Best biography movie factual errors of all time

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I'm Not There. picture

Factual error: The phone at the Peacocks house is too modern for the time - the cord going into the handset had a clip in cord versus being attached directly to the piece.

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Get Rich or Die Tryin' picture

Factual error: In the movie, Marcus is out of high school, probably in his late teens, early 20's. Going by 50 cent's age, this would probably put the movie back in the mid 90's. When he flashes back, he's younger, put it in the late 80's. Well, in one sequence when he's young, he's playing with friends and has on red and white low Air Jordan 2's on. These were not made in this color until 2004. Same in another sequence when he's talking to Majestic while eating fast food, he's wearing some white and green Air Jordan 4's, which also didn't come out til 2004, which in fact is when the movie was filmed.

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The Buddy Holly Story picture

Factual error: When Buddy and the musicians tour bus is towed to the Clear Lake Auditorium for the final concert before the fatal air crash, the canopy states that the concert is on the 3rd of February. The fatal accident that took Buddy, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens occurred at 1am on 3rd February 1959 so the canopy should have read 2nd February.

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Lady Jane picture

Factual error: The film strongly implies that John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, keeps his head (literally) by converting to Catholicism. In fact, he was executed well before Lady Jane Grey was.

meburste

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MacArthur picture

Factual error: Just after the start of the Korean War, McArthur places a map of Korea on the hood of a jeep to explain to a subordinate general his plans to invade Inchon. The map shows the boundary of North and South Korea not along the 38th parallel, which was the border at the time (1950), but along today's DMZ - not established until the Korean armistice was signed in 1953.

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King of Kings picture

Factual error: At the end of the film, Mary Magdalene approaches Jesus just as he has arisen from his tomb, at first shocked that he has arisen. As Jesus is talking to her and motioning with his hands, it is plainly clear that he has no nail marks/stigmata, when he should have. (See John 20: 24-29, where-in the resurrected Jesus shows "Doubting Thomas" the nail prints in his hands.)

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Music Within picture

Factual error: When Richard asks Art his opinion of his book, a copy of "Haymarket Scrapbook" is on a shelf. This book was first published in 1986, yet Richard's book will be published in 1981. (01:03:00)

johnrosa

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Mrs. Brown picture

Factual error: The queen's maid tells Brown that the queen is currently reading 'Lord Tennyson.' That would be difficult in 1864, as Tennyson did not accept a peerage until the early 1880s.

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Walk the Line picture

Factual error: Towards the beginning of the film, the Cashes receive a notice about their rent. It's the 1950's and the address has a ZIP code. ZIP codes were not introduced until 1963.

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Warm Springs picture

Factual error: The song "I Won't Dance" was not written until the early-'30s, at least six years after the time it was shown being used in the film. However, it is still performed in the dining room scene.

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The Express picture

Factual error: There are Velcro straps holding the pads on the blocking sled, and there is an end zone goal post with one base. Both of these items did not exist until the late 60s.

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Florence Foster Jenkins picture

Factual error: Women's stockings had seams in 1944. When people are dancing at the party in Bayfield's apartment, the backs of women's legs appear in enough shots to show that their stockings, anachronistically, are seamless.

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The Diary of Anne Frank picture

Factual error: Anne Frank received her diary on her birthday, and started writing on it 1 month before she went into hiding. In the movie however, she is presented with the diary on the first she arrives at the hiding place.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Since this movie is based on actual events and not considered a documentary, then the film-makers are allowed to change things to their liking.

lartaker1975

While I feel like this sort-of correction could apply to certain elements of movies based on true stories like dramatized scenes (since there has to be some condensation of time and some elements boosted for drama, which can be chalked up to filmmakers changing things), I think a film based on a true story contradicting a known hard fact like this should 100% count as a mistake. Otherwise, you could just as easily argue that any factual error in any film is invalid because the filmmakers are "allowed to change it."

TedStixon

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Wild picture

Factual error: In the close-up shots as she reaches her destination at the end of the trek you can see streaked highlights in her hair right back to the roots. If she had been trekking for three months they would have grown out quite a long way, given the lack of regular salons in the wilderness.

thatchway

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The Theory of Everything picture

Factual error: The view from the aircraft Jane is flown home from France in shows the modified double engine pod of the 747 famously at Dunsfold Airfield, Surrey. Also a late livery grey RAF VC-10 parked in the distance. Also the engines of the plane she is in are upgrades and not right for the year it is supposed to be happening. (01:23:20)

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Shock and Awe picture Shock and Awe mistake picture

Factual error: In a picture from the UN headquarters in New York in the year 2003 you see two German flags. The German Democrativ Republic hasn't existed since 1990. (01:16:04)

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Fighting with My Family picture

Factual error: The scenes set at Wrestlemania XXX (2014) were filmed at a RAW show in 2018 - fans are visible in the background wearing wrestling merchandise more recent than 2014.

Jon Sandys

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Flash of Genius picture

Factual error: The scene that takes place at the Ford release of their 1971 models has two Mustangs driving to the event. The one in front is obviously a 1973.

afcop_3ggt

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Julie & Julia picture

Factual error: Julia Child's address on the envelope that she received from publishing company Alfred A Knopf contains a zip code. The envelope contains a letter informing Julia that Knopf wanted to publish her cookbook. That first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was first published in 1961. The US Post Office didn't initiate zip codes until 1963.

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