Worst Movie

[Heavy Eagle]

:rotf: I watch the other day before the ice storm shut down my dish reception, what may have been may be the worst blackpowder movie ever. The Movie was "Many Rivers to Cross" with Robert Taylor playing Bushrod Gentry. I could spot they were trying to pass off brechloader as muskets and how they doctored percusion rifle to look like flintlocks. This movie was surpose to be set in Kentucky some time after the Revolutionary War. If this movie was already a comedy is would be a comedy of errors. I ahve watched other movies that have made mistakes--Northwest Passsage were Roger Rangers were using Charletteville musket instead of Brown Bess. Any other movies that they should have not made since they would have flunk out of a history class.

 

[brubincam]

-----I love that movie (it's a comedy)----- :idunno:

 

[jbg]

Any other movies that they should have not made since they would have flunk out of a history class?

John Wayne's The Alamo would be first on my list.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Quite a few years ago I was at a girl friend's house watching a movie about Russia's Catherine The Great. I didn't care for the movie. It was a mushy romance aired on a cable channel catering to women -- a chick flick. Flintlocks would have been used during the time of the story. In one scene a bunch of Russian soldiers, dressed a lot like British Grenadier Guards of the era, come running in and form ranks, front rank kneeling, rear rank standing, and level 1891 Mosin-Nagant rifles with fixed bayonets and fire. I just about lost it. Didn't score any points that day, I'm tellin' you.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

... Flintlocks would have been used during the time of the story. In one scene a bunch of Russian soldiers, dressed a lot like British Grenadier Guards of the era, come running in and form ranks, front rank kneeling, rear rank standing, and level 1891 Mosin-Nagant rifles with fixed bayonets and fire. I just about lost it. Didn't score any points that day, I'm tellin' you.

You'll see that a lot in Crimean, Napoleonic, & earlier movies made in Russia or the former Soviet Union. The extras are often (usually?) actual soldiers borrowed/hired for the production - you want to show whole divisions on the field, you get whole infantry divisions - think of movies like War and Peace. They were probably available relatively cheaply and it was a handy source of foreign currency for the government, and they were already trained in firearms handling, marching, and following orders/directions. Some rifles would have fake flint or percussion locks on like the faked-up trapdoor Springfields, and others just plain - probably depended on the production budget and/or what was locally available from earlier productions, and sometimes how close they were to the cameras.

Regards,
Joel

 

[Vairochana]

Lee-Enfields in Zulu?

A great movie btw

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have an early B&W movie about Dan'l Boone, On the way by wagon train from Yadkin valley to Boonesboro, a glimpse of Seguarro cactus could be seen in the backround. Later the settlers defending Boonesboro were using Trapdoor Springfields. 1936 movie entitled Daniel Boone, John Carradine played Girty, leader of the Indians

 

[Joel/Calgary]

Lee-Enfields in Zulu?

A great movie btw

Where/when? I haven't seen it in a while, but I don't remember noticing anything but martinis, at least in British hands. Can't recall what the Zulu carried, besides assegais and shields.

Regards,
Joel

 

[zimmerstutzen]

there is a scene in which the soldiers are in ranks I believe about the time of the bayonet charge that you can see the soldiers turning the bolt handles of rifles to load and fire. Story I heard is that they used early mausers because the ammo looked slightly similar But they were definitely firing bolt actions in that scene

watch carefully as the kneeling soldiers turn the bolts. And the closest standing soldier a scene later fires and you can see the bolt slam forward. Aint no Martini! Those guns seem long for Lee Enfields. That's why the story of the 1884 Mausers seemed to be true. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWuaSww3JnA

 

[trent/OH]

Sgt. Schultz carried a US Krag instead of a Mauser in Hogan's Heroes.......

 

[William O.]

Now that you pointed that out it is obvious, but I don't know how many times I've watched that movie and never noticed!

 

[Poor Private]

Unfortunatly "The Red Badge of Courage" had a bunch of trap doors, and bad uniforms and acting. But it has one saving grace of one of my boyhood heros is the star Audie Murphy. Poor editing, it's just an all around bad movie.

 

[michael dismukes]

Lee-Enfields in Zulu?

A great movie btw

Darn tootin'! That Master Sarge MADE that movie!... I own it on DVD and will look back over it to see if I can spot it.
As for obvious historical inaccuracies in an otherwise decent film... the use of cartridges in "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly"
As for "Northwest Passage"... please please please!!!!! If Hollywood has to do another remake.... DO THIS ONE!!!

 

[zimmerstutzen]

If you watch the You tube video posted above, pay attention to the second soldier in line at exactly 1min 30 seconds into the clip. Particularly, the top rear of the action. You can see rear of the bolt move forward.

 

[Norinco]

Has anyone seen Waterloo? They had something like 15,000 Soviet soldiers playing French, British, and Prussian troops. They trained extensively in period correct drill and actually appear to all be carrying correct flintlock muskets. Unfortunately, the movie was still a box office flop. Good movie though.

there is a scene in which the soldiers are in ranks I believe about the time of the bayonet charge that you can see the soldiers turning the bolt handles of rifles to load and fire. Story I heard is that they used early mausers because the ammo looked slightly similar But they were definitely firing bolt actions in that scene

watch carefully as the kneeling soldiers turn the bolts. And the closest standing soldier a scene later fires and you can see the bolt slam forward. Aint no Martini! Those guns seem long for Lee Enfields. That's why the story of the 1884 Mausers seemed to be true. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWuaSww3JnA[/quote]

They had original Lee-Enfields, not Short Magazine Lee Enfields. According to IMFDB, they also have Martini-Enfields.

 

[RADeO]

My son and I recently watched "The Red Badge of Courage" and besides the mix of rifle muskets and trapdoor Springfields, we also spotted two nondescript bolt-actions. The scenes were short and the rifles were not seen for long, but they were unmistakeably bolt-actions.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

And I recall a scene in Khartoum(sp) where the camera pans along the defenders on the city wall, with full stock rifles with bare front sights appropriate for early breech loaders, when along comes one with ears protecting the sight (probably a P.14). Not a biggie, really, but it sure stuck out to me.

Regards,
Joel

 

[zimmerstutzen]

There were lots of Martini Henry's. Short levers would have been PC. I especially like the movie because I have had three long lever Martini Henry's since the late 1970's. (I recently picked up a very old straight line reloading tool for the 577-450. Until then I was shooting by breach seating paper patched 45-70 bullets.)

The song sung by the soldiers, "Men of Harlech", wasn't written or adopted by the Welsh Borderers until after the battle.

About half way through the battle, a relief column approached Rourke's Drift & stopped a few miles away, seeing the smoke and fire from the mission hospital, the officers thought the stations had already been overrun and the men massacred, so, without checking further, they went back to their garrison. (Brits!)

The British Commander at Islandlwana wasn't even present when his command was slaughtered. He was out looking for the Zulus, when they came to visit.

 

[Pigman]

The Red Badge of Courage with Audie Murphy and Bill Mauldin may have had the wrong guns, uniforms, and terrain but no other civil war movie captures the feeling of the war as well.

Foster From Flint

 

[Bill Hall]

I watched part of a movie that had Glenn Ford as the only survivor of the Alamo, as he left the fort just before the battle started. Instead of toting around any kind of muzzleloader, he seemed to prefer his Colt Peacemaker. I guess he had one of the early models.