Tropescilloscope: Artistic License History
The creator of a work ignores historical inaccuracy in the interest of telling a better story. (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
Mystery and Detective Films
Drugs Are Bad
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Rule of Cool
Babies Ever After
Overprotective Dad
Grey and Gray Morality
Madness Mantra
Dark and Troubled Past
Posthumous Character
Card-Carrying Villain
Anguished Declaration of Love
Anachronism Stew
Chekhov's Gunman
Actor Allusion
Dogged Nice Guy
Reasonable Authority Figure
Expository Hairstyle Change
Bloodless Carnage
Obfuscating Stupidity
Smug Snake
Too Dumb to Live
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Intergenerational Friendship
Imagine Spot
Mexican Standoff
Creative Closing Credits
Due to the Dead
Ripped from the Headlines
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
War Is Hell
Butt-Monkey
Sinister Minister
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Anachronic Order
Exact Words
Not Quite Dead
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Left the Background Music On
Darker and Edgier
Adaptational Badass
Mighty Whitey
The Great Depression
Loads and Loads of Characters
The Ditz
Author Avatar
Flipping the Bird
Crucified Hero Shot
Continuity Nod
Catch-Phrase
Dressing as the Enemy
Stock Footage
The '60s
Police Brutality
Market-Based Title
Make It Look Like an Accident
And I Must Scream
Take a Third Option
Mistaken for Gay
Silence Is Golden
Mooks
Whole Plot Reference
Funny Background Event
As Himself
Line-of-Sight Name
Spiritual Successor
Faux Affably Evil
The Casanova
Coming-of-Age Story
From Nobody to Nightmare
Contrived Coincidence
Police are Useless
Our Zombies Are Different
Mama Bear
Loophole Abuse
Those Wacky Nazis
Trailers Always Spoil
Kick the Dog
Film Noir
Outrun the Fireball
Unreliable Narrator
Bound and Gagged
Deus ex Machina
Determinator
The Sociopath
Slashed Throat
Expy
Ambiguous Ending
Artistic License Biology
Red Right Hand
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Establishing Character Moment
Manly Tears
Improvised Weapon
Diabolus ex Machina
Adults Are Useless
Bottomless Magazines
It's All About Me
Arranged Marriage
Unresolved Sexual Tension
The Stoic
Large Ham
Eye Scream
Bare Your Midriff
Historical-Domain Character
FaceHeel Turn
Jitter Cam
Soft Glass
Evil Plan
Bait-and-Switch
All Men Are Perverts
Race Against the Clock
Romantic False Lead
Title Drop
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Be Careful What You Wish For
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
He Knows Too Much
Batman Gambit
Death by Irony
In Medias Res
Historical Villain Upgrade
Tap on the Head
Russian Films
Badass Normal
Rewatch Bonus
The Bad Guy Wins
Word of God
Not So Above It All
Drives Like Crazy
Insult Backfire
Man on Fire
Shown Their Work
Psychological Thriller
Stalker with a Crush
Deal with the Devil
Match Cut
Needs Wiki Magic Love
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Shut Up, Hannibal!
She's Got Legs
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Token Minority
Hero Antagonist
The Stinger
Informed Ability
Wham Line
Celebrity Paradox
The Bully
Antagonist Title
Decoy Protagonist
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Pyrrhic Victory
Politically Incorrect Villain
Big-Bad Ensemble
Malevolent Masked Men
Major Injury Underreaction
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Heroic Sacrifice
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Smoking Is Cool
Jerk Jock
Stepford Smiler
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Made of Iron
Romantic Comedy
Big "NO!"
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Everyone Has Standards
N-Word Privileges
Your Cheating Heart
Only a Flesh Wound
Adaptational Villainy
Faking the Dead
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Big Fancy House
Frame-Up
He Who Fights Monsters
Destination Defenestration
The Film of the Book
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Sequel Hook
Dissonant Serenity
The Smart Guy
Wham Shot
Abhorrent Admirer
Empathic Environment
Properly Paranoid
The '50s
Evil-Detecting Dog
Camera Abuse
Good Is Not Nice
Visual Pun
Mythology Gag
Evil Sounds Deep
Immune to Bullets
Department of Redundancy Department
Rousing Speech
The Power of Love
Real Life Writes the Plot
Country Matters
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Pay Evil unto Evil
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Distracted by the Sexy
Mr. Fanservice
Rule of Three
Woman in White
Suddenly SHOUTING!
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Ascended Extra
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Ambiguously Gay
No-Sell
Nothing Is Scarier
Sexy Discretion Shot
Black and Gray Morality
Idiot Ball
Groin Attack
Dark Action Girl
Double-Meaning Title
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Kubrick Stare
Cool Guns
Lock and Load Montage
Get Out!
