From: chance wolf (chance_wolf@shaw.ca)
Date: Mon May 31 2004 - 07:56:53 PDT
----- Original Message -----
From: "noel shelley" <noel@shelley1722.freeserve.co.uk>
To: "chance wolf" <chance_wolf@shaw.ca>
Sent: Monday, May 31, 2004 4:23 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] A Bridge Too Far Movie
> Chance wolf and List ,
> WW11 films with 65 registration
plates
> and 14th-15th century film with corn cut by combine --------- for the
> purists its fun to spot , for the rest " ignorance is bliss " , Just smile
!
Heh. Yeah. It's "entertainment" after all - and the mistakes are nothing if
not entertaining.
We once did this show that involved the main characters getting stuck in a
West Point battle simulation program which used as its theme some pivotal
engagement between the Allies and the Jerries at this bridge (the TV series
"Harsh Realm", episode "Kein Ausgang".) Anyway, they wanted a troop truck
just to dress it up, but no CCKWs or larger were around for the money they
wanted to spend, so they went with an M54 painted a solid colour, figuring
"we can get away with it if we cheat the camera angles". Seemed reasonable
if you kept the shot nice and tight to a bit of bed metal, some ribs and a
chunk of canvas tarp, so the M54 is what they got.
Too funny when it hit the airwaves. Out of all the "giveaway" angles they
could've picked, they have these WWII guys all nicely dressed up in their
respective uniforms trotting past the rear of the M54, replete with nice,
shiny green 1980's composite tail lights. GrRr. :)
My favourite military authenticity quote comes from the producer of the
Civil War-era TV miniseries "North and South". He was explaining to a TV
Guide reporter why they took such great pains to get even the slightest
historical military detail correct given that 80% of the audience couldn't
possibly know the difference, and he replied something like:
"We took the authenticity aspect of the production very seriously indeed,
because we didn't want to get letters from some 12-yr old in Wisconsin
telling us the uniform buttons were all down the wrong side."
Meanwhile in this neck of the woods, the battle is convincing film folks
that the contemporary National Guard isn't likely to arrive at a disaster
relief camp in a fleet of M151A2s. <shrug>
(It's still a lot of fun!)
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