How on Earth Did That Get in Here! Quiz

Answer: Spartacus

Spartacus, a slave from Thrace, leads a revolt of the slaves in his gladiator school, which quickly spreads across Italy. The slaves initially defeat the Roman army sent to quell their rebellion, but ultimately are unable to defy the might of Crassus' army. Wristwatches can be seen on a number of extras, most notably on the wrist of Tony Curtis, who played Antoninus, slain by Spartacus in the film's culmination duel. 'Spartacus' appears on many lists of the top 100 films, and has received many awards , including Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Peter Ustinov as Batiatus, owner of the gladiator school where the rebellion started); Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Color; Best Cinematography, Color; and Best Costume Design, Color.

Despite all this recognition, there are a number of anachronisms in the film. If you look closely, you can see a truck in the background of one of the battle scenes, some of the slaves sporting sneakers as well as wristwatches, and the use of steel shovels rather than the wooden ones that would have been used at the time.

Answer: The Godfather

'The Godfather', released in 1972, was the first film in a trilogy dealing with the Corleone family and their rise to power in the American underworld, based on an original novel by Mario Puzo. This first installment is generally considered to be one of the best films ever made, and quotations from it have entered into everyday use, including the concept of making someone an offer he can't refuse (which was followed by the grisly horse's head in the bed scene). The plot follows the wars involved in the power struggle between Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) and the other leaders of New York area crime families, and the eventual accession to leadership of his son Michael (played by Al Pacino), whose fortunes we follow in the subsequent movies.

Other anachronisms in the film include wine bottles labeled with a wine classification system that was not used until 1963, well after the film ended in 1955.

Answer: The Who

The original rock opera dwelt on the experiences of a teenager with four distinct personalities, and was set in London and Brighton during 1965. The film follows Jimmy Cooper as he hangs around with his Mod friends and gets involved in a series of violent fights with Rockers. He finds and loses love, is kicked out of home, loses his job, and discovers that he had been idolizing 'Ace Face' (played by Sting), a charismatic leader who turned out to be a bellboy rather than a rebel leader.

The film is not a straight production of the rock opera, but it does use a lot of the music from The Who to set the ambience. Since the film is set in 1965, the inclusion of songs that were not yet released at that time was slightly anachronistic (although they were only a few years off, so at this distance in time the anachronism is not as apparent as it seemed at the time). In addition, you can see someone wearing a Motorhead t-shirt, when that band did not form until 1975, and a billboard advertising 'Heaven Can Wait', a movie that was released in 1978.

Answer: The Untouchables

Kevin Costner starred as Elliot Ness, the man who assembled a team of young officers (known as the Untouchables) who had not yet been corrupted by Al Capone (Robert de Niro), the gangster who had almost completely taken over running the city of Chicago. As is well known, Capone's downfall came because his accountant Walter Payne (Jack Kehoe) provided evidence of the cash flow through the criminal organisation, leading to Capone's conviction for income tax fraud. After all the violence and brutality of the film, it came as almost an anticlimax.

Other anachronisms in this film include a shot that includes 1980's cars in the background, and Elliot Ness smoking filter-tipped cigarettes, which were not commercially available at that time.

Answer: Jim Lovell

The three astronauts on Apollo 13 were James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, played respectively by Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton. The story of their struggle for survival following an oxygen tank's explosion midflight (and the subsequent loss of a number of crucial systems) was dramatic in real life, and Ron Howard was scrupulous in his recreation of the events, using actual transcripts and recordings from NASA as the basis for his script. Of course, the famous line 'Houston, we have a problem' is not exactly what was said at the time, but is a neat encapsulation of the original:

Swigert: I believe we've had a problem here.
Houston: This is Houston, say again please.
Lovell: Ah, Houston, we've had a problem.

