Warbird Information Exchange

I hear ya. But how many notice that in a movie? I'll be honest, I don't. And the cost and hassle of getting a 48 star flag is generally not worth it most of the time. Let's be honest, just about anyone can pick something off as out of place in a period movie. I remember watching Ray (Ray Charles movie) a few years ago. There a place in the movie when they're on a bus in the 1940's passing under a railroad bridge. On the bridge is a train. And the train is a modern stack train (Land/Sea container train). My dad and I noticed it and laughed right away. But we're railroad buffs (aka foamers). We still liked the moive.

I don't think that anyone, including myself, said that they didn't like the movie, despite the visual "gaffs" regarding period aircraft. However, truth be told, the depiction of life in the POW camps and prisoner treatment was quite benign, despite the beatings shown. In the movie, Louis is shown in the same, non tattered
clothing for two years, with a nice haircut. POWs in the islands were reduced to wearing rags. Those sent to Japan as slave laborers wore captured allied clothing and had their heads shaved. Men died of starvation , disease and punishment much more severe than what was shown in the movie. My comments are based on personal conversations I have had with a number of Bataan survivors who became slave laborers in Japan and Manchuria. There has never been, and probably never will be a movie made that accurately portrays the sufferings of American POWs held by Japan.

Duane

Saw the movie as well and thought it was a good movie. Did anyone notice the extra insignia on the left bottom wings of the B-29? Thought that the American 'roundel' was always on the upper left wing and lower right wing....but I'm just being picky.

I caught a segment on the filming of the movie on TV recently, and it showed a complete B-24 without wings hanging in a studio under a green screen, shot from below.
I'm dying to know what happened to that mockup. Then again, "Memphis Belle" from 1989 had an amazing B-17 mockup built and I don't think it was ever used for anything again...

_________________
Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

I haven't seen it yet - I have a few concerns with the film - but just the same, I am curious as to its B-24 and B-29 scenes.

Nobody seems to like Memphis Belle but me, but I'd take real airplanes and model shots over CGI any day. Remember Speilberg's movie Always? The model shots in that film were pretty realistic.

As for the mockups, I found these images from Memphis Belle and Unbroken. The B-17 rig was on display in Australia but was returned to Warner Brothers sometime in 2005.

I can spot a number of (admittedly minor) inaccuracies on that B-24 mockup, but it's still a darned good job for a movie prop. Kudos to the folks for making an effort to get it right.

SN