David Manley | 26 Jun 2016 3:08 a.m. PST |
Prompted by the recent discussion on good portrayals, any suggestions on the worst? I'd go for John Wayne as Ghengis Khan myself :) |
ZULUPAUL | 26 Jun 2016 3:25 a.m. PST |
Hook in Zulu, he was not a drunk or criminal, in fact I believe he was in a Temperance group. |
Old Contemptibles | 26 Jun 2016 3:29 a.m. PST |
George A. Custer in "They Died with Their Boots On". |
cosmicbank | 26 Jun 2016 4:26 a.m. PST |
Martin Sheen as Robert E Lee always seemed to be a little overdone. |
Mick in Switzerland | 26 Jun 2016 4:45 a.m. PST |
William Wallace in Braveheart / inspiring but far away from the historical person. |
Mute Bystander | 26 Jun 2016 5:20 a.m. PST |
Movies are entertainment but David Manley does start with a powerful example if that is a concern for people. |
Winston Smith | 26 Jun 2016 5:38 a.m. PST |
Laurence Olivier as MacArthur in Inchon. When asked why he took that role in a movie financed by the Unification Church, he replied "Why, for the money, dear boy. For the money." Apparently the only people who actual saw this bomb were film critics who universally hated it, and wargamers. I was one of them. I have no use at all for Mac, but even I thought he was ill served. |
TheBeast | 26 Jun 2016 5:59 a.m. PST |
While I'm no fan of Wayne, especially attempting any historical figure, David's is hard to top. Mention of Mac brought to mind Ike. While I was surprised how uncritical I was of the movie, I didn't care for Tom Selleck as Eisenhower. cosmicbank: Sheen a bit over, Duvall a bit under. Neither near 'worst', though I suppose my quibble about Ike fails the same. Doug |
John Treadaway | 26 Jun 2016 6:07 a.m. PST |
William Wallace/Mel Gibson: a ludicrously inaccurate, biased and dangerously (and deliberately, I think) incendiary representation of a complex historical figure. I can't imagine what they were thinking when they cast Gibson…. oh wait: I think I can! John T |
Gunfreak | 26 Jun 2016 6:26 a.m. PST |
I haven't seen Wayne as Khan. If i had he would be high on the list. I do have a problem with Tom Wilkinson as Cornwallis in the patriot. While he played him ok. The movie basically says Cornwallis condoned war crimes/murder of civilians. And unlike Travington/Tarleton, they didn't even bother giving him a fake name. So millions of stupid teenagers belive Cornwallis condoned murder of civilians. |
Jeigheff | 26 Jun 2016 7:13 a.m. PST |
I remember a TV mini-series about John Fremont, the "pathfinder." The series wasn't exactly overflowing with historical accuracy. It concluded with Fremont's supposed Civil War exploits. I never knew this, but according to this mini-series, Fremont was the only Union commander who actually wanted fight the Confederates! In one segment, Fremont got a talking-to from an angry President Lincoln who didn't want him stirring up any trouble with the enemy. So that particular portrayal of Lincoln is the worst one that comes to mind. |
Lou from BSM | 26 Jun 2016 7:44 a.m. PST |
When I read the topic, I immediately thought of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror". I was pleasantly surprised to see it as the first nominee!!! I would also submit Charlton Heston as Moses in "The Ten Commandments" |
Miniatureships | 26 Jun 2016 7:51 a.m. PST |
And I bet you if John Wayne would of known then what he knew later, he would have never agreed to do the movie. But, hey, Hollywood loves to give the viewers movies that are nothing more than jokes in order to get their money. |
miniMo | 26 Jun 2016 8:00 a.m. PST |
Despite the fact that he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role — Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar in Cleopatra (1963). |
Norman D Landings | 26 Jun 2016 8:05 a.m. PST |
"Zulu'"s awash with duff portrayals – Colour Sergeant Bourne shown as a grizzled veteran, when the genuine article was so young for the rank, his nickname was 'the Boy'. Bromhead – heavily bearded, deaf as a post, old for his rank after being passed over for promotion, and a "hopeless" officer. Hardly Michael Caine! I don't think Errol Flynn deserves panning for his portrayal of GAC – not in a world where Robert Shaw's godawful 'Custer of the West' exists. |
