Historical Impossibility? (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Morton]

Having gone to extraordinary lengths in its search for historical accuracy, the rather racy BBC epic 'Rome' really shot itself in the foot during this week's programme.

In a scene set inside an otherwise authentic-looking Roman villa a cockatiel in a cage was clearly shown, together with what looked and sounded suspiciously like budgerigars in a number of other cages in the same room.

Assuming that the Roman Empire didn't stretch quite as far as Australia, has anyone else noticed any similar historical inaccuracies in other programmes?

Anthony

 

[Woody]

Having gone to extraordinary lengths in its search for historical accuracy, the rather racy BBC epic 'Rome' really shot itself in the foot during this week's programme.

In a scene set inside an otherwise authentic-looking Roman villa a cockatiel in a cage was clearly shown, together with what looked and sounded suspiciously like budgerigars in a number of other cages in the same room.

Assuming that the Roman Empire didn't stretch quite as far as Australia, has anyone else noticed any similar historical inaccuracies in other programmes?

Anthony

The constant use of Harris' hawks as falconry birds in almost anything medieaval, ahhrrrghhh!

One of my favourites was watching Henry the eighth, as played by Ray Winston, galloping alongside a barbed wire fence, He He He!

Woody

 

[Anthony Morton]

The constant use of Harris' hawks as falconry birds in almost anything medieaval, ahhrrrghhh!

One of my favourites was watching Henry the eighth, as played by Ray Winston, galloping alongside a barbed wire fence, He He He!

Woody

Hi Woody,

That's exactly the kind of historical cock-up I was thinking of. Brilliant!

Another of my favourites was the biblical epic where God/Moses/Abraham (sorry, can't think which!) was sitting on the throne with his hands cupped around the ends of the armrests - clearly showing fingers heavily stained with nicotine. Clang! :smoke:

Anthony

 

[Bill@dwp]

Look at any of the Tarzan films, they are littered with all sorts of animal oddities for the African jungle. Indian elephants strike me as the most obvious.

I seem to remember someone on BF commenting about the latest Batman film where a chiffchaff can be clearly heard.

I was also watching last years Last of the summer wine christmas special where they are wandering around in with Father chrismas suits on trying to make themselves heard over the screeching swifts flying above.

 

[Tannin]

Was it The Party? The immortal Peter Sellers playing an Indian tribesman on the Khyber Pass, circa 1880, sheaking up on a British sentry to cut his throat ..... wearing a shiny new Rolex watch. Of course, that one was part of the script, but delightful nevertheless.

 

[KnockerNorton]

Few British period dramas (Edwardian, Victorian) are complete without the soundtrack of collared doves popping up somewhere.

Kookaburras calling in just about any jungle scene too. And chimpanzees.

 

[kevtubb]

Christmas Gaffe

And for a seasonal clanger in the film A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart as the lead, the scene where he meets the Ghost of Christmas past complete with snow on the ground you can distinctly hear the sound of Swifts overhead. Swifts in December!

 

[cheshirebirder]

I'm sure the BBC has some bird tapes it uses to dubb over some of their programmes - bee-eaters calling seems to pop up frequently.

 

[walwyn]

Look at any of the Tarzan films, they are littered with all sorts of animal oddities for the African jungle. Indian elephants strike me as the most obvious.

Most snakes in films are Indian or Burmese Pythons regardless of which continent the location is meant to be.

 

[Edward]

Masked Lapwings pop up as background noises in the Lord of the Rings films. Do they have Masked Lapwings in Middle Earth? I'm not sure. Perhaps some Tolkienite could put me straight.

E

 

[Adey Baker]

American Robin in Mary Poppins although that's not 'historical' I suppose...

 

[postcardcv]

Masked Lapwings pop up as background noises in the Lord of the Rings films. Do they have Masked Lapwings in Middle Earth? I'm not sure. Perhaps some Tolkienite could put me straight.

E

of course they did, but it's quite a rarity - the whole destroying the ring thing was just an excuse for a bit of twitching... you know hobbits, avid listers

 

[Johnny1]

It always amazes me in these "historical" plays and even in some documentary type programmes about ancient Britain how many of them show hunting scenes with Harris Hawks in them.

 

[Dimitris]

Masked Lapwings pop up as background noises in the Lord of the Rings films. Do they have Masked Lapwings in Middle Earth? I'm not sure. Perhaps some Tolkienite could put me straight.

E

They had three species of Swan in Middle Earth....

http://alt-tolkien.com/r13swans.html


(scroll down the real species to find the fictional...)

Also they had Giant Eagles (New Zealand)

Robins
Songthrushes
Ravens
Kokakos (Clearly heard in the last movie when the elves are leaving)
Saddlebacks etc.

Oh and Bluebirds or Rainbow Buntings or something similar.

Anyone fancy a birding trip to Middle Earth?


Merry X-mas,

Dimitris

 

[Curtis Croulet]

Probably thousands of movies involving outdoor night scenes, regardless of locale (Europe, Africa), include the sounds of distant Pacific Treefrogs (Hyla regilla), which are found naturally only on the west coast of North America. American popular culture has adopted "ribbit-ribbit" as the standard sound made by frogs, and any movie or TV show showing even a Bullfrog (the large American frog Rana catesbiana) is likely to accompany the scene with "ribbit-ribbit" sounds, even though this sound is characteristic only of the Pacific Treefrog.

 

[London Birder]

thought I heard a Morepork in one nightime scene in one of the Lord of the Rings flicks

 

[ta brandreth]

While were on the subject-how DO you tell a first winter Nazgul??

 

[Mickymouse]

If you like this kind of stuff try http://www.slipups.com/ it's a good way of wasting a bit time.

Mick

 

[Anthony Morton]

Rather late I'm afraid, but the 'Rome' programme is being repeated on BBC 1 TV at 11.25 p.m. tonight (Friday).

Anthony

 

[RecoveringScot]

American Robin in Mary Poppins although that's not 'historical' I suppose...

In an episode of 'Columbo' set in New England, Bette Davis. an onithological murderess, claims she was outdoors at the time 'listening to the Nightingales' though I suppose that's geographical, not historical.