# What was the most anachronistic thing you've seen in a fictional work that wasn't intentional or an accident? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956 "2021-11-08T03:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/101 "2021-11-09T16:39:16Z")
I have a cousin who went through that; Morris Bierbrier, an established Egyptologist, was brought in to consult on the 2005 film _Kingdom of Heaven_. He told me he spent most of his time talking to one of the child actors and virtually none on consulting. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/102 "2021-11-09T16:41:42Z")
A lot of bread-eating ancient societies had tooth decay problems from sand and stone getting into the flour during milling. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/103 "2021-11-09T16:51:13Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > The dentist basically replied, and I’ve never dug much into it, that “some people just don’t really get cavities.” I’m in the same boat. Had braces as a kid, but other than that, almost no dental problems at all, and other than brushing my teeth daily, I don’t have much of a tooth care routine. I basically didn’t go to the dentist at all through my 20s, and when I finally got an appointment after a decade of neglect, my dentist seemed morally offended that my only issue was a ton of built up plaque. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/104 "2021-11-09T17:01:52Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No, but he does call him “professor” at one point, which is what you might be thinking of. Possibly, for all my geek credentials I haven’t got an encyclopaedic knowledge of Star Wars and that may indeed be a false memory. “thanks Einstein” is what I remember. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/105 "2021-11-09T17:07:34Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I have a cousin who went through that; Morris Bierbrier, an established Egyptologist, was brought in to consult on the 2005 film _Kingdom of Heaven_. He told me he spent most of his time talking to one of the child actors and virtually none on consulting. The Ridley Scott film? What was an Egyptologist doing consulting on that film? Something like 90% of the movie is set in and around Middle Age Jerusalem, the remained is set in Middle Age France, and I think like one scene might be set at a port city in Middle Age Italy. What was an Egyptologist consulting on? [Not at all saying you or your friend are not being truthful, just curious.] I have actually heard a great many set experts complain about being ignored, but I also think sometimes they may have unrealistic expectations or understanding about what a movie / tv show is actually trying to be. Even films that want to hew to some level of realism, their core goal is to be entertaining and make money. When the creative team comes up with designs and plot points that work to that effect, sometimes all the production is really looking for from a period expert is confirmation that it’s not crazy unrealistic. That perception is **way different** for a typical moviegoer versus a historian or expert in the field. What they are often looking for out of an expert is feedback that might make them think “hm, this is so far off the base it may actually be obvious to a lot of viewers and make the production look bad”, so there’s a lot of feedback that may point out something is not period, that the producers will realize 90% of the audience won’t care about, and further–following the creative vision is likely to produce happier audiences or audiences that better enjoy the film. A historical consultant may sometimes feel ignored, but that doesn’t actually mean they served no purpose on the film. _Their_ interpretation of their purpose may have been “to keep the film as historically accurate as possible”, but the producers may see them more as “a warning system in case we veer so far off course that it might cause us problems.” _Braveheart_ won several Oscars and is probably one of the most historically inaccurate films ever made, certainly the most historically inaccurate big budget historical film in the last 30 years. But I enjoyed it then, and I still enjoy it. Why? Because it is epic, action packed, fun, entertaining, and it’s a big spectacle. It reminds me of a modern-day version of Kubrick’s classic _Spartacus_, which from a much earlier era (1960), may actually beat Braveheart in historical inaccuracy–but Spartacus was great for the same reasons Braveheart was great. I’m not sure that better historical accuracy would significantly improve either film. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/106 "2021-11-09T17:53:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > > [@Miller](#): > > > > No, but he does call him “professor” at one point, which is what you might be thinking of. > > Possibly, for all my geek credentials I haven’t got an encyclopaedic knowledge of Star Wars and that may indeed be a false memory. “thanks Einstein” is what I remember. If that had been true that would be much more of a “thing” in SW fandom. As it is “What’s a duck?” is probably the closest and that in and of itself is a pretty obscure reference. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/107 "2021-11-09T18:11:28Z")
If it’s the one I’m thinking of the M1911 pistols depicted in WW2 are actually 1980s versions as can be distinguished by their 8 round flush magazines and cutouts for accessories. Let’s not even get into the fact red dot sights that weren’t invented until 1974 show up on bolt action rifles. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/108 "2021-11-09T18:34:03Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Great kilts are period > > No, they’re not. According to [this site](https://www.authenticvacations.com/top-ten-secrets-about-kilts/#:~:text=The%20first%20mention%20of%20kilts,the%20early%2018th%20century.): > The first mention of kilts is in 1538. They were worn as full-length garments by Gaelic-speaking Scots Highlander men. The knee-length kilt that we see today didn’t come around until the early 18th century. Wallace died in 1305. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/109 "2021-11-09T18:52:26Z")
