Watching movies is one of the best forms of entertainment these days. And when it comes to movies, costumes play a big role to make the film believable and look realistic – especially for films set in the past.
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Costumes help transform an actor into a character’s persona. And because of this, much detail is considered when it comes to costumes. But despite a big budget, some errors still exist. Read on to see which movies have costume mistakes.
Braveheart
There is no doubt that Braveheart is one of the most epic historical war drama films ever released in Hollywood history. The movie was set in the late 13th century and follows the story of William Wallace, a medieval Scottish patriot.
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But what most people did not know is that Mel Gibson’s iconic battle look is actually a mistake. The kilt he’s wearing was not yet around during the 13th century – in fact, the kilt was not created until 300 years later.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Harrison Ford film is considered to be one of the most iconic movies of the 20th century. Especially since it was released after the Star Wars original trilogy came out. But just because it is iconic does not mean it is perfect.
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As you can see, an extra in the background of this scene has on a t-shirt and jeans. It was a glaring contrast to what the other extras were wearing. Not only that but jeans were not even a thing in that timeline.
Captain America (The First Avenger)
The movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are one of the greatest things that happened to cinematic history. With such a huge fanbase, you would think they would be more conscious about staying relevant to the comics.
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But apparently, in Captain America (The First Avenger), Peggy Carter’s shoulder-length hair is a mistake. During WWII, female soldiers and special agents are required to keep their hair up – the hair should not touch the collar of their uniform.
Captain America (The First Avenger)
There is another costume mistake in Captain America (The First Avenger). The fact that it was set in the 1940s meant that there was no way wireless or wearable communicators exist in that period.
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Technology like these was not around until they were created in 2000. And no matter how you look at it, there is no sense of these soldiers having this technological advancement at that time.
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the fall is a movie whose story happened in the 1910s. In the film, Brad Pitt plays Tristan Ludlow, one of the main characters. And although Pitt is eye candy, his hair in the film was a mistake.
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Apparently, men during that era do not have that kind of hairstyle yet. Nobody was wearing it the way Pitt did in the film. The hairstyle is believed to start in the 1960s, a totally different time.
Troy
Troy is a movie based on the Trojan War. The epic historical war film got a lot of praises. Although they got most of the costumes right, especially the armor, there is one thing that made historians cringe – this umbrella.
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The thing is, this type of umbrella was not around during that period. In fact, it was invented until 800 years after the Trojan War. So you can say it was way off track and its presence in the scene does not make sense.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
When it comes to classic movies, Indiana Jones is a favorite. The 1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade follows the adventure of Indiana Jones as he sets out to rescue his father who vanished while searching for the Holy Grail.
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In the movie, we get to see Nazi officers who have shiny medals on their uniforms. The thing is, Germans did not have these types of medals until the later part of WWII. The movie was set in 1948 – a whole year before WWII started.
Pride and Prejudice
This movie is based on the popular classic novel of the same name written by Jane Austin. Nearly everyone has read it or watched the film. But the film also has its costume mistakes.
Source: Women Tales
Here, you can see that Keira Knightley has rubber Wellington boots under her dress. These boots were definitely not around during that period yet. Perhaps the costume designer thought it would not be noticeable under the long dress?
Julius Caesar
This movie was released during the 1950s so as you can see, it is pretty old. The film is still in black and white. But even this periodic film was not safe from making costume mistakes.
Source: Women Tales
Back in those days, bullet bras were the latest in women’s fashion. Women wore them everywhere. So it was funny when this fashion trend showed up in Julius Caesar, a movie that was set in 44 BC. Bras were not even a thing back then.
Almost Famous
This 2000 film is now considered a classic masterpiece. It was nominated for four academy awards. It follows a high school boy who gets to write for Rolling Stone magazine and go on tour with an up-and-coming rock band.
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Here, you can see that an extra in the background is wearing a Black Sabbath shirt. In general, this is not a major problem since the band was around during the 1970s. The problem is that this particular shirt was not released until 1997.
My Girl
This 1991 coming-of-age film deals with love and loss. Everyone adored the team up of child stars Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin. Take note that the story of the movie was set in the year 1972.
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In the movie, we see Chlumsky’s character getting a mood ring. Although mood rings were a trend during the 1970s, they were not created until 1975. Granted, it’s just three years so a lot of people missed this mistake.
Gladiator
Russel Crowe’s Gladiator is hailed to be iconic not only because of the mesmerizing storyline and filmotography but also because it was historically accurate. Well, most of the movie was.
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Historical costumes are not exactly the most comfortable. Here, Russel Crowe happened to wear lycra shorts as you can see in this picture. It was a light beige one to be on the safe side. But lycra was not yet around during that time.
The King’s Speech
This historical drama film was supposed to be set during the 1920s and the 1930s. It is mostly a historically accurate story about King George VI, which was portrayed by Colin Firth.
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But in one of the scenes, there is a costume mistake. Here, we see Colin Firth wearing a free-form Irish kilt. He should have been wearing a Scottish Balmoral-designed kit. Had this happened in real life, it would have been controversial.
Singin’ In the Rain
Released in 1952, this high-stepping musical became one of the most famous films of the 1950s. It had songs and dance routines that were fresh and captured the interest of the audience from start to end.
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As far as the costumes go, they did not bother to stay true to the timeline. The dresses the women wore in this film were far-fetched considering that the setting was in the 1920s. That is because all the dress designs were clearly from the 1950s.
Public Enemies
This film takes place during the Great Depression and follows the life of notorious bank robber John Dillinger. In this scene, we can see that Johnny Depp has a beautiful coat on but this type of coat does not exist at that time.