brass1 | 26 Jun 2016 8:06 a.m. PST |
The Duke as Genghis Khan has always been one of my favorite cinematic fewmets. To delve for a moment into the realm of the terminally asinine, how about "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter"?* LT *the only movie I ever worked on where I actually saw myself on the big screen. Please don't tell anyone. |
jedburgh | 26 Jun 2016 8:07 a.m. PST |
David Niven as Bonnie Prince Charlie |
zippyfusenet | 26 Jun 2016 8:31 a.m. PST |
I can't imagine what they were thinking when they cast Gibson…. oh wait: I think I can! I thought Gibson cast himself in Braveheart and Patriot, "they" had nothing to do with it. Thank Gawd he stayed off-screen in Apocalypto. |
Winston Smith | 26 Jun 2016 9:02 a.m. PST |
David Niven as Bonnie Prince Charlie. For a brief scary millisecond I thought you said David Bowie. |
brass1 | 26 Jun 2016 9:09 a.m. PST |
Here's a pair that slipped my mind: "Cromwell", featuring Richard Harris as Oliver Cromwell and Timothy Dalton as Prince Rupert. Cromwell with an Irish accent and Rupert as a fop from the French court with a little lap dog. LT |
Norman D Landings | 26 Jun 2016 9:34 a.m. PST |
Harris was infinitely more convincing as Cromwell than Tim Roth in 'To Kill a King'. |
fantail | 26 Jun 2016 9:35 a.m. PST |
The portrayal of William Murdoch(officer on the Titanic) in Titanic. Turned a brave man into a murderer. So bad the film studio apologised to his family and town. |
Norman D Landings | 26 Jun 2016 10:01 a.m. PST |
That's true enough, but the movie wasn't to blame there – they didn't start the story. Ever since the sinking there'd been a persistent rumour, supposedly based on multiple eye-witness accounts, of an officer who'd shot two men who tried to force their way into the lifeboats, then shot himself. Although this officer's identity was never established, it was always Murdoch's name that featured in most versions. Cameron simply repeated the most prevalent version of a pre-existing calumny. Lightoller, the First Mate, who survived the disaster, always said the story was accurate, but that Murdoch was not the officer in question. He refused to name the man he believed it to be. |
John Treadaway | 26 Jun 2016 10:43 a.m. PST |
I thought Gibson cast himself in Braveheart and Patriot That's kind of the point I was making…. although someone in the executive producer line up must have green lighted his appointment to those roles, but I suspect he deliberately choses his roles (and the films he now produces, including those in Aramaic) following a very personal agenda. It's a shame: I rather liked him in Mad Max 2. John T |
jurgenation | 26 Jun 2016 11:08 a.m. PST |
Walker,about the Nicauragua Fillibuster William walker in 1855,starring ed harris. |
Hafen von Schlockenberg | 26 Jun 2016 11:44 a.m. PST |
Worst casting choice ever: radioactive sand in "The Conqueror"! |
Bellbottom | 26 Jun 2016 12:00 p.m. PST |
Sorry to hijack, not a historical figure but a quote from 'King Richard and thee Crusaders' (1954) Lady Edith: War, war! That's all you ever think about, Dick Plantagenet! You burner, you pillager! |
attilathepun47 | 26 Jun 2016 1:18 p.m. PST |
It seems to me there are too many different ways to go with this. Worst acting? Weirdest miscasting? Most deliberate falsification of history or a person's real character. I can't argue that casting John Wayne as Genghis Khan seems totally off from today's perspective, but it was typical of Hollywood at that time. I do not recall a single Asian actor playing any other significant role in "The Conqueror." In terms of deliberate falsification in a recent movie, how about the portrayal of Sir Walter Raleigh leading the English to victory over the Spanish Armada in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (2007). Raleigh was not really even at sea, much less in command of any ships. However, "Braveheart" is certainly way up there too, and even less excusable given how compelling the real story was without any embroidery. |
The Virtual Armchair General | 26 Jun 2016 3:31 p.m. PST |
