Corrected entry: There are numerous contradictions in this mini-series with that of the "actual" story of the Trojan War.
megamii
11th Sep 2003
Helen of Troy (2003)
10th Sep 2003
Attila (2001)
Corrected entry: Valentinian's sister, Honoria, was actually a sheltered woman in real life. She was never a loose woman as depicted in the film.
Correction: This is not true. Honoria was indeed devoted to virginity at the orders of her brother, but this was a situation she did not find to her liking to put it mildly. Around 449 AD, she was apprehended in a love affair with the overseer of her estates. It was presumed that both were engaged in a plot to seize power for Honoria. The overseer was executed and Honoria was exiled to Constantinople. All these events are depicted quite accurately in the movie.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: The Iraqi forces that invaded Kuwait in 1990 never used American tanks and equipment as claimed in the documentary. The tanks and equipment they used were mostly made in the Soviet Union.
Correction: The fact that Iraqis used American weapons is well known and has been widely confirmed by many government officials. Richard Clarke in particular wrote that the Iraqis procured American weapons from nearby countries, especially Saudi Arabia, that had bought the weapons from America. Reference: "Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke, pg 42.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Columbine High School (scene of a notorious school shooting in 1999) was never located within the city of Littleton, Colorado. Littleton is actually the mailing address only. Columbine High School is actually located four miles west of the Littleton city limits in unincorporated Jefferson County (still the suburbs), and is part of Jefferson County Public Schools, not Littleton Public Schools.
Correction: It is referred to as being in Littleton since when the shootings occurred it was known as the shooting in Littleton. Moore, like any filmmaker, would want the audience to recognise the place and the incident.
14th Sep 2003
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Corrected entry: Larry Flynt was in fact married three times before marrying Althea. Nowhere in the film were the previous marriages ever mentioned, or even the fact that he had children from previous marriages and relationships.
Correction: Just because something is not mentioned does not make it a mistake. These facts may have been deliberately ignored at the request of Larry Flynt himself, or just not important to the plot.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Panama dictator Manuel Norriega was never "president of Panama" as depicted in the documentary. He was a military/political leader who acted as the "power behind the throne" who installs loyal men as presidents of Panama.
Correction: Moore is expressing his opinion. Almost everyone refers to Noriega as 'the President of Panama' - it's a term of convenience. Moore is saying that to all intents and purposes he was the President, and he's right.
17th Sep 2003
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Corrected entry: This film was controversial at the time because it depicted an interracial couple.
Correction: Does re-stating the plot really constitute a "Trivia" entry?
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: Contrary to the claim found in the documentary, the United States government never endorsed the murder of the President of South Vietnam. It only endorsed his overthrow, not his death.
Correction: The US endorsed his overthrow with full knowledge that it would almost certainly lead to the death of most high government officials, as most coups do. Saying the US didn't endorse his death is like saying you support crashing into other cars but don't endorse the death of the occupants.
21st Jun 2004
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Corrected entry: The Shah of Iran was never "installed" by the United States, contrary to the claim in the documentary. He was a legal ruler, starting his rule in 1941.
Correction: In 1953, the Prime Minister of Iran forced the Shah to flee the country. American and British intelligence agencies then caused the overthrow of the "legal government" and placed the Shah back in charge. The Shah then fixed it so that there was basically only one party, making him effectively a dictator.
1st May 2004
Ten Commandments (1956)
Corrected entry: No where in the Bible were the Midianites descended from Abraham's first son Ishmael, nor did they worship the god of Abraham as depicted in the film. They were a pagan people.
Correction: This is a matter of both interpretation and licence. It never says in the Bible that they AREN'T descended from Ishmael and Jethro most obviously does worship the God of Abraham. In Exodus 18:12 it says "Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God" [note the capital 'G' meaning it wasn't a pagan god that was being referred to]. Jethro also councilled Moses on how to perform within the priesthood in Exodus 18:13-27. Now, in the Bible it doesn't mention that Jethro ever converted but it also doesn't mention that he didn't. So either he was converted to follow the God of Abraham, or he always had (which is a belief that is held by some denominations - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, for example [see Doctrine & Covenants 84: 6-7]). The film makers simply chose the latter explanation.