Ass Shove
Dutch Angle
Canadian Movies
Developing Doomed Characters
"Shaggy Dog" Story
No Ending
Funny Foreigner
Captain Ersatz
Fan Disservice
Mercy Kill
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Taking You with Me
Here We Go Again!
Broken Bird
No Name Given
Laughing Mad
Spanner in the Works
Stealth Pun
Improbable Weapon User
Defrosting Ice Queen
How We Got Here
Anti-Hero
Ominous Latin Chanting
Married to the Job
Cluster F-Bomb
Intrepid Reporter
The Hero
Protagonist Title
Retirony
Blood from the Mouth
Action Girl
Gilligan Cut
A Date with Rosie Palms
Real Life
Captain Obvious
Rule of Symbolism
The Load
Casting Gag
Chekhov's Gun
Affably Evil
Driven to Suicide
Reckless Gun Usage
20 Minutes into the Future
The Atoner
The Lancer
Hypocritical Humor
Big Damn Heroes
Zombie Stories
Took a Level in Jerkass
Nice Guy
Action Survivor
Artistic License Physics
The Place
Scare Chord
Despair Event Horizon
Green-Eyed Monster
It Can Think
Guile Hero
Brick Joke
Product Placement
Public Domain Feature Films
Humiliation Conga
Adaptation Dye-Job
Pragmatic Villainy
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Camp Gay
Bald of Evil
Aside Glance
Animal Motifs
Domestic Abuse
Hair-Trigger Temper
Eyepatch of Power
Cassandra Truth
Kids Are Cruel
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Almost Kiss
Shout-Out
Bar Brawl
Worthy Opponent
Our Vampires Are Different
Gone Horribly Right
The Cameo
Air-Vent Passageway
Crazy-Prepared
Pretty Little Headshots
Wicked Cultured
Christmas Movies Index
Fourth Date Marriage
Brutal Honesty
Artistic License History
Body Horror
Gratuitous English
Noodle Incident
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Villain Song
Comically Missing the Point
The Chessmaster
In the Back
MacGuffin
Take That!
Disney Villain Death
Artistic License Law
Disproportionate Retribution
Running Gag
Chase Scene
Happily Married
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Earn Your Happy Ending
The Dog Bites Back
Hypocrite
Sanity Slippage
Black Comedy Rape
The Dragon
Jump Scare
Works Set in World War II
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Actually Pretty Funny
Badass in a Nice Suit
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Stylistic Suck
Adaptation Name Change
Book-Ends
folderlabel
Deadpan Snarker
An Arm and a Leg
Death by Adaptation
Older Than They Look
Kill 'em All
Anyone Can Die
Fire-Forged Friends
Oh, Crap!
Not What It Looks Like
Parental Abandonment
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Crazy Jealous Guy
The Mole
The Ace
Star-Crossed Lovers
Time Skip
Evil Is Petty
Did Not Get the Girl
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
All for Nothing
Mind Screw
Hell Is That Noise
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Sacrificial Lion
Deconstruction
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Thriller
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Made of Explodium
Morality Pet
Precision F-Strike
Gory Discretion Shot
Hollywood Law
Children Are Innocent
Enemy Mine
Vitriolic Best Buds
Parental Incest
Logo Joke
Homage
Killed Mid-Sentence
Dwindling Party
The Dreaded
Final Girl
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Slasher Smile
Sassy Black Woman
Alliterative Name
Truth in Television
Leitmotif
Say My Name
As You Know
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Never My Fault
Meaningful Name
Armor-Piercing Question
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
For Want of a Nail
Blood Knight
Fat Bastard
Advertised Extra
Henpecked Husband
Monumental Damage
The Vamp
Gender Flip
Darkest Hour
Chiaroscuro
Hidden Depths
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
You Have Failed Me
British Films
Together in Death
Light Is Not Good
Defiant to the End
Disguised in Drag
Crapsack World
Femme Fatale
All Just a Dream
Implacable Man
Missing Mom
Obviously Evil
Not So Stoic
Stuff Blowing Up
Character Development
For the Evulz
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Totally Radical
The Cavalry
The Un-Reveal
La Résistance
Author Appeal
Sole Survivor
Kick the Son of a Bitch
It Will Never Catch On
Serious Business
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Improbable Aiming Skills
Grievous Bottley Harm
Cloudcuckoolander
Big Bad
Fainting
Badass Boast
Super Strength
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Skewed Priorities
Bad Boss
Deliberately Monochrome
Arch-Enemy
Even Evil Has Standards
The Starscream
Television Movie Index
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Superhero
Heel Realization
All There in the Manual
Bloodier and Gorier
Twist Ending
Wretched Hive
Insane Troll Logic
Rule of Funny
Karma Houdini
Rasputinian Death
Animated Credits Opening
Index of Film Westerns
No OSHA Compliance
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Pretty in Mink
Affectionate Parody
Genre Savvy
Artistic License Gun Safety
Flashback
Honor Before Reason
More Dakka
Fatal Family Photo
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Laser-Guided Karma
Call-Forward
Retcon
Villain Opening Scene
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
The End... Or Is It?
