September 9, 2020 953 votes 177 voters 7.8k views12 items
List RulesVote up the most interesting historical details in Hollywood films.
While there's no shortage of films based on famous historical events, celebrity biopics, and classic historical epics like Ben-Hur and Cleopatra, many if not most of these films play fast and loose with the truth. And, so long as the film is entertaining, many moviegoers could care less about accuracy.
However, it's always nice when filmmakers care enough to ensure historical movie details are true to life. As several Redditors have pointed out, movies like Titanic, Dunkirk, andThe Wolf of Wall Streetprovide a surprising number of authentic moments and characters. Here is a selection of the most interesting historic details viewers noticed in their favorite films. Vote up the ones that taught you something new!
R. Lee Ermey's Drill Intructor in Full Metal Jacket. My dad, a marine, sat me down in front of the TV and said, "This is basically what I went through at boot."
In Lincoln (2012), the ticking of Abraham Lincoln's watch in the film is actually the sound of Lincoln's real watch, which was recorded in its home at Lincoln's presidential library during filming.
[Editor's Note: Sound designer Ben Burtt told NPR the watch was in the possession of the Kentucky Historical Society, which lent it to him for the recording.]
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Aside from Atlantis heaven, James Cameron went to ridiculous lengths to get the historical details of the Titanic's sinking correct. The manner of the sinking is accurate, the exact time the sinking took is directly reflected in the film, and after noted "actually..."-sayer Neil DeGrasse Tyson pointed out that the constellations were in the wrong place, he even went back and fixed that for future releases.
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In the WWII epic The Longest Day (1962), many of the actors had actually served in the war and taken part in the D-Day landings. In the film, Richard Todd (left) portrays Major Howard, who leads an assault by British paratroopers. Todd was one of actual paratroopers during the assault in 1944.
Alby Thompson
