Charge of the Light Brigade

[SamTex1949]

Been watching the 1936 movie "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and with the wonderful technology of DVR etc I paused to see what the different rifles/muskets all characters were using.

The I can say where a large lot of trapdoor rifles and carbines ended up! Some even doctored to look like "flintlocks" even pre-dating John Waynes "The Alamo" unless these were all in storage for over 50 years.

Except in large screen shots where several firearms werent disguised, all close ups the rifles were made to look musket like with 2 wide barrel bands (brass I guess seeing this is in B&W) :thumbsup:

 

[Gene L]

The movie "Northwest Passage" with Spencer Tracy featured a lot of not PC rifles.

It was a good enough movie, not nearly as good as the book, which I read in Vietnam in 1968 or so. A page turner.

 

[tenngun]

You see a lot of those in 'Drums along the Mohawk', the original 'Last of the Mohicains', 'Birth of a nation' ect. It is funny that many of the early westrens had so many different types of hand guns. Then all of a sudden every cowboy got a peace maker.
I think it funny how Hollywood often missed the boat on guns, but even back to silant movies often had a lot of hc china, and some tin and pewter ware, and some times fasion is spot on :idunno:

 

[innocent bystander]

The 2015 Sons of Liberty mini-series used many trapdoors and even put some beauty shots of trapdoor "flintlocks" during the big battle scene at the end of the series.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I can say where a large lot of trapdoor rifles and carbines ended up!

Little known fact..., the 1870 Springfield "trap door" rifles were very popular because of the blanks used in Hollywood, and the SAME rifles used in Northwest Passage in 1936 were used as late as "Little Big Man" c. 1970, and in the mini-series The Bastard c. 1978.

The fact that trap door Springfield rifles appeared in The Sons of Liberty :barf: is not a surprise. The costuming and props were soooooo bad that the mini-series may be used as an excellent example of how NOT to do historic drama. :barf: The fact that the producer cashed a paycheck is borderline criminal fraud. :cursing:

What does one expect when the director is Scandinavian and the series was done in Romania? Even when they tried to use proper muskets they used 3rd Pattern Bess..., post 1800's version of the musket, being used in story set in AWI....:barf:

LD

 

[nhmoose]

All movies and TV is done with mirrors.

Enjoy them for what they are and don't try and use them for real.

 

[tenngun]

:haha: I can think back on how when I first saw North west passage I thought, gee I want to dress like that. The Bastard, Winter hawk, Wind walker very much impressed me...I just had to get a candy stripe capote. When The Mountain Men came out I thought "Great a realistic MM movie". Man in the wilderness, the Alamo and of corse Jerimiah Johnson were all grist for the mill.
All in all I would rather spend two hours with Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and Errol Flynn then most of todays stars.
Decarpios rifle looked good but was loaded a bit funny. And I don't think silk will give you an extra forty yards.