Ancient Origins Iraq tour

Print
    
Leonidas at Thermopylae by Jacques-Louis David (1814) Louvre Museum (Public Domain)

The Greatest History Movie Blunders Ever Made

Hollywood producers and directors have never once been praised for rigorously sticking to the facts and whether it's a medieval epic or a modern war film they generally fail when it comes to relaying what actually happened, historically. Their premise is that facts should never ever get in the way of a good story and while in some cases reality has only been tweaked, often the facts are twisted beyond all recognition and the portrayal of history is simply too ridiculous to ignore.

Alexander the Great in the Temple of Jerusalem by Sebastiano Conca (1736) Museo del Prado (Public Domain)

Alexander the Great in the Temple of Jerusalem by Sebastiano Conca (1736) Museo del Prado (Public Domain)

Alexander

This epic war film depicting the story of Alexander the Great is a great example of both really bad directing and editing. Already at the opening of the movie, when the narrator Ptolemy opens his story of Alexander, the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria is shown fully operational, even though the building was completed during the reign of Ptolemy's son, Ptolemy II Philadelphos, after the first Ptolemy's death.

A drawing of the Pharos of Alexandria by German archaeologist Prof. H. Thiersch (1909). (Public Domain)


Become a member to read more OR login here

Ancient Origins Quotations