An anachronism is an object or idea that is out of place in its chronological setting. Technology, phrases, clothing, and music placed in erroneous time periods prior to their invention are commonly sighted in pop culture.
Anachronisms can be intentional or unintentional. Intentional anachronisms are carefully curated tools that can enhance the humor, relatability, or purport of a film. Unintentional anachronisms usually sneak in due to negligence, ignorance, or lack of research.
While an intentional anachronism can make a powerful statement, it’s highly unlikely that Greta Gerwig’s vision of Laurie (Little Women) was that of a Hydroflask-wielding VSCO girl. Even more bizarre is the thought of Daenerys Targaryen casually popping into Winterfell’s local Starbucks when it got a little too chilly (Game of Thrones).
Accidental anachronisms in period films and shows are unpleasantly jarring and can shock the viewer out of the film’s setting. A stray digital watch, invented in the 1900s, was spotted in the film Glory, set during the American Civil War in the 1800s. A gas cylinder attached to a chariot in Gladiator, kilts in Braveheart that did not show up until centuries later, the electric chair in The Green Mile; the list goes on.
Intentional anachronisms can help the audience connect more intensely with a historical figure or period that they did not necessarily experience for themselves. They are also often used for comedic or shock value.
One of the best-known uses of anachronism appears in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. The stolen glance of Converse high-tops, the new wave soundtrack, the colloquial language, and the quintessential shopping montage of the 2000s are certainly inaccurate and misrepresentative. But in all its naivete and vanity and frosted exterior, the film managed to humanize, to an extent, the infamous French queen who was essentially just an incredibly privileged teenaged girl.
Musical anachronism is widely used in period films to help a modern audience better understand the essence of a previous era. Baz Luhrmann’s aggressive use of Jay-Z in The Great Gatsby was one of the more controversial choices. Alternatively, in this instance, vanity does not seem to do the film many favors. Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained also famously feature anachronistic soundtracks, with David Bowie’s Cat People cementing the icon status of Shosanna’s revenge preparation scene.
Purists judge filmmakers harshly for their purposeful use of anachronism, but it is sometimes the only way for their work to appeal to larger audiences. If all historical films were one hundred percent accurate, possibly only a fraction of people would be able to absorb and appreciate them in their entirety. Sir Walter Scott justified the use of anachronism in literature: "It is necessary, for exciting interest of any kind, that the subject assumed should be, as it were, translated into the manners as well as the language of the age we live in."
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