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A coat from that era would look heavier and hotter. However, this robe does look better than a historically accurate one. Choosing style over accuracy this time was a good move though since everybody wanted the same kind of robe when the film was released.
Pearl Harbor
This 2001 American war romance drama is acclaimed to be history coming alive on the big screen. It is no doubt one of the most epic historical films ever made. Unfortunately, the film had one major costume mistake.
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Here, you can see a group of women wearing skirts without any stockings on. If this happened in that period, it would be a scandalous fashion choice. Women from that era were not yet bold enough to show their bare legs.
The Untouchables
This film is set during the prohibition era in the 1920s and 1930s. It follows the story of how Al Capone slowly got control of Chicago in the shadows thanks to his successful illegal liquor business.
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The movie almost got everything right except for the costume. As can be seen in this picture, Kevin Costner has on a suit with lapels. It turns out suits during that era did not have lapels in them yet.
The Other Boleyn Girl
This movie was set in the 16th century when King Henry VII met Ann Boleyn. The film is just a fictionalized account of the lives of the aristocrats. It is not only accurate historically but it also has a few costume mistakes.
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For one, we see Natalie Portman, who played the role of Ann Boleyn, with her hair down. But during this period, women are not allowed to wear their hair this way – it would be considered scandalous and rebellious.
Gangs of New York
This star-studded historical drama film has gained numerous awards. The film had a lot of credibility given the cast was led by Leonardo DiCaprio, David Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, and Liam Neeson.
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The movie’s setting was in the 19th century. But there was a costume mistake when it comes to the uniforms of the firefighters. They had on modern uniforms – not historically accurate ones.
The Wedding Singer
This romantic comedy movie follows the story of a broken-hearted guy who works as a wedding singer. He then meets a waitress who recruits him to help her plan for her own wedding only for him to fall for her later on.
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Although a good love story, there was something wrong. Drew Barrymore’s hairstyle in this film is a popular 90s haircut – the short bob flip. The setting of the Wedding Singer is in 1985 so this hairstyle did not exist yet.
Gone with the Wind
This 1939 movie was derived from the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell. It is a famous epic Civil war drama that focuses on the life of Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara. As epic as the movie is, it is also known for its mistakes when it comes to historical accuracy.
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This screen capture shows an example of these inaccuracies. You can see a female character holding an electric lamp – the power chord can be seen in the shot. Lamps like these did not exist during the movie’s setting.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean is a well-loved movie franchise. Watching every film is like going on an adventure. And it was fun how Captain Jack Sparrow often evaded capture from the British soldiers.
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But in The Curse of the Black Pearl, the fact that the British soldiers were wearing red coats is historically wrong. The film’s timeline is set in 1720 and in history, the red coats only came out in 1747.
Saving Private Ryan
This movie is considered to be one of the best war films that Hollywood has ever produced. The story is set during the Battle of Normandy in WWII. The movie is not only packed with action but it also tugs at your heartstrings.
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Although epic, it was not exactly accurate. For instance, in this scene, we see soldiers wearing black boots. But these types of boots were created after WWII ended. So, it really should not be there.
Good Night and Good Luck
This movie is a historical drama set during the 1950s when Senator Joseph McCarthy began a campaign to root out communists in America. The story follows the conflicts between the senator and a TV journalist.
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Although the film was well praised for highlighting the importance of media responsibility, they got one thing wrong – name tags. Apparently, the name tags that they were using in the film did not come out until 1967.
Amadeus
This 1984 film centers on the life of genius musician and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The story focuses on his rivalry with Antonio Salieri, who resents Mozart for his talent and lifestyle.
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Here, we see the character of Salieri whose costume has a zipper on it. The thing is zippers were non-existent during Mozart’s time. In fact, they were only created about a hundred years after Mozart’s death.
Django Unchained
The works of talented director Quentin Tarantino are always something people look forward to. Django Unchained happened to be one of his most famous movies. But even Tarantino had a slip with this film.
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The fact that Django, played by Jamie Foxx, had on a pair of sunglasses makes it inaccurate considering that the film’s setting was two years before the Civil War started. There was no way sunglasses were available back then.
Catch Me If You Can
This biographical film follows the life of Frank Abagnale Jr. – a master of deception, brilliant forger, and elusive conman. The film is based on Abagnale’s 1980 autobiography of the same title.
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The story of this film was set in the 1960s so it was a surprise to see the cute and adorably shy Amy Adams wearing braces. Back then, braces were not a thing yet until they were created during the 1970s.
American Hustle
With over ten Academy Awards nominations, there is no doubt that American Hustle is a great and epic film. But despite the numerous accolades, the black comedy crime film also had its share of inaccuracies.
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The story in this film was set in the late 1970s. But here, you can see one of the characters uses a Rolex watch. The problem with that is that this particular Rolex model was not designed until 2010.
The Color Purple
This 1985 historical drama is an epic coming-of-age story based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The story was set in the early 20th century and captures the problems African-American women had during that time.
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In this particular scene, you can notice that Danny Glover has Albert clips on his tie. The thing is, this fashion accessory was not invented yet during that period. In fact, they were created 12 years later.
Glory
This 1989 American historical war drama follows the formation of a unit that was first limited to doing menial manual tasks but later on finds its way to the heat of the battlefield. It is considered to be one of the best films about the Civil War.
Source: Women Tales
This means that the movie was set in the 1860s. Yet in this screen capture, we see someone wearing a digital watch. This would be impossible for that timeline since wristwatches were not even around until the 1920s.
