These “Based On A True Story” Movies Are Lying To You (Kinda)
Hollywood thinks that the line “based on a true story” makes their movies and TV shows sound much cooler, so they seem to slap in on everything. In reality, many flicks that claim to be based on real events aren’t historically correct at all. To make the movies much more dramatic and interesting, the movie makers have to alter some details here, some lines there, and some impossible timelines too.
The result is a story that is quite different from what really happened. So let’s expose these “based on a true story” movies and see what they have lied to us. Here are 10 things that Hollywood flicks get wrong about the historical events they are based on.
However, there was a real J. Dawson in real life. He was an Irishman named Joseph Dawson. He was in charge of bringing coal to the workers who worked in the furnaces and making sure that the coal would be evenly distributed to maintain the balance on the ship. Dawson eventually lost his life on board with other crew members.
Her fate in real life is terrible. Heth was completely blind, couldn't move easily, and had a lot of health issues. Barnum still bought her on tour and showed her off despite her terrible health. She died just months after becoming part of Barnum's show. The sickest part is that Barnum was still able to make money out of her body after her death by hosting a live autopsy for paying customers.
It’s his own cowardly way of running away from his crimes. He didn’t want to face anyone and without his glass, he couldn't see anything clearly. “He’s not wearing glasses so that he can’t see people. He panics,” Shari Dahmer said.
King Leonidas’s insult to the Greeks calling them "boy lovers" is another detail that is very historically inaccurate. Spartans practiced a form of pederasty in their education system as a means of turning a boy into a warrior. The costumes in the movie, including the Spartan armor and King Xerxes’s look, are also horribly wrong.
And most of John Nash’s hallucinations weren’t visual hallucinations. They were more like delusions with some auditory hallucinations like hearing voices.
Those are details that these “based on a true story” movies lie to you. Speaking of changing the original versions, these characters also look a lot different from their book versions. Check out their differences here.
The result is a story that is quite different from what really happened. So let’s expose these “based on a true story” movies and see what they have lied to us. Here are 10 things that Hollywood flicks get wrong about the historical events they are based on.
1. The Real Jack Dawson From Titanic
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy of Everett Collection
However, there was a real J. Dawson in real life. He was an Irishman named Joseph Dawson. He was in charge of bringing coal to the workers who worked in the furnaces and making sure that the coal would be evenly distributed to maintain the balance on the ship. Dawson eventually lost his life on board with other crew members.
2. The Elderly Couple in Titanic
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy of Everett Collection
3. PT Barnum’s past In The Greatest Showman
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy of Everett Collection
Her fate in real life is terrible. Heth was completely blind, couldn't move easily, and had a lot of health issues. Barnum still bought her on tour and showed her off despite her terrible health. She died just months after becoming part of Barnum's show. The sickest part is that Barnum was still able to make money out of her body after her death by hosting a live autopsy for paying customers.
4. The Romance In The Greatest Showman
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy of Everett Collection
5. Jeffrey Dahmer’s Glass In Dahmer
Source: Netflix / Courtesy of Everett Collection
It’s his own cowardly way of running away from his crimes. He didn’t want to face anyone and without his glass, he couldn't see anything clearly. “He’s not wearing glasses so that he can’t see people. He panics,” Shari Dahmer said.
6. The Officers In Dahmer
Source: Netflix / Courtesy of Everett Collection
7. The Number Of Soldiers In 300
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures / Courtesy of Everett Collection
King Leonidas’s insult to the Greeks calling them "boy lovers" is another detail that is very historically inaccurate. Spartans practiced a form of pederasty in their education system as a means of turning a boy into a warrior. The costumes in the movie, including the Spartan armor and King Xerxes’s look, are also horribly wrong.
8. The Whole Plot Of The Revenant
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy of Everett Collection
9. John Nash From A Beautiful Mind
Source: Universal Pictures / Courtesy of Everett Collection
And most of John Nash’s hallucinations weren’t visual hallucinations. They were more like delusions with some auditory hallucinations like hearing voices.
10. Princess Isabella of France From Braveheart
Source: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy of Everett Collection
Those are details that these “based on a true story” movies lie to you. Speaking of changing the original versions, these characters also look a lot different from their book versions. Check out their differences here.
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