Khartoum (1966) was analyzed by David Levering Lewis in the 1995 book "Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies," edited by Mark C. Carnes. The article notes that producer Julian Blaustein sent a copy of the script to the real-life Mahdi's grandson, who responded that although his grandfather and General Charles "Chinese" Gordon never actually met, "...it's a very fine script." When Blaustein apologized for this error, the grandson replied, "Ah, but Mr. Blaustein, they should have."
Charlton Heston actually did bear a strong resemblance to Major General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, but Heston was considerably taller than the real Gordon. Heston stood 6ft 3in (1.91m), while the real Gordon was said to have been only about 5ft 5in (1.65m). Heston was also nearly a decade younger than Gordon was at the time of the events depicted in this movie.
In a book about the making of this movie, it was stated that not one horse was injured in filming. In later years, it was discovered that over one hundred horses were either severely injured resulting in euthanasia, or died immediately due to unethical stunt methods.
The paddle steamer early in the movie which takes Gordon and Scott from England is the Princess Elizabeth. Built in 1927, she was a veteran of the May 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk, where she made four trips carrying British soldiers back to Britain. From 1970 to 1987, she was a pub restaurant in London, near Tower Bridge, then moved to Paris and used as an art gallery. Since 1999, she's been a tourist attraction in Dunkerque, France.