The Ghost
Dirty Old Man
Tagline
Extreme Doormat
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Humans Are Bastards
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Adapted Out
Artistic License Military
Shipper on Deck
Hollywood Darkness
Berserk Button
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
French Films
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Hero of Another Story
Beta Couple
Amusing Injuries
Retired Badass
Film Noir Index
Naked People Are Funny
Lighter and Softer
Heroic BSoD
Foil
Ship Tease
Nice Hat
MayDecember Romance
Psychopathic Manchild
Annoying Younger Sibling
Only Known by Their Nickname
Up to Eleven
Fiery Redhead
Broken Aesop
Handicapped Badass
Love Triangle
Dramedy
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Daddy's Girl
Martial Arts Movie
Film Series
Action Genre
Villain Protagonist
Attempted Rape
Car Fu
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Wrong Genre Savvy
The Oner
Badass Bookworm
Auto Erotica
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Didn't Think This Through
Gainax Ending
No Antagonist
German Films
The Hero Dies
Award-Bait Song
Small Name, Big Ego
You Killed My Father
Knife Nut
NO INDOOR VOICE
Meet Cute
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Evil Brit
Reality Is Unrealistic
Overly Long Gag
Agony of the Feet
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Military and Warfare Films
Badass Longcoat
Papa Wolf
Creator Cameo
Credits Gag
Same Language Dub
Break the Cutie
A Father to His Men
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
The Alcoholic
Neck Snap
Playing Gertrude
Shower Scene
Narrator
Corpsing
Every Car Is a Pinto
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Once More, with Clarity!
Downer Ending
Sci-Fi Horror
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Evil vs. Evil
Silent Movie
Pimped-Out Dress
Bond Villain Stupidity
Five-Man Band
Mood Whiplash
Evil Laugh
Villain with Good Publicity
Arc Words
It's Personal
Demoted to Extra
Naïve Newcomer
Call-Back
Horror Comedy
Never Trust a Trailer
BrotherSister Incest
Bad "Bad Acting"
Reality Has No Subtitles
Bolivian Army Ending
Early-Bird Cameo
The Smurfette Principle
Toplessness from the Back
Rated M for Manly
Covers Always Lie
Those Two Bad Guys
Punch-Clock Villain
Bloody Hilarious
Extremely Short Timespan
Last-Name Basis
Black Best Friend
Redshirt Army
Pet the Dog
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Bilingual Bonus
Poor Communication Kills
Recycled IN SPACE!
Damsel in Distress
Ms. Fanservice
Maybe Ever After
Male Frontal Nudity
Novelization
Back from the Dead
Beard of Evil
Translation Convention
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Creepy Child
Eureka Moment
Betty and Veronica
Dying Moment of Awesome
Manchild
Straight Gay
Woman Scorned
HeelFace Turn
In Name Only
Reality Ensues
Rape as Drama
The Reveal
My Greatest Failure
Yandere
Alas, Poor Villain
BFG
A God Am I
Sadistic Choice
Moment Killer
Adorkable
Show Within a Show
Cat Fight
Ghost Fiction
Gold Digger
Dies Wide Open
Serial Killer
The Mafia
After the End
Death by Sex
Big Applesauce
Kill It with Fire
Really Gets Around
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Karmic Death
As the Good Book Says...
What the Hell, Hero?
I Did What I Had to Do
Villainous Breakdown
Failed a Spot Check
Lampshade Hanging
What You Are in the Dark
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
Not So Different
Non-Indicative Name
Beware the Nice Ones
Abusive Parents
Parental Neglect
From Bad to Worse
Soundtrack Dissonance
Vampire Fiction
Mugging the Monster
Training Montage
My Beloved Smother
Those Two Guys
Revenge
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Stealth Hi/Bye
Science Fiction Films
Your Head A-Splode
The Big Guy
Motor Mouth
Drowning My Sorrows
Cold-Blooded Torture
Cain and Abel
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
Does Not Like Shoes
Paper-Thin Disguise
The Alleged Car
Bring My Brown Pants
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Instant Death Bullet
Artistic License Geography
Fate Worse than Death
Adult Fear
Composite Character
Brainless Beauty
Becoming the Mask
Action Prologue
Canon Foreigner
Have a Gay Old Time
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
One-Man Army
Manipulative Bastard
An Aesop
The Chick
Better to Die than Be Killed
Villain Ball
Jerkass
Curb-Stomp Battle
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Bond One-Liner
Blatant Lies
An Axe to Grind
Room Full of Crazy
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Neck Lift
Cool Shades
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
I'm a Humanitarian
Freudian Excuse
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Dark Reprise
Anti-Villain
Fantasy Films
Vomit Discretion Shot
The '80s
The Remake
Redemption Equals Death
Fingore
I Have Your Wife
Bittersweet Ending
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Boom, Headshot!
