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WAR MOVIE BLUNDERS


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I also have a tendancy to count pistol and rifle rounds, when you don't see people

reloading.

 

I'm with kjones on this one. It is amazing how many rounds some pistols/assult rifles hold. Also you may see a belt of MG ammo that is almost out in one scene then magically (a milli-second later) without reloading, the belt is a hundred rounds longer.

 

Another thing that irks me is how can you fire into vehicles or houses but none of the bullets seem to penetrate the walls or doors hitting the person on the other side? Now you will see glass shatter and everything else go to Hades around the "main character", but just not him/her.

 

Troy

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While were at it, and I'm aware it's for the effect, it's the ammount of 'sparks' they fly off everything from

piles of paper to people when rounds impact.

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Far be it from me to not chime in.

 

Take a look at just this one film. A Bridge Too Far.

 

First up, the 101st Patch. Open for discussion.

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During the jump sequence the Jumpmaster can be seen wearing black boots and a NATO uniform. I cant recall who coordinated the jump but it was a NATO force.

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They use a combination of M-51 and M-65 field jackets throughout the movie. Take a look at this beauty. Complete with ghosts for stripped name and Branch.

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This is the blight of all miltaria collectors...US or otherwise. Instead of sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the movie, we have to scan each frame looking for "faults"...the wrong patch... inaccurate medal ribbon placement...'Nam era M1s in a WW2 movie etc.etc (Counselling is available!)

 

Sabrejet ;)

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They also wore jungle fatigues.

 

The MPs in this sequence are wearing modern MP helmets and the wrong pants. Modern for the time anyway.

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And more jungle trousers during the crossing scene.

 

One of my all time favorite war movies and I can certainly get over the little mistakes on such an epic film.

 

Others, well I could be at this for days.

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There are "blunders" in even the most prestigious multi-million $$ productions...even Spielberg's "SPR" is not without its faults. In the final battle scene, at least one of the paratroopers is wearing black jumpboots. At first, I though it was due to the deliberately de-saturated colour of the movie as a whole, but I've replayed the scene several times and they sure look black to me!

 

Sabrejet

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There are "blunders" in even the most prestigious multi-million $$ productions...even Spielberg's "SPR" is not without its faults. In the final battle scene, at least one of the paratroopers is wearing black jumpboots. At first, I though it was due to the deliberately de-saturated colour of the movie as a whole, but I've replayed the scene several times and they sure look black to me!

 

Sabrejet

 

You are correct in this. As a Costume Designer you also have to remember exactly what has been said about production value and director or cinematographers vision. Some of the most asinine things make it into a film simply because someone thinks it looks cool or better that way. We had a term for this type of thing in the Army, looking 'Hollywood'.

 

That said some movies get it right much better than others do. Really it comes down to who you hire.

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The older, immediate post-war 50s movies, plus those actually made during wartime, tend to be pretty good in terms of uniforms/gear etc. because it was largely current issue. That said, I never cease to be amazed at how "amateurish" many of the US uniforms are in "The Longest Day" (though I love the movie) Bear in mind it was made no more than 16 years after the events it portrays. There must've been tons of WW2 surplus available back then and yet they resorted to a mish-mash of obviously converted M1951s/43s etc., plus Robert "Cota" Mitchum's bizarre M1941 look-alike...not to mention those wierd jump-helmets!!

 

Sabrejet :w00t:

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If you ever get the chance to watch 50s,60ish war films from the UK, you'll notice that attention to uniform

detail is evident on shots of Brit and German uniforms. I watched one and couldn't believe I was seeing splinter

camo smocks and correct para helmets on the Germans, and camo smocks on the Brits.

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If you ever get the chance to watch 50s,60ish war films from the UK, you'll notice that attention to uniform

detail is evident on shots of Brit and German uniforms. I watched one and couldn't believe I was seeing splinter

camo smocks and correct para helmets on the Germans, and camo smocks on the Brits.

 

The British and German stuff in "The Longest Day" was pretty good too...overall, much better than the American stuff!

 

Sabrejet :thumbsup:

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I know some people will probably get upset at me saying this but I will throw it out there anyway. I mean no offence to the people who have posted on here.

 

Has the digital tv era where we can pause the movie to look clearly at every minute little detail turned us into perfectionists? If we could not pause a movie, would we notice the soldier in a plane door with the wrong kind of boots? Would we notice a chin strap is incorrect? Have we gone away from worrying about the historical accuracy of the battle to the accuracy of a uniform? I can understand some issues with a uniform but in the end, would you rather have the battle scene correct or the chin strap? Are people so focused on the uniform that they don't pay attention to the story line? Personally I would rather have a well acted historically correct movie than a poorly acted costume correct movie.

 

....Kat

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The way it is for me, I take a few second glance and say to myself that such & such ain't correct and then

I'm focused back on the movie because I don't want to lose out on whats said and whats taking place.

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Would we notice a chin strap is incorrect? Have we gone away from worrying about the historical accuracy of the battle to the accuracy of a uniform? I can understand some issues with a uniform but in the end, would you rather have the battle scene correct or the chin strap? Are people so focused on the uniform that they don't pay attention to the story line?

....Kat

OK Kat, since you threw out the challenge, I am 52 years old and I've been doing this much longer than digitals been around. I started collecting in the early 70's. I'm a movie fan, I love every movie that the Duke was in however, I saw the chin cups and the swivel loop mistake at the local movie house, Saturday afternoon matinée, 3 war movies for $2.00. Trust me, there was no pause feature back then. ;) I can't help but notice what I collect, sorry, can't help it, it's that way that I'm wired. I still liked the movie, it's just that I notice the mistakes.

 

BTW, I ruined "Smokey and the Bandit" for my wife years ago when I had to explain to her that cars don't fall apart that easy(I was a auto collision specialist at the time). :rolleyes:

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OK Kat, since you threw out the challenge, I am 52 years old and I've been doing this much longer than digitals been around. I started collecting in the early 70's. I'm a movie fan, I love every movie that the Duke was in however, I saw the chin cups and the swivel loop mistake at the local movie house, Saturday afternoon matinée, 3 war movies for $2.00. Trust me, there was no pause feature back then. ;) I can't help but notice what I collect, sorry, can't help it, it's that way that I'm wired. I still liked the movie, it's just that I notice the mistakes.

 

BTW, I ruined "Smokey and the Bandit" for my wife years ago when I had to explain to her that cars don't fall apart that easy(I was a auto collision specialist at the time). :rolleyes:

 

For years I thought American cars were the toughest in the world. I mean..how many other nations can produce cars which keep on moving at speed without doors, a twisted hood, flat tyres, shot-out windscreens and a bent chassis?!

 

Sabrejet ;)

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A couple that I am thinking of are from Memphis Belle. I know it was pretty bad, but I liked that movie.

I read it was a B-17G, but converted to an "F" model just for the movie.

Also, in the beginning of the movie when the plane lands on 1 wheel and blows up, the plane is not a B-17 that blows up, pause it right before it explodes and you will see what I mean. Also, the crew are at max altitude, and the waist gunner pops his head out of the window to try and grab his medal that Jack Foley "throws" out the window. Not to mention each guy took gloves off, and touched alot of stuff at 25K they would have been frozen to that plane.

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Another common blunder seen in movies such as "Battle of Midway" is when they intersperse the studio shots of airplanes with actual newsreel footage and the planes seen therein differ from those in the former! So..take off in a Dauntless which then morphs into a Hellcat and lands as a Corsair!!

 

Sabrejet :pinch:

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