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Film and tv railway errors


andyram
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Another Murdoch watcher here. They do close frame their exterior shots a lot and several of the 'cityscape' shots are clearly models. The railway bits are always fun though.

 

steve

 

I think pretty much all the cityscape shots are either models or painted "flats" TBH.

 

As for the rail scenes, to be fair, apart from the daft premise about the status of the station that's usually used, the locos and stock don't appear to be as ridiculously out of period as some in British dramas. Mind you, i'm no expert on identifying North American rail equipment.

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I know there's the "It's just a movie" argument, but when I see, for example, Mk1s or Routemasters in a movie set in the war, my immediate thought is "So what else have they got wrong" - and assume that there's someone else sitting on another sofa who is a military enthusiast thinking "They've got the uniforms/tanks/kit/etc wrong"...

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I know there's the "It's just a movie" argument, but when I see, for example, Mk1s or Routemasters in a movie set in the war, my immediate thought is "So what else have they got wrong" - and assume that there's someone else sitting on another sofa who is a military enthusiast thinking "They've got the uniforms/tanks/kit/etc wrong"...

I read somewhere (newspaper review?) that in the recent 'Dunkirk' film, either the soldiers had their bootlaces laced incorrectly (crossed, not straight) or it was noticed during filming that they were wrong (I forget which). I saw the film but forgot to notice. If it was the case that they were wrong you'd think those who researched the uniforms (presumably from film footage and still photos) would have got it right.

Another issue can be much-too-modern haircuts. Back then in the military, and also out of it, men used to have very severe short-back-and-sides cuts - yet even Hitler is often depicted in need of a visit from his hairdresser!

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School For Scoundrels, a B&W movie from the late 50s starring Ian Carmichael, was on the tv a week or so ago. Based on Stephen Potter's Lifemanship books, it starts with Carmichael disembarking a train at Yeovil. Thought I might see some interesting Southern scenes but no - Eastern region tanks and Gresley coaches - which were just as interesting, just not what I was expecting for Yeovil!

 

Turns out it was filmed at Hertford...

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School For Scoundrels, a B&W movie from the late 50s starring Ian Carmichael, was on the tv a week or so ago. Based on Stephen Potter's Lifemanship books, it starts with Carmichael disembarking a train at Yeovil. Thought I might see some interesting Southern scenes but no - Eastern region tanks and Gresley coaches - which were just as interesting, just not what I was expecting for Yeovil!

 

Turns out it was filmed at Hertford...

I'm sure, even at the time, there were many filmgoers who realised it wasn't any of the Yeovil stations, and others who recognised it was actually Hertford!

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I read somewhere (newspaper review?) that in the recent 'Dunkirk' film, either the soldiers had their bootlaces laced incorrectly (crossed, not straight) or it was noticed during filming that they were wrong (I forget which). I saw the film but forgot to notice. If it was the case that they were wrong you'd think those who researched the uniforms (presumably from film footage and still photos) would have got it right.

Another issue can be much-too-modern haircuts. Back then in the military, and also out of it, men used to have very severe short-back-and-sides cuts - yet even Hitler is often depicted in need of a visit from his hairdresser!

if you are going to film something of this magnitude I think they ought to hire an Infantry RSM. Do a full parade inspection and march the actors around a lot. or better still put them all therough square bashing...

Edited by TheQ
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School For Scoundrels, a B&W movie from the late 50s starring Ian Carmichael, was on the tv a week or so ago. Based on Stephen Potter's Lifemanship books, it starts with Carmichael disembarking a train at Yeovil. Thought I might see some interesting Southern scenes but no - Eastern region tanks and Gresley coaches - which were just as interesting, just not what I was expecting for Yeovil!

 

Turns out it was filmed at Hertford...

If they were making up a location (a fictitious school), why not situate it near where the filming will be? Or were there other location considerations?

I haven't seen the film since it was new.

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If they were making up a location (a fictitious school), why not situate it near where the filming will be? Or were there other location considerations?

I haven't seen the film since it was new.

The school's location in the story was Yeovil, the film was made at Elstree in Hertfordshire - presumably that's why they used Hertford station. It's a comedy anyway, so no real need to change the story to fit film locations. If it had been filmed at Pinewood they might well have used Windsor (which had been used in some Pinewood films).

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if you are going to film something of this magnitude I think they ought to hire an Infantry RSM. Do a full parade inspection and march the actors around a lot. or better still put them all therough square bashing...

 

I've got vague memories of hearing that this actually happened once, resulting in wholesale desertion by the cast. Can't remember any details though.

 

I also remember a persistent rumours that a film depiction of the Battle of Culloden used tripwires in the undergrowth, unknown to the actors, so that the charging "Jacobites" would scream and fall over realistically under English fire :D.

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I've got vague memories of hearing that this actually happened once, resulting in wholesale desertion by the cast. Can't remember any details though.