Never Found the Body
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
One-Word Title
Shirtless Scene
Historical Hero Upgrade
Bullying a Dragon
Let's Get Dangerous!
Race Lift
Sports Stories
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Dramatic Irony
Mad Scientist
Combat Pragmatist
Parental Substitute
Black Comedy
Eldritch Abomination
Evil Counterpart
Hope Spot
Spell My Name with an "S"
Meaningful Background Event
Foreshadowing
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
No Celebrities Were Harmed
And Starring
Adaptation Distillation
Cool Car
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Vacation Films
Central Theme
Re-Cut
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Cruel and Unusual Death
Refuge in Audacity
Heroes Want Redheads
Disney Death
Undying Loyalty
Foregone Conclusion
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Break the Haughty
Bland-Name Product
Ax-Crazy
Biopic
One Steve Limit
Off with His Head!
Ironic Echo
Spiteful Spit
Scary Black Man
The Voiceless
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Historical In-Joke
The '90s
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Cool Old Lady
Love at First Sight
Fun with Acronyms
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Disappeared Dad
Evil Is Hammy
Ungrateful Bastard
Death Glare
Depraved Bisexual
Storming the Castle
'80s Hair
I Need a Freaking Drink
B-Movie
Insistent Terminology
Punny Name
Face Death with Dignity
Cool Old Guy
Early Installment Weirdness
Facial Horror
Spared by the Adaptation
The Musical
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Awesome, but Impractical
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Put on a Bus
Bavarian Fire Drill
Black Dude Dies First
Half the Man He Used to Be
Not Using the "Z" Word
Interrupted Suicide
Catapult Nightmare
Calling the Old Man Out
Death Seeker
Blackmail
Slasher Movie
Eiffel Tower Effect
Riddle for the Ages
Mundane Made Awesome
Sequel Escalation
Death of a Child
Tranquil Fury
Curse Cut Short
Fanservice
Australian Movies
The Lost Lenore
Offscreen Teleportation
Hoist by His Own Petard
Easily Forgiven
Chewing the Scenery
Setting Update
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Took a Level in Badass
Random Events Plot
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Conspicuous CG
Amoral Attorney
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Greater-Scope Villain
Horror Films
Eagleland
Scenery Porn
Animal Title Index
The Faceless
True Companions
Cowboy Cop
Sealed Evil in a Can
Adaptation Expansion
Would Hit a Girl
Red Shirt
My God, What Have I Done?
Music Stories
The X of Y
Adaptational Heroism
Asshole Victim
Mr. Exposition
Guns Akimbo
Fanservice Extra
Irony
Fish out of Water
Hate Sink
Big Brother Instinct
This Is Gonna Suck
World of Ham
"Awesome McCool" Name
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Dumb Blonde
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Genre Shift
Big Eater
Accidental Murder
Plot Hole
Famous Last Words
Only One Name
Scenery Gorn
The '70s
Broken Pedestal
Dramatic Gun Cock
Video Credits
Gorn
The Stoner
A Minor Kidroduction
Dirty Cop
Taking the Bullet
The Brute
Friend to All Children
Badass Grandpa
All There in the Script
Alpha Bitch
She Cleans Up Nicely
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Fatal Flaw
Daylight Horror
Epic Fail
The Quiet One
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Red Herring
Self-Deprecation
Cat Scare
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Italian Films
Documentary
Would Hurt a Child
Only Sane Man
Framing Device
Dirty Coward
Plucky Comic Relief
Accidental Misnaming
Ambiguous Disorder
Closed Circle
Age Lift
Tempting Fate
Adaptational Attractiveness
Chekhov's Skill
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Dark Is Not Evil
Important Haircut
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Fake Shemp
Rich Bitch
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Bi the Way
Jerkass Has a Point
Dual Wielding
Knight Templar
Japanese Films
Fantastic Racism
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
What Happened to the Mouse?
Double Entendre
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Unusual Euphemism
Epic Movie
Male Gaze
Apocalypse How
Costume Porn
Meaningful Echo
Leave the Camera Running
timeperiod
Only in It for the Money
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Bowdlerise
Big Bad Duumvirate
Hong Kong Films
Dull Surprise
Pragmatic Adaptation
Based on a True Story
Genre Throwback
Bury Your Gays
Demonic Possession
Psycho for Hire
And the Adventure Continues
Authority Equals Asskicking