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WAR MOVIE BLUNDERS


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"Well goodness gracious me!" :) Peter Sellers was well-known for his Indian impressions here in the UK. It struck a chord here because, of course, until 1947 India was a part of the British Empire. He also used to do Indian characters on comedy records and on his various radio shows. Ironically, in today's "politically correct" world he would certainly not be allowed to put on brown make-up and act as an Indian as he did in that movie!

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"Well goodness gracious me!" :) Peter Sellers was well-known for his Indian impressions here in the UK. It struck a chord here because, of course, until 1947 India was a part of the British Empire. He also used to do Indian characters on comedy records and on his various radio shows. Ironically, in today's "politically correct" world he would certainly not be allowed to put on brown make-up and act as an Indian as he did in that movie!

Right you are Ian, Sellers was in the Royal Air Force in WWII in India for awhile as a member of an RAF Entertainment Troupe, I read somewhere a long time ago that this is were he got most of his inspiration for doing Indian accents, is this true?

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Right you are Ian, Sellers was in the Royal Air Force in WWII in India for awhile as a member of an RAF Entertainment Troupe, I read somewhere a long time ago that this is were he got most of his inspiration for doing Indian accents, is this true?

 

Very probably Kevin. He had a gift for doing accents!

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  • 1 year later...
Cobra 6 Actual

Noobie here. As a collector I always notice incorrect insignia or equipment in movies and TV shows. What irks me almost as much -- sometimes even more -- are the tactical blunders and inconsistencies: the eternally-full weapon mags that never empty, the 'gaggling up' of supposedly tactically deployed troops, the lack of noise or light discipline, etc.

 

As a Vietnam veteran, one of the movies that always angers me is "Apocalypse Now." I especially enjoy laughing about the lack of light discipline in the scenes where there are campfires and even a bridge lit up with a string of bulbs ... all the better to call in mortars with, I guess.

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hbtcoveralls

So I started watching "Von Ryan's express" with Frank Sinatra. I hadn't seen this movie in years. The very first thing I picked out is that the American Sgt in the Italian POW camp is wearing HBT coveralls and the 4th Armored patch. According to the plot, Scicily had just been secured which makes it 1943. So, the Italians captured this guy at the Desert training center in California? It didn't get much better after that and I couldn't watch anymore. One good example of how a little mistake can Kill it for me.

Tom Bowers

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  • 7 months later...

Here's one, the movie Patton with George C Scott used M48 Patton tanks as Panzers! There's irony for you.

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Not a true "war movie" but in Casablanca's final scene, Major Strasser arrives in his Luftwaffe overcoat without shoulder boards... then after looking at Rick with the gun and heading to the phone, his shoulder boards appear... then disappear seconds later when he turns to talk to Rick.. then the shoulder boards reappear seconds later when he is shot.

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  • 1 year later...

A blunder or just a acquisition of convenience. Let's have some fun, I spotted it when rewatching it on DVD. YOU tell me what the goof is in this still from Paths of Glory :D

 

post-34986-0-14318300-1496640289_thumb.jpg

 

 

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A blunder or just a acquisition of convenience. Let's have some fun, I spotted it when rewatching it on DVD. YOU tell me what the goof is in this still from Paths of Glory :D

 

attachicon.gifPaths-of-Glory.jpg

 

 

 

the French soldiers have the wrong type of rifles? possibly British Martini Henry rifles?

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the French soldiers have the wrong type of rifles? possibly British Martini Henry rifles?

That's right.I was thinking more like Russian Mosin Nagants. Watched very carefully a few times, at the beginning during the attack all troops that I could see have these rifles, curiously in other scenes later the proper Lebels seem to be carried, the these being the guards on the condemned and couple of views of marching formations.

 

Here's another view, seeing bolts right, Mosin Nagnats right?

 

post-34986-0-31033400-1496685432_thumb.jpg

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Another blunder, this time incorrect medals.