Going after Errol Flynn's Custer is a bit unfair given that he only did was asked of him by script and director. In 1940, GAC was still generally a "hero." Citing Robert Shaw's embarrassing performance as the eponymous "Custer of the West" (evidently so named to avoid confusion with Custers of the North, South, and East) is clearly the next better choice. Then again, a fine actor in most of his work, Shaw also played to a script written for a GERMAN production that is laughably off on uniforms and most other "real world" references. Staging Little Bighorn in a deep PINE FOREST seems to be a confusion with the Teutoburgerwald massacre. Ultimately, a performance can only be as good as the script allows. But if you want to equate a "Bad Performance" with vicious efforts at filmic character assassination, what can beat Richard Mulligan's GAC in "Little Big Man?" The tragedy is that for much (most?) of a generation which saw it, the cartoon version of a man as complicated as any other is all they have. It's an excellent film in all ways, rather like "Olympia" and "Triumph of The Will" are excellent films in their own ways. But propaganda is propaganda, from the left or the right. George Custer wasn't nearly as massacred at LBH as he was in LBM! TVAG |
WillieB | 26 Jun 2016 4:19 p.m. PST |
Powers Boothe as Flavius Attius. |
abelp01 | 26 Jun 2016 4:57 p.m. PST |
Chuck Heston as Gordon in Khartoum. |
Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 26 Jun 2016 5:50 p.m. PST |
Yahoo Serious as Albert Einstein in "Young Einstein" |
Norman D Landings | 26 Jun 2016 11:49 p.m. PST |
Any representation of Picahontas that portrays her as 'nubile exotic love interest' rather than '12-year-old child with shaved head'. |
Garryowen | 27 Jun 2016 5:26 a.m. PST |
The facts in They Died With Their Boots On were sure goofed up, but Errol Flynn captured the Custer persona better than any actor. Tom |
Liliburlero | 27 Jun 2016 10:13 a.m. PST |
I'd add Gregory Peck as Dr. Josef Mengele in "The Boys from Brazil" to the list. |
Dynaman8789 | 27 Jun 2016 11:55 a.m. PST |
> Yahoo Serious as Albert Einstein in "Young Einstein" That is heresy you speak! Next thing you know your going to be telling me that Einstein did NOT split the atom in order to put bubbles in beer… |
Old Contemptibles | 27 Jun 2016 12:36 p.m. PST |
Cosmicbank, Despite my initial doubts, I think Sheen pulled off the role of Lee very well. Kind of like when I heard that Michael Keaton was going to play Batman. I thought it wouldn't work but it did. Gary Owen, Flynn may have captured the "persona" of Custer, but not the actual historical figure. Not by a country mile. |
Old Wolfman | 28 Jun 2016 7:12 a.m. PST |
Peter Lorre as Nero and Dennis Hopper as a young Napoleon. in "The Story Of Mankind". |
Tom D1 | 28 Jun 2016 1:55 p.m. PST |
Everybody in "The Story of Mankind". What a weird movie! |
snurl1 | 01 Jul 2016 3:49 a.m. PST |
Steve Reeves as Hercules. |
Hafen von Schlockenberg | 01 Jul 2016 6:17 p.m. PST |
During the 90s "Surfer Dude" era,I started missing Steve Reeves. . . |
piper909 | 07 Sep 2017 2:34 p.m. PST |
Atia of the Julii in the "Rome" series, mother of Octavian/Augustus. Played admirably by Polly Walker, but the real person is described as pious and virtuous -- and died years before much of the Rome series action. |
Old Wolfman | 08 Sep 2017 12:59 p.m. PST |
Although Groucho Marx as Peter Minuit got me laughing("3 minutes,and leave 'em in the shell.") |
marco56 | 08 Sep 2017 8:59 p.m. PST |
Edward G Robinson was a Roman in a movie whose title I can't think of.Edward G Robinson in a toga is just too much. Mark |
Ottoathome | 10 Sep 2017 2:27 p.m. PST |
Marlene Dietrich as Catherine the Great in The Scarlet Empress. |
Cacique Caribe | 12 Sep 2017 12:21 p.m. PST |
John Wayne as Genghis Khan? So it did happen? Geesh I thought it was some awful nightmare or something I had imagined as a kid. Dan |
Old Contemptibles | 14 Sep 2017 10:25 a.m. PST |
Tommy Lee Jones as Douglas MacArthur. Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee. David Morse as George Washington. John Wayne as Genghis Khan. |
Henry Martini | 14 Sep 2017 2:10 p.m. PST |
The role that did him in… so it's commonly said. |