Historical errors return to the blog, this time we bring small details of the recent and criticized series Those About to Die, the usual on these pages Gladiator or the biopic about the creator of Frankenstein.
1. The Rebel Empress (Marie Kreutzer, 2023)
It is a biopic about Elizabeth of Bavaria, known as “Sisi” (or “Sissi”), who became Empress of Austria after marrying Emperor Franz Joseph I. Played by Vicky Kriepshas a major historical flaw that cannot possibly have gone unnoticed by writer-director Marie Kreutzer.
In the final moments of the film, the empress, who had experienced tragic moments, such as the suicide of her only son and heir Rodolfo or the dramatic death of her sister in the cinema incense at the Paris Charity Bazaardecides to end his life by throwing himself over the side of a ship. Actually the empress was murdered by an Italian anarchist, Luigi Lucheni. On September 10, 1898, he fatally stabbed him next to Lake Geneva.
2. The King (David Michôd, 2019)
It is the story of Henry V (Timothée Chalamet) who becomes king after the death of his father Henry IV, but who does not show much interest in the throne despite the fact that the country faces numerous internal and external conflicts (you can expand on Historical cinema for the weekend… ‘The King’).
The error refers to his brother Thomas Plantagenet (Dean-Charles Chapman), 1st Duke of Clarence. The film shows that his death in battle occurs before the death of his father Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn), and therefore the accession of his brother to the throne. However, Thomas actually died in March 1421 and Henry V had already been king for eight years, since March 1413.
3. Those About to Die (Robert Rodat, 2024)
It is the recent series inspired by the times of the emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins) and his sons Titus and Domitian, the three components of the Flavian Dynasty that ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD.
Although the series is entertaining, it has a weak script and certainly little historical accuracy, which is why it will be common in our errors section. We start with a bug that can go unnoticed. At the beginning of the second episode, Vespasian decides on his successor between his two sons while sitting in his office. Next to him appears a bust that appears to be Caracallasomething impossible since the second emperor of the Severa Dynasty reached the imperial throne in the year 198, that is, more than a century after Vespasian.
4. Mary Shelley (Haifaa Al-Mansour, 2017)
This is the biopic about the novel writer played by Elle Fanning. In the plot, Mary Shelley and the rest of her friends accept Lord Byron’s challenge to write the most terrifying novel, and thus comes Frankenstein (whose original title was Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus).
In the film the narrator of the gothic novel is referred to as “Doctor Frankenstein” but in reality Victor Frankenstein was a medical student obsessed with science and anatomy, but at no point in the novel does he appear as a doctor or doctor. The idea of referring to him as “Doctor Frankenstein” came from the cinema, with the films of the 1930s. Universal starring Boris Karloff.
5. Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
This is a similar error to the previous one. In the film starring Russell Crowe, everyone refers to the “Colosseum” but really at the end of the second century no one called it that way but rather what it was baptized, Antifeatro Flavioin homage to Flavius Vespasiano who was the one who designed it and began its construction (completed and inaugurated with his son Titus).
Although this is an error that may go unnoticed by many, it really began to be called the Colosseum many centuries later. The reason for the name is because of a huge bronze statue of emperor Nero as sun god (now disappeared), a colossus, which was located in the area chosen for the construction of the amphitheater. Although there are earlier references, the name of the Colosseum spread especially from the 11th century onwards.
If you want to know more, I recommend Questions and answers about the Colosseum in Rome.
That’s all for this installment, but it will continue…
