People have always been captivated byhistorical movies, and it’s unlikely this will ever change. These films sweep audiences back in time, offering the opportunity to visit times long gone and meet people who formed history. However, they don’t often allow the audience to learn accurate details about that history.
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Many generally applauded historicalfilmstake a lot of liberty with history, changing both past events and people’s actions or characters to suit the plot’s purposes. From spinning false romances to excluding important people, many enjoyable historical films aren’t necessarily true to life.
Updated June 06, 2025, by Joseph Heindl:As fascinating as fiction is, facts can be just as exciting. History has seen countless events which could form epic tales in themselves, having all the drama that one could want from any story. Hollywood has definitely picked up on this with the myriad of historical films over the years. Despite the inherent emotion, though, some filmmakers still take liberties with what really happened.
They could so this for the sake of drama, narrative structure, or to simply make it more cinematic. What’s surprising is that this approach works in some cases, producinghistorical films which are as thrilling as they are intriguing. That said, viewers shouldn’t take them as an alternative to just reading a book.
16The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Based on a novel by Philippa Gregory,The Other Boleyn Girltells the story of the complicated love triangle between Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and her sister Mary. While it offers captivating performances and beautiful settings, it treats history very liberally.
For example, it presents Mary Boleyn as Anne’s younger sister, even though Mary was older than Anne. It also suggests that Mary had children with the king, even though that’s never been proved. Finally, it fails to mention that Mary’s romance with the king ended long before he started pursuing Anne.
15Shakespeare In Love (1998)
The Oscar-winningShakespeare in LoveAnother historical film based in the Tudor era that doesn’t follow history too closely. The romance between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps was not a true aspect of his life, but was created for the film.
At one point in the film, the Queen Elizabeth tells Viola’s future husband that Viola is no longer pure and has had a physical relationship with another man. That could have been enough to break the engagement but Viola’s fiancé pushes on and marries her regardless. This is despite the fact that it would mean risking raising children who were not his, which no nobleman of this time period would be willing to do.
14300 (2006)
It’s somewhat understandable thatZack Snyder’s action piece300doesn’t follow history closely, since it’s based on comics. Nevertheless, its basic premise and the title itself are all wrong.
The film follows the battle of 300 Spartan men against a much larger Persian army — except when the actual historical battle took place, there were thousands of warriors, not just 300. They were still outnumbered against their enemies, but not nearly by as much as the film would like the audience to believe.
13Braveheart (1995)
This is a common target for historical experts, and it certainly has plenty to pick on.Braveheartis now a classic and one ofMel Gibson’s most successful movies. Once again, however, it takes a lot of creative liberties with history. For example, it suggests that the main hero, William Wallace, was raised as a farmer but was a Scottish nobleman in real life. In keeping with these altruistic edits, the film frames Wallace’s motivation as retribution for his wife’s murder. While a noble cause, the actual Wallace must have had different reasons for his rebellion against England; his wife isn’t mentioned at all in any historical records or notes.
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The kilts are among the more egregious errors; they’re a few hundred years too early. However, their presence ultimately servesthe sensationalized version of the Scottish Highlands portrayed here. That also explains why the order of certain events are different.
Thankfully, Gibson makes up for that romanticism in key areas. He lends a visceral quality to both the large-scale action and close-quarters drama. These work in tandem with a script detailing a predictable-yet-poignant struggle for freedom. Even the most stalwart snobs may bawl their eyes out as a result.
12Amadeus (1984)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a brilliant composer, and Antonio Salieri was so jealous of him that he wished for his rival’s death. At least, that’s what the successful historical movieAmadeuswould like the audience to think. However, there’s no proof that Salieri ever plotted Mozart’s death or was so bitterly jealous.
Speaking of Mozart’s death, Salieri didn’t poison him; rather, Mozart died from the parasitic disease trichinosis. The real-life Salieri also had multiple children, unlike his film counterpart who gave up relationships for his music, resulting in unhappiness.
11The Private Life Of Henry 8 (1933)
UnlikeThe Other Boleyn Girl, this comedy movie gives space to several of Henry VIII’s wives, not just Anne Boleyn. What connects these films, on the other hand, is that they both pay very little mind to historical accuracy. For example, Charles Laughton played Henry as a gluttonous man who constantly flirted with ladies.
In real life, Henry VIII had very few publicly known affairs, as he prided himself on his discretion. The film also suggests that the king’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, wanted to divorce him to marry her lover. In real life, Henry was the one who initiated the divorce, and Anne never remarried.
10The Imitation Game (2014)
Afterhis iconic portrayal of Sherlock in the BBC seriesthat brought Benedict Cumberbatch fame, Cumberbatch shone in this film as the real-life genius, Alan Turing. But while Turing was indeed instrumental in deciphering the Enigma codes during World War Two, he didn’t do it alone as the film suggests.
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In fact, a whole team of people worked on cracking the German codes, since they very well knew it could turn the tide of war to their advantage. However, considering the film focuses primarily on Turing, it makes sense why it diminished the accomplishments of others to a certain degree.
9JFK (1991)
To be fair to director Oliver Stone and everyone who worked on the film, it was difficult, if not impossible, to make the story one hundred percent accurate. After all, it’s still unclear to this day what exactly happened on the day President Kennedy died. The film combines real-life events as well as conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination. However, it does differ in some ways that the public already knew of at the time of the filming.
For example, the film features a scene in which David Ferrie breaks down and confesses. In reality, Ferrie never acted this way.JFKalso suggested that Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy’s successor, had something to do with the assassination; however, this has never been proven.
8Apocalypto (2006)
Apocalyptoportrays the struggle of a group of people captured by Mayans, who are to be sacrificed. The biggest misconception lies in the somewhat harmful way the film portrays the Mayans. It presents them as a savage and barbaric people, determined to sacrifice the young people they captured.
This is different from their real-life behavior, as Mayans hardly ever made human sacrifices. If they did, it was as a punishment against traitors of noble standing, rather than innocent commoners.
7Marie Antoinette (2006)
The eye-catching costumes and Kirsten Dunst’s performance were enough to make the film enjoyable. However, it once again doesn’t follow history too closely. For example, it shows Marie Antoinette and her husband quickly becoming lovers.
In reality, it took them approximately seven years. The film also pays very little attention to the politics of this time. As such, it doesn’t explain why so many people dislike the young Marie Antoinette in the film.
