Quadrophenia (1979)
Then there’s the Motorhead t-shirt – a band that hadn’t yet formed, and the billboard advertising the movie ‘Heaven Can Wait’ which wasn’t released until 1978.
The Untouchables (1987)
The Canadian flag seen on the liquer crates has a maple leaf, featured on the flag since 1850 – but not this 10-point leaf designed for the modern-day Canadian flag, which first appeared in 1965.
Other gaffes include a row of 1980s vehicles in the background, the use of Cellotape – invented in 1937 – in a 1930 scene, and Ness smoking filtered cigarettes that weren’t available at the time.
Gladiator (2000)
The cell where Maximus is kept between Gladiatorial fights has a padlock on the door – these didn’t appear until the mid-19th century and originated in America, based on Scandenavian designs.
The lock wasn’t perfected until the mid 1920s.
Among other anachronisms found in the film are tractor tyre tracks at Maximus’ farm, inaccurate Roman dress, and the fact that Gladiators didn’t wear helmets for another 700 years.
The Green Mile (1999)
The film, based on the short by Stephen King, is set in Louisiana in 1935 and shows executions carried out by electrocution – with the death of Michael Jeter’s character Eduard in the Electric Chair being particularly gruesome.
However, in 1935 the method of execution in Louisiana was hanging – the legislature changed the method to electrocution about five years later in 1940.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Too many to list, so we’ll focus on signs and logos. A modern Carl's Jr restaurant is seen in the background during the hotel scene, a restaurant that wasn’t operating in El Paso in 1980.
Wells Fargo Bank can also be seen, a bank that didn’t operate in Texas in 1980. Modern signs for Wendy’s and Domino’s Pizza also feature, as does the modern packaging for Jack Link's Beef Jerky.