After Sarai died Abraham married Keturah and had six sons. Jethro was a descendent of Keturah. He was a believer as well. Some of his children joined Israel. He brought Moses' wife and children to Moses during the Exidus.
It says in 1st Chronicles that Midian is descended from Abraham through his concubine (or second wife, however you want to interpret it) whose name is Keturah. Seems that the evidence that they came from Abraham's son Midian outweighs the fact that scripture does not say that they do not come from Ishmael.
4th Feb 2004
Gladiator (2000)
Corrected entry: The daughter of Marcus Aurelius could not be called "Lucilla" because Roman women were named after the female form of their father's nomen (second or clan name). Since "Aurelius" is the emperor's nomen, his daughter's name should be "Aurelia" (female form of the nomen) not Lucilla. She can be named Lucilla if her father's nomen is Lucius.
Correction: This is correct, however since all daughters by the same father would therefore have the same name, daughters were often given nicknames to distinguish them from the others (much nicer than Aurelia Prima, Aurelia Seconda & Aurelia Tertia). I have no idea how many daughters Marcus Aurelius had, but even if he had only one, 'Lucilla' could conceivably be her nickname.
Correction: The real, historical Lucilla was indeed an Aurelia: her full name was Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla Augusta. Annia is the feminine form of Annius, her father's birth nomen, Aurelia the feminine form of her father's nomen that he received when adopted by Antoninus Pius, Galeria is a (feminine) cognomen, and Lucilla is a diminutive of the female form of the name 'Lucius' (borne by both her first husband and her brother Commodus as a praenomen). Augusta is the female form of 'Augustus'.
16th Sep 2003
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Corrected entry: It has been said in some published works that the "Wizard of Oz" would never been remade as it is, because there are not that many little people qualified to assume the role of the Munchkins today as it was in the late 1930s. This is in part due to the availability of growth hormone treatment and an improved diet in today's people.
Correction: I don't know the exact numbers but I suspect there were no more than a hundred little people used in The Wizard of Oz. In a country of almost three hundred million people, I'm sure that several thousand dwarves could be found despite improved diets or growth hormone.
7th Sep 2003
From Hell (2001)
Corrected entry: Lobotomy operations were first performed on humans in the 1890s. They were not performed during the time of the Ripper murders.
Correction: The first lobotomy - in the modern sense - was performed in Switzerland by Dr Gottleb Burckhardt in 1882, and Sir William Gull was well aware of the procedure and its effects.
19th Nov 2003
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Corrected entry: Because of September 11, Steven Spielberg made the decision to remove guns from the federal agents and replace them with walkie-talkies. These changes were done for the re-release of E.T. in 2002.
Correction: Not so. Spielberg gave the FBI agents walkie-talkies because he always thought it was ridiculous that they were chasing these kids on bikes with guns.
17th Sep 2003
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Corrected entry: The MPAA had said that it had regreted ever giving the film an "R" rating. If it had given it an "NC-17" rating, persons under 17 years old would be forbidden to watch it.
Correction: Technically, this isn't true. The MPAA/CARA's ratings have never carried any legal weight in the USA. Therefore, the MPAA has no legal right to forbid anyone from seeing any movie.
15th Sep 2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Corrected entry: Because the title of the film is very similar to a nickname of the World Trade Center towers ("Twin Towers") and their connection to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, director Peter Jackson considered changing it, but quickly decided against it because of fan opposition.
Correction: This was only a rumor. Jackson and everyone else involved with the production have stated numerous times that they never even considered changing the title.
5th Sep 2003
Amadeus (1984)
Corrected entry: Salieri was actually two years younger than Mozart in real life, not years older than the latter as depicted in the film.
Correction: Salieri was born in 1750, Mozart in 1756.
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Correction: The mini-series are only loosely based on the 'actual' story of the Trojan War, just like the movie Troy is.