How real is the ending of the movie Ford v Ferrari?
The movie Ford v Ferrari (2019) starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale shows how Ford Motors built a car that beat Ferrari in Le Mans 24 hour race.
In the end of the movie, the three Ford cars cross ...
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85 views
Was Prince Bertie actually known to do this?
I'm rewatching the British historical series, Victoria about the life of Queen Victoria.
During the third season we jump ahead in time to a point where Victoria already has sever children, including ...
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0answers
54 views
How true to reality is the film Queen of the Desert?
Queen of the Desert is a 2015 biographical film about Gertrude Bell, an Englishwoman who spent most of her life in the Middle East and played a part in the establishment of some Arab states in the ...
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1answer
405 views
Why do cars in movies set in earlier eras always look brand new?
Whenever I watch a movie or TV show set in an earlier era, all the cars look brand new. In fact, better than brand new; the paint is rich and deep, highly polished. They all look as though they ...
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1answer
407 views
Why does Brigitte Mohnhaupt deliberately destroy the execution myth and how accurate is her closing dialogue?
At the very end of The Baader Meinhof Complex, after the efforts for pressing the RAF leaders free have failed and they thus commited suicide in Stammheim prison, Brigitte Mohnhaupt speaks to the next ...
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1answer
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Why is Havana covered in 5-digit numbers in Our Man in Havana?
In the 1959 film version of Our Man in Havana, the streets of Havana are littered in signs with 4- and 5-digit numbers on them.
Here's an example:
Notice the "00260", "19072", and "42857" left of ...
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2answers
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Is HBO's Chernobyl accurate about the sequence of instructions causing reactor stall?
In the series finale of Chernobyl on HBO, Dyatlov orders Akimov and Toptenov to bring the reactor power down to 700 MW, as per the written test instructions, and then leaves the room without giving a ...
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2answers
124 views
Did the movie Trumbo change the director of Spartacus?
Shortly after Trumbo writes the script for Spartacus, he meets Otto Preminger, who says that he is "the director". It sounds like he is claiming to be the director of Spartacus, and this is why he has ...
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1answer
1k views
How accurate was the use of the slogan “Wer hat uns verraten? Sozialdemokraten!”?
In Babylon Berlin S01E07 Gereon Rath attends a party at Bruno's appartment which includes many veterans from the Great War, including Major General Seegers. It seems to be a commemoration of the war ...
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Was the character of Nicol based on a real person?
In Welcome to Marwen, Mark Hogancamp meets Nicol. Eventually, he chooses to rename the fictional town of "Marwen" to "Marwencol", named after himself, his rescuer Wendy, and now Nicol.
According to ...
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1answer
64k views
Did Queen's performance really cause Live Aid to clear $1,000,000 in donations?
In Bohemian Rhapsody, Bob Geldof is shown pleading with viewers to donate money. The phone bank operators are waiting for their phones to ring. Then, Queen gets on stage, the phone banks are busy, and ...
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1answer
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Is Mirzapur based on a real story?
Is the TV-series Mirzapur based on a real story?
Mirzapur is an actual city in Uttar Pradesh. Also, Wikipedia says this place is famous for carpet business and this was aptly shown in the series with ...
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1answer
201 views
Impact of Wonder Woman's action on the end of World War I?
In the 2017 film Wonder Woman, Diana finally kills Ares and we learn that World War I is over, but how does the killing of Ares impact World War I? Is there any parallel to this with the real events ...
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What is the historic origin of these Indian burial grounds?
I've recently watched two movies that feature the Indian burial ground as a plot point, however in these two films they both actually show a physical burial ground, which appears to be made up of ...
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4answers
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Did Neil Armstrong really do this on the Moon?
The film First Man (2018) is about Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. In the movie, one scene shows
Did he actually do this in real life or was this a fictional plot device added ...
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2answers
12k views
Is the bird killing in The Prestige based on historical reality?
In The Prestige (2006), there is a magic trick in which a bird is made to disappear and it is revealed that the bird is secretly killed by crushing it flat to make it "disappear". Is this trick from ...
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2answers
224 views
When is Shane (1953) set?
The movie Shane (1953) is based on the novel Shane (1949) by Jack Shaefer.
It is obvious that the novel Shane (1949) could have a precise setting date or a vague possible date range, and the movie ...
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1answer
209 views
Does Captain Tracey (Star Trek “The Omega Glory”) resemble a figure from American history?
In the Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Destroy" (1969), I consider the character Garth a George Washington figure (whether consciously intended or not). He was a great military leader; also, his "...
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1answer
535 views
Why do the Vikings warriors train with real weapons?