 

I also remember a persistent rumours that a film depiction of the Battle of Culloden used tripwires in the undergrowth, unknown to the actors, so that the charging "Jacobites" would scream and fall over realistically under English fire :D.

Which means it was inaccurate , because if you've been hit in the upper body by a lead ball travelling at excessive speed, in most cases you'd fall backwards...

 

 Oh and the BRITISH government Army was made up of 16 regiments  of which 4 were Scots and 1 Irish, However there were  men from all parts of the UK in the Nominally English regiments..and joined  by some troops from what is now Germany.

 

 Verses  A Jacobite Army 3/4 of which were  Gaels, supported by the  French and a few from all the other nations of the UK.

Edited by TheQ
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Haven't seen any mention of 102 dalmations which I found my self watching a couple of weeks ago with the grandkids. Towards the end of the movie Cruella de'ville is escaping Britain on the Orient Express which leaves the station hauled by a very green 4472.  five minutes later, in france of all places it's being hauled by class 5 'camelot' in BR liveried black.  

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Which means it was inaccurate , because if you've been hit in the upper body by a lead ball travelling at excessive speed, in most cases you'd fall backwards...

 

 Oh and the BRITISH government Army was made up of 16 regiments  of which 4 were Scots and 1 Irish, However there were  men from all parts of the UK in the Nominally English regiments..and joined  by some troops from what is now Germany.

 

 Verses  A Jacobite Army 3/4 of which were  Gaels, supported by the  French and a few from all the other nations of the UK.

 

Fair enough, although I intended the story more as a comment on the maltreatment of actors in the interests of getting a "good" shot rather than offering any opinion on the film, whatever it might have been.

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Fair enough, although I intended the story more as a comment on the maltreatment of actors in the interests of getting a "good" shot rather than offering any opinion on the film, whatever it might have been.

I wasn't critising you, just trying to correct the impression shown by films and those not interested in history that it was Scots verses English..

 

 As for actors...

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Haven't seen any mention of 102 dalmations which I found my self watching a couple of weeks ago with the grandkids. Towards the end of the movie Cruella de'ville is escaping Britain on the Orient Express which leaves the station hauled by a very green 4472.  five minutes later, in france of all places it's being hauled by class 5 'camelot' in BR liveried black.

 

Not seen that film. It sounds like that competes with "The Snow Globe Christmas" for the worst Railway continuity award.

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I know there's the "It's just a movie" argument, but when I see, for example, Mk1s or Routemasters in a movie set in the war, my immediate thought is "So what else have they got wrong" - and assume that there's someone else sitting on another sofa who is a military enthusiast thinking "They've got the uniforms/tanks/kit/etc wrong"...

 

Whenever there's a programme on TV about 617 squadron, we can be sure to see what may be the only available piece of film showing a lancaster dropping one of Barnes Wallis's "earthquake" bombs. The narrator tells us that the bomber is launching one of the "tallboys" which sank the Tirpitz, and, in my mind's ear, I hear my dear departed wife say:

"Yes, yes, I know, it's not a tallboy, it's a grand slam!"

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if you are going to film something of this magnitude I think they ought to hire an Infantry RSM. Do a full parade inspection and march the actors around a lot. or better still put them all therough square bashing...

 

ISTR that an old Coldstream Guardsman workmate of mine "experienced"  RSM Brittain  who I  believe featured in some films many years ago.

 

 

Edit. Found this on Wikipedia:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Brittain

 

And this on YouTube

 

 

 

Edited by grandadbob
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I was reflecting on all this a bit while watching one of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes films.

 

The LBSCR carriages felt authentic  for 1890 even if they weren't and of course I know the PS Waverley- standing in for a Cross Channel steamer- was built in 1946 but it felt right in the film.

 

The street works for the UndergrounD (the word part of the logo without the circle) that appear in one scene used a brand name that first appeared in 1908 in a typeface, Johnston Sans, that didn't appear until 1919  and the only line new llne being built around that time was the Central London (now the Central Line)

 

That was an obvious anachronism but it probably wasn't a mistake as that familiar name, as well as Holmes' rather unlikely posession of a horseless carriage, would have served the narrative by telling the audience that though we were still in the late Victorian age it was also the verge of the modern age with enormous changes starting to take place.

Edited by Pacific231G
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I'm betting RSM Britain met my grandfather, Britain joined up two years before my granddad, and retired two years before. My grandfather was also an RSM and at times was posted to the same base.

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Which means it was inaccurate , because if you've been hit in the upper body by a lead ball travelling at excessive speed, in most cases you'd fall backwards...

 

 Oh and the BRITISH government Army was made up of 16 regiments  of which 4 were Scots and 1 Irish, However there were  men from all parts of the UK in the Nominally English regiments..and joined  by some troops from what is now Germany.

 

 Verses  A Jacobite Army 3/4 of which were  Gaels, supported by the  French and a few from all the other nations of the UK.

 

But even if you divide that into three or four lines, they don't rhyme ...

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