The great Kilt came in somewhere in the 1500’s, but was a development of the wool cloak, aka plaid aka brat which goes back like a millennium or two. The short dress kilt was as you say. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/110 "2021-11-09T19:18:50Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > They totally ignored everything she ever said, and every bit of advice she ever gave, even things that were very easy to do, and that wouldn’t have cost them extra. > > She asked for her name to be removed from the credits, due to damage to her reputation – but they included her name in the credits anyway. As Ellen Smithee? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/111 "2021-11-09T19:47:22Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > As Ellen Smithee?   Her name is Kathleen Coleman. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/112 "2021-11-09T20:02:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The great Kilt came in somewhere in the 1500’s So, _not_ period for Braveheart, then. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/113 "2021-11-09T22:57:24Z")
I was watching an episode of the British cop show “Grantchester” the other. It was specifically mentioned that the show was set in 1957. One of the scenes involved a white woman having lunch with a Pakistani man. I can’t think that would ever have been ignored by the other customers. There was also a black woman eating by herself in the background. I wonder if England was that advanced at the time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/114 "2021-11-10T00:04:34Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I wonder if England was that advanced at the time. I think it was. There are lots of stories of Americans in the UK during and after WWII and the locals being disgusted that some Americans expected places to be segregated. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/115 "2021-11-10T00:52:57Z")
Yes. John McWhorter goes into the changes of American cussing over time in great detail in [Nine Nasty Words](https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Nasty-Words-English-Forever/dp/0593188799/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Q2P9PVZLG4I8&keywords=nine+nasty+words+john+mcwhorter&qid=1636505341&sprefix=nine+nasty+words%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-1), which is a great book every Doper will probably enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/116 "2021-11-10T01:44:50Z")
Number one bestseller in the study of pornography on Amazon, huh? Makes my career look like a complete waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/117 "2021-11-10T02:24:40Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > As for the modern Canadian flag, I can’t specifically recall seeing it; generally you see the Union Jack portrayed. That reminds me of another one, in the movie The Untouchables. There’s one scene where the G-Men are smashing up cases of liquor smuggled in from Canada, and you know it’s Canadian, because the crates have the maple leaf from the Canadian flag printed on the side. However, while maple leaves have been used as an unofficial symbol of Canada for quite some time, [the particular stylized image on the flag wasn’t used until the 1960s, when the current flag replaced the Red Ensign as the official flag of Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada#Great_Flag_Debate). There’s apparently some debate over who used this style of maple leaf first, but everything points to the first use being in the 60s. > **[Canada's Four Corners - The Eleven Point Maple Leaf - Canada Flag](https://web.archive.org/web/20120211115022/http://www.canadasfourcorners.com/cfc/index.html)** > > Canada's Four Corners The Eleven Point Maple Leaf Flag of Canada written by Jack Cook. How many Canadians have counted the number of points on the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag? How many Canadians counted the Flag's points when it first flew in 1965?... ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/118 "2021-11-10T03:57:56Z")
“Alan Smithee” is the name in the credits for someone who doesn’t want to be associated with the production. I took “Ellen Smithee” to be a fun take on that. > **[Alan Smithee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee?wprov=sfla1)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Alan Smithee (also Allen Smithee) is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined in 1968 and used until it was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) when directors, dissatisfied with the final product, proved to the satisfaction of a guild panel that they had not been able to exercise creative control over a film. The director was also ... ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/119 "2021-11-10T04:07:24Z")
[deleted] ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2021, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/120 "2021-11-10T04:13:26Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > > > I wonder if England was that advanced at the time. > > I think it was. There are lots of stories of Americans in the UK during and after WWII and the locals being disgusted that some Americans expected places to be segregated. Hard to say. I think it was mostly because white GIs openly viewed blacks in uniform as second-class citizens, rather than comrades. Back in the '70s, I encountered a lot of latent racism in England, especially in northern cities like Bradford, which was already heavily South Asian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956.md?page=7)