Studios recently have been putting a lot of stock into authenticity, and whenever their movie projects cover a setting that’s either foreign or historical, they like to play up how much research they’ve put into things. Despite this, there are a few settings that just always seem to slip through the cracks of the research team, often leading to a lot of odd choices or glaring inaccuracies.
Casinos
Casinos are among the most frequently misrepresented settings in movies. Anyone familiar with the casino environment will know that there are a lot of small traditions and etiquette that have to be followed, and a lot of game rules to know as well. For instance, while it initially seems like European roulette offered by Betfair and most other large providers is fundamentally the same as the American version, veterans would know that because of the way the rules are built, the European version has slightly better odds for the player.
The part that Hollywood seems to get wrong the most is just how it goes for dramatization. A prime example of this is the Casino Royale poker scene, where James Bond improbably wins with a straight flush against two full houses and a flush in a single hand – a scenario so statistically unlikely it borders on fantasy. This kind of exaggeration might heighten the drama, but would definitely leave knowledgeable players rolling their eyes.
The Wild West
For decades, the Western genre dominated Hollywood, and for lots of people this portrayal of cowboys and gunfighters became the standard. Stars like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are iconic as stoic, rough anti-heroes dispensing justice in a lawless land, but most historians agree that movie depictions are remarkably far from the truth.
Some of the most egregious examples include the epic The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, with experts pointing out that Eastwood and company use weapons that make no sense like Gatling guns and mortars. It isn’t just in older Westerns either, and while few people would accuse Quentin Tarantino of being a stickler for historical accuracy, Django Unchained doesn’t even give history a glance.
Ireland
It’s one of the most enduring mysteries of cinema that, despite a massive Irish diaspora in the United States, Hollywood has managed to miss the mark on portrayals of Ireland on so many occasions. The legacy of incredibly poor efforts go back to the 1960s with Darby O’Gill and The Little People, but it’s also apparently still happening today, with recent film Wild Mountain Thyme being mocked incessantly.
It isn’t just the accents, either, although those are routinely poor efforts at best. For some reason, depictions of Ireland simply never got out of the ‘paddywhackery’ stage of stereotypes, right down to re-haired characters doing little jigs in tartan clothes. A simple trip to Ireland would do wonders for a lot of directors.
Finding the Balance
While artistic license lets filmmakers enhance the fantastical elements of their stories, it’s undeniable that Hollywood often misses the mark when it comes to certain settings. From misrepresenting casinos to perpetuating myths about the Wild West and Ireland, the industry does often sacrifice accuracy for drama.
Perhaps future productions will invest in getting these details right, but for now we’ll have to enjoy Hollywood’s version of different realities with a healthy pinch of salt.
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