 

The 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal worn by both Ralph Meeker and Joe Turkel's characters, medal was not around during the war, it was issued in 1920. Turkel has his on a different kind of ribbon as we see, a type that is unfamiliar.

 

post-34986-0-83946600-1496686165.jpgpost-34986-0-28269200-1496686180.jpg

 

 

 

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That's right.I was thinking more like Russian Mosin Nagants. Watched very carefully a few times, at the beginning during the attack all troops that I could see have these rifles, curiously in other scenes later the proper Lebels seem to be carried, the these being the guards on the condemned and couple of views of marching formations.

 

Here's another view, seeing bolts right, Mosin Nagnats right?

 

attachicon.gifgt.jpg

 

they look like Mosin Nagants with the straight bolt handles, but I can see some soldiers have sling swivels in stead of the "dog collar" type sling, a M91 should have the dog collar type sling, but Im sure they would have used other rifles during WW1, even captured rifles.

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willysmb44

Im sure they would have used other rifles during WW1, even captured rifles.

Especially rear-echelon troops like a execution party.

It'd be ironic, that they would be shot with German rifles, but handled by French soldiers!

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GREEN BERETS (1968)

 

the NVA / VC didnt have any AK47's or SKS rifles in the movie, except during the Green Beret seminar at Fort Bragg when they showed captured enemy weapons on display

 

I guess the prop dept didnt have enough AK's or SKS's to use in the movie? that why the North Vietnamese are shown with Mauser rifles & M1 carbines, and a toy M16 rifle made by Mattel.

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Pearl Harbor

 

In the boxing scene with Dorie Miller they are betting with Hawaii overprinted emergency money which was not printed until January 1942.

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Pearl Harbor

 

In the boxing scene with Dorie Miller they are betting with Hawaii overprinted emergency money which was not printed until January 1942.

 

Good catch mate! Never noticed that.

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post-34986-0-09981000-1497496003_thumb.jpg

A The Longest Day error, the Super Bazooka, not out till the post war period, carried no doubt because of the active U.S. Army and Marines who were extras, here in 1961, it was their standard weaponry.

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attachicon.gif800px-LD9.jpg

A The Longest Day error, the Super Bazooka, not out till the post war period, carried no doubt because of the active U.S. Army and Marines who were extras, here in 1961, it was their standard weaponry.

 

Man, if I had nickle for every time I saw a 3.5" bazooka in a WW2 movie, I'd be rich.

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Like Ian Sabrejet stated several times, is the lack of proper uniforms in some cases gear, given the closeness of the end of the war. That would include insignia errors, like the British line units (All they wear seems to be Regimental Arcs with no Formation signs or those Ticks under them), but the American 82nd Abn Paratroopers wearing what appear to be or are oversized copies of the 82nd Abn patch, with real issue Yellow on Black tabs is a kicker. Seems John Wayne though had his as the White on Blue. But there's some positives, like seeing a lot of M1910 packs and leggings, with from what we can see, U.S. steel helmets, that seem to be primarily fixed loops with no then current metal chin strap clamps, the chin straps being sewn on the loops.

 

post-34986-0-29009600-1497536410_thumb.jpgpost-34986-0-49597900-1497536392_thumb.jpgpost-34986-0-16452100-1497536363.jpg

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Maybe already mentioned but Green Berets John Wayne changed from his colonel's uniform to his fatigues from one scene to the next. Magic!

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Hi,

 

I have been watching 'The Green Berets' for the first time (it's still running but I had to stop looking)........ I have no words to describe how bad this movie is....... just one badly done scene after another, the main battle scene when the (very badly set up) camp is attacked is just plain unrealistic in every way possible.

 

I kept waiting for something realistic to happen........... the jungle scenes looked to be filmed on the set of Gilligan's Island.

 

Even if there was any good acting in it that would not make this movie any better.

 

Enough said, Cheers, John

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