Answer: The Green Mile

'The Green Mile' is mostly shown as a flashback, after we see an old man named Paul Edgecombe (played by Dabbs Greer) start to cry during a movie which brings back memories of an eventful year in his life. The young Paul Edgecombe (Tom Hanks) worked as a prison guard on Death Row when John Coffey (played by Michael Clarke Duncan) arrived to await execution following his conviction on charges of raping and murdering two young girls.

The supernatural events that followed changed their lives forever.

The electric chair played an important part in the narration, but it really shouldn't have been there!

Answer: Gladiator

It's easy to introduce visual anachronisms in a film set in ancient Greece or Rome, as any search through lists of bloopers will reveal. As well as the tractor marks, 'Gladiator' used padlocks of a style that weren't developed until the 19th century, and showed the gladiators wearing a type of helmet that wasn't introduced until several hundred years after the time of the film.

The historical facts are even more blatantly inaccurate, but why let facts stand in the way of a good story? If you let yourself overlook these, it is easy to become involved in the story of a soldier whose skill and love for his country lead to the destruction of his life by a jealous emperor, following him through his dogged survival in the life of a gladiator, and to ultimate revenge.

Answer: Kate and Leopold

Leopold (Hugh Jackman) accidentally falls through a time portal and arrives in contemporary New York, where he falls in love with Kate McKay (Meg Ryan). They have an argument as to whether he should do something he doesn't find appealing, the same essential argument he had with his uncle at the start of the film, although that was about marriage for financial security, and this is about advertising margarine. He gets sent back to the past, and is prepared to go through with the arranged marriage when Kate follows him back, giving up her career for her love.

Aside from the flag, it is also interesting to note Leopold, in 1876, discussing the opera 'La Boheme', which was first performed in 1896. Then there is the issue of his title - there was no Duke of Albany in 1876, since the title had lapsed in the 18th century. In 1881 the title was conferred on Leopold George Duncan Albert, fourth son of Queen Victoria. Leopold's family name, Mountbatten, also did not exist at the time. It was created during World War I to replace the family name Battenberg, an Anglicisation undertaken in the face of increasing hostility towards all things German, including relatives of the British royal family.

Answer: Soldiers waving a Union Jack, which didn't exist at the time.

Had the film been set in 1813, when Austen published her novel of a five sisters searching for security in life, there would have been no anachronism, as the current Union Jack was created in 1801 when Ireland was brought into the United Kingdom. The decision to set it in 1797, when Austen wrote her first draft, allowed the costume designers to avoid Empire waistlines, so common in Regency dramas, and use a range of costumes that visually distinguished the sisters.

There are a few other anachronisms to be seen, such as Elizabeth wearing Wellington boots, which the Duke of Wellington did not develop until the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Again, they were becoming fashionable in 1813, but not in 1797.

Answer: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Based (very loosely) on Arthurian legend, this film follows the adventures of King Arthur and his knights as they travel England in search of the Holy Grail. The first scenes include a discussion between Arthur and two guards (Michael Palin and John Cleese) as to how Arthur and his squire Patsy (Terry Gilliam) obtained the coconuts they use to make the sound of horse's hooves as they travel on foot - could they have been carried there by swallows? Proceeding to a village where bodies are being cleared away during an attack of plague, Arthur (Graham Chapman) seeks information about the knight who lives in a nearby castle.

When asked, he identifies himself as King of the Britons, and is promptly engaged by Dennis and his mother in a discussion as to what social structure is actually in place in their village, and debate as to the appropriate source of authority. Needless to say, the confrontation between Dennis's Marxism and Arthur's Feudalism dissolves into farce, and the next scene brings Arthur's memorable encounter with the Black Knight (John Cleese), who refuses to surrender even when he has lost his arms and legs.

It seems that Arthur's kingship is not completely accepted by those whom he ostensibly rules. The Pythonesque comedy continues for another 80 minutes, at the end of which contemporary police arrive to arrest our heroes and the film ends with a blank screen, accompanied by organ music.