MovieChat Forums > Night at the Museum (2006) Discussion > Attila the Hun Error

Attila the Hun Error

posted 16 years ago by gourlegr
35 replies | jump to latest

In the movie, Attila the Hun is portrayed as being Oriental/East Asian. However, this is an absurd historical inaccuracy, since Attila the Hun was was from the Hunnic Empire, which predominantly ruled Eastern Europe and Russia. Apparently the movie confuses Attila with Genghis or Kublai Khan, East Asians who are remembered as bloodthirsty warriors. Before you say "It's a kid's movie, who cares about historical inaccuracies," do you really want to confuse kids with obviously wrong historical depictions? How hard could it have been to maintain factual accuracy in this case?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus Christ is my Savior and Lord

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] grimmchoices 16 years ago

The OP is right. I don't understand why they didn't call him Genghis Khan. That's who I assumed it was; why they called him Attila the Hun makes no sense. And it does matter. This is a movie about a museum, surely the American Museum of Natural History doesn't want people thinking they don't know the difference between Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan.
It was Genghis Khan.

Your love of the halfling's leaf has clearly slowed your mind.

[–] RedPeggy 16 years ago

The op is right, of course it matters. And the person who said the children could look it up...why would they think it was inaccurate in order for them to check the facts!? They would have taken it at face value, and so would lots of adults. To bring up the fantasy element of the characters coming to life is not on the same par - that's the part we have suspended our disbelief for. We know models don't come to life, we know they couldn't drive a car or deflate tires, it's just the film and it's fun. But to be otherwise accurate with history except for one or two things is highly annoying and misleading. What I'm saying it the fantasy is what happens, the museum itself isn't portraying fantasy exhibits such as Martians or mermaids - it is supposed to be real.

[–] coolaree 16 years ago

But In the movie, Attila the Hun himself did not look East Asian to me. More central 'Russian' or something like that.

(However some of his soldiers, who may have come from other displays I dunno, were definately Asian.)

If that Saca-I can't spell it- girl was half-asian I couldn't tell. She looked Native American!
ps. she IS part 'Cherokee', Irish, Japanese.

[–] grimmchoices 16 years ago

Ghengis Khan wasn't East Asian, he was Mongolian. And, at the time, he would have appeared not unlike anyone from Asia.

That character was Ghengis Khan. See here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Ogadai_Khan.jpg

Attila the Hun would have looked like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Atli.jpg . More North African, or Turkish.

The filmmakers either made a mistake, or they intentionally switched names.

Your love of the halfling's leaf has clearly slowed your mind.

[–] actionmanrandell 16 years ago

dude central russian would be northern asian

[–] stagebandman 16 years ago

Attila the Hun was also a dwarf. Guess they missed that, too.

If we all liked the same movie, there'd only be one movie!

[–] Paris-Falls 16 years ago

In the extras on the dvd, the director explains that they were forced to find a 'happy medium' between historical accuracy and common misconceptions that people have, since so many people now believe that Attila the Hun was Oriental that's what they went with

[–] Arielemc 16 years ago

'Oriental' is a rug, 'Asian' is a person.

[–] actionmanrandell 16 years ago

dude u need to do your research first for one the huns were a nomadic people who had roots in central asia aswell as europe and russia another thing is that 90 % of russia is in asia. also from depictions of him he is sited at being of mongol decent. the huns where eurasian dude. being of europian and asian decent meaning they had caucasion feautures aswell as oriantle features and another thing is the mongol empire which ghengis was a part of was a distant cousin of the huns they shared some of the same roots. in closing attila more closly looked like he did in night at the museum

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JeffKaos71 15 years ago

i agree with the op. I mean whats next Brian Dennehy playing Kublai Khan?
Oh wait , he already did play Kublai Khan

'Marco Polo'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813789/