In the Vikings TV show we often see warriors training with each others using real weapons. This can be seen both for vikings' and other kingdoms' warriors.
As far I know warriors used to train with ...
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1answer
534 views
Did people in Elizabethan London really speak like they do in “Upstart Crow”?
Did people in Elizabethan London really speak like they do in "Upstart Crow"?
I'm specifically thinking of the way Greene says Sirra instead of Sir.
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2answers
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Is Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk historically inaccurate in portraying absence of the Indian army?
Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk has been accused of ignoring Indian soldiers' presence in Dunkirk. But is there any proof that there were Indian soldiers stuck there too in the first place? The British ...
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1answer
100k views
Did Churchill really talk to people on the London Underground?
In the pivotal scene of "Darkest Hour" Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman), on his way to Parliament, ditches his car and takes the Tube. On the train he talks with some regular Londoners and this ...
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1answer
190 views
In what time period the series Arang and the Magistrate set?
Based on the costumes and the setting, which dynasty or time period served as an inspiration for the historical drama series Arang?
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1answer
453 views
Was there already birthday cake in Roman empire?
In the TV show, Rome, during the battle of Philippi, there is a conversation between two rebel Roman commanders. It goes something like, is today your birthday? Oh yes, I want a birthday cake.
Please ...
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1answer
9k views
Did Oskar Schindler really lament not having saved more Jews?
At the end of Schindler's List, there is a scene where Oskar Schindler realises, almost breaking down in tears in front of all of his workers, that each of the extravagances/luxuries he still has ...
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2answers
665 views
In The Color Purple how is it a black person can have so much wealth in the south?
The film The Color Purple takes place between 1910 and 1940. So how can an African American (Mr. or Albert Johnson) have a huge house, a plantation, a farm/ranch (animals as well), prosperity, and a ...
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2answers
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What is the painting J. Paul Getty buys in 'All the Money in the World'? [closed]
In Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World", J. Paul Getty forks a sizable chunk of money for a painting instead of paying his grandson's ransom. To me, the painting looked like Raphael's Madonna ...
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1answer
1k views
Is “Anonymous” based on a true story?
I watched Anonymous (2011). The movie shows that Shakespeare was fraud and all his writing originally belongs to some nobleman.
Is it true? If yes, then what is the source of the story and what is ...
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521 views
Did these events in 7th episode 2nd season of Netflix 'El Chapo' actually happen?
At the end of the 7th episode of the 2nd season of Netflix's El Chapo two events happen:
Firstly Los Emes massacred multiple civilians and burned down a remote village leaving the message for El ...
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1answer
2k views
Does the village of Motunui as depicted in “Moana” accurately depict a Polynesian village?
Moana lives in a village called Motunui (which appears to be an actual place?). We get a fairly in-depth view of how the village works during the song "Where you Are" - there's a chief, he answers ...
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1answer
847 views
How many of the events in The Death of Stalin are based on historical fact?
The Death of Stalin is a dark black comedy based on the events happening after the Soviet leader's death.
Clearly we don't have records about who said or did what during that period. And there appear ...
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0answers
3k views
How realistic are the dogfight scenes in Dunkirk [closed]
I saw the film Dunkirk yesterday with some friends and thoroughly enjoyed it. One of my friends had some quibbles with the dogfight scenes, however. How realistic are they? Any reliable sources ...
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1answer
185 views
Is the shadow organization in Munich real?
This group sells information to Mossad agents. I am wondering if this organization has its real world counterpart or just a convenient way to advance movie plot?
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Why is there an iPhone in “All Eyez On Me”?
In the new 2pac movie, All Eyez On Me, there is a scene where Faith is taking a picture with 2pac and there is an iPhone.
This is chronologically impossible since the iPhone was released in 2007 and ...
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Why did Spielberg use fictional characters (informants Louis and Papa) in Munich
Background to the Movie
Steven Spielberg has said, that the Munich is about vengeance, regret and dilemmas one faces when making hard personal decisions, while visualising empathy and human ...
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1answer
1k views
Did the Battle of Iwo Jima really happen on black soil?
In Flags of Our Fathers, there are whole war scenes shot on black soil near some sea.
Did the Battle of Iwo Jima really happen on black soil or was this added by the movie production crew?
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1answer
609 views
Did Mark Zuckerberg answer a question in similar circumstances to this?
In the Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) answers a question in a lecture:
Now I know this most likely is just the clique scene to make ...
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0answers
273 views
Did they really make ice cream/cake in shape of “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” as shown in the movie?
In Flags of our Fathers, after the completion of the war, the soldiers get an invitation for celebrations.
In one scene the soldiers get an ice cream cake in the shape of "Raising the Flag on Iwo ...
