History Buffs: Difference between revisions

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* [[Berserk Button]]: So far, he's expressed a strong loathing of ''[[Braveheart]]'',<ref>Coincidentally, he's also expressed a frustration with Mel Gibson in general, save for his role in ''[[We Were Soldiers]].''</ref> the more blatant examples of [[Hollywood History]] and anything inaccurate about [[Christopher Columbus]] among others.

* [[Burn the Witch]]: Nick brings up in his commentary on [[Christopher Columbus]] how utterly inaccurate and grossly exaggerated the portrayal of the Spanish Inquisition and Catholic Church in general tends to be in works set during Columbus' time.

* [[Darkest Africa]]: Discussed in films such as ''[[Zulu]]'' and ''[[The Ghost and the Darkness]]'', both of which take place at different periods of 19th Century British imperial rule in Africa. Both films also show how this trope can be very much justified while ~~also~~ being fair to both sides of the colonialism characteristic of that era.

* [[Darkest Africa]]: Discussed in films such as ''[[Zulu]]'' and ''[[The Ghost and the Darkness]]'', both of which take place at different periods of 19th Century British imperial rule in Africa. Both films also show how this trope can be very much justified while simultaneously being fair to both sides of the colonialism characteristic of that era.

* [[Deliberate Values Dissonance]]: Nick brings up how the TV series ''Vikings'' excels in this trope by portraying the titular Norsemen as they were, who would loot, kill and plunder while still being the protagonists.

* [[The Dung Ages]]: Defied. he's tellingly frustrated by how Hollywood and certain others seem fond of depicting medieval Europe as this. In his ''[[Braveheart]]'' review in particular, he brings up how no evidence exists to suggest that the infamous ''prima nocta'', like the chastity belt, was ever upheld by England during that time period, if at all.

* [[During the War]]: ''[[We Were Soldiers]],'' with Nick appreciating how it not only shows [[The Vietnam War]] from both sides, but also makes a good attempt at portraying the actual conflict rather than the emotions, politics and consequences surrounding the war.

* [[During the War]]: ''[[We Were Soldiers]],'' with Nick appreciating how it not only shows [[The Vietnam War]] from both sides, but also makes a good attempt at portraying the actual conflict rather than the emotions, politics and consequences surrounding the war. He also applauds ''[[Zulu]]'' for depicting the [[Anglo Zulu War]] without playing favorites with either the British or Zulus.

* [[Fair For Its Day]]: He generally acknowledges a work's attempt to puts into account the context, norms and whatever [[Values Dissonance]] of the setting it's trying to portray, preferably leaving it to the viewer to judge.

* [[Historical Hero Upgrade]]: Nick sees [[Christopher Columbus]] as underserving of this in various works that persistently glamorise his memory.

* [[Historical Villain Upgrade]]: One of the biggest gripes with both ''[[Braveheart]]'' and ''[[The Patriot]]'' is how the English/British are given this treatment to the point of being reduced to demonic caricatures.

** Nick views Antonio Salieri's portrayal in ''[[Amadeus]]'' as a rather underserving example, given how in reality Salieri respected Mozart and was a great artist in his own right. He does concede however that the movie isn't really based on actual history so much as the conspiracy theories surrounding Mozart's death, though Mozart's depiction is rather true to life.

* [[Hollywood History]]: The channel in general absolutely hates it when filmmakers and executives sacrifice accuracy, authenticity or competence in favor of the worst aspects of this trope.

* [[Mighty Whitey]]: Brought up concerning ''[[The Last Samurai]]'' but ultimately refuted by Nick, as Tom Cruise's character was never meant to be one in the first place.

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* [[One of Us]]: In addition to his love for historical fiction and history in general, he's also shown to be at least familiar with historical games like the ''[[Total War]]'' series. At one point in the review on ''[[The Last Samurai]]'', Nick couldn't resist putting this line in:

{{quote|'''"[[Memetic Mutation|Our men are running from the battlefierd. A shamefur dispray!]]"'''}}

* [[Patriotic Fervor]]: Nick takes his ~~Scottish~~ homeland and heritage seriously<ref>It's mentioned by [[Word of God]] that his father's side is descended from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Donnachaidh Clan Robertson/Donnachaidh] of Inches, one of the oldest surviving clans of Scotland.</ref>, which makes his skewering of ''[[Braveheart]]'' all the more personal. It doesn't stop him either from riffing on ''[[The Patriot]]'', which ''tries'' to be a [[Eagleland|rousing American film]] but comes across as patronising and insulting to both sides of the American Revolution.

* [[Patriotic Fervor]]: Nick takes his British homeland and Scottish heritage seriously<ref>It's mentioned by [[Word of God]] that his father's side is descended from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Donnachaidh Clan Robertson/Donnachaidh] of Inches, one of the oldest surviving clans of Scotland.</ref>, which makes his skewering of ''[[Braveheart]]'' all the more personal. It doesn't stop him either from riffing on ''[[The Patriot]]'', which ''tries'' to be a [[Eagleland|rousing American film]] but comes across as patronising and insulting to both sides of the American Revolution.

* [[Politically-Correct History]]: More than once, Nick has shown his disdain for this, wherever it comes from. ''[[Kingdom of Heaven]]'' in particular is treated a serial offender for its skewered take on both the Islamic East and Christian West.

** ''1492: Conquest of Paradise'', which purportedly covers the exploits of [[Christopher Columbus]] is shown to be an even worse offender of this trope.

* [[Reality Is Unrealistic]]: Pops up, such as with how Spartan women as seen in ''[[300]]'' were really powerful compared to elsewhere in Ancient Greece. Or how the Colosseum scenes in ''[[Gladiator]]'' were actually ''toned down'' compared to the documented, over-the-top spectacles that happened back in the Roman Empire.

* [[Recycled Premise]]: He notices in his ''[[Braveheart]]'' review how similar it and ''[[The Patriot]]'' are in terms of story and plot despite taking place in very different eras. Which is further demonstrated by a montage showing how at certain points, they're borderline ''identical.''

* [[Shown Their Work]]: In addition to Nick Hodges' own efforts, he also gives credit where it's due regarding works that actually did their research. The 1970 film ''[[Waterloo]]'' is praised in particular for not just being faithful to history, but also for recreating the titular Battle of Waterloo as much as possible.