Saving Private Ryan: Soldiers Mostly Wore Brown Boots In WWII, Not Black
Steven Spielberg’s 1998 epic war film “Saving Private Ryan” is a classic World War II film. It is gory, graphic, and has many intense scenes. The film received universal acclaim from both critics and audiences and grossed $481.8 million worldwide. It proceeded to be a big presence at the Academy Awards, receiving 11 nominations and claiming several of them. Despite the film’s undeniable success, there is one inaccuracy that most people overlook.
“Saving Private Ryan” has many scenes where rough, frantic soldiers are just doing their jobs. Most people overlook this error because of this, and it’s pretty hard to catch. So what error are we referring to? The soldiers’ boots, during this time period, would have been jump-boots.
The Last Samurai: A 17th Century Armor For A 19th Century Samurai
2006’s drama war film, "The Last Samurai," did well at the box office, making a total of $456 million. The film was received well upon its release and was praised for the acting, writing, directing, score, visuals, and costumes. Generally speaking, it’s a good movie that avoids major errors. But, there is still one thing that most viewers overlook.
In the film, viewers see Tom Cruise’s character Captain Nathan Algren decked out in detailed samurai gear. While it seems fitting for a samurai to wear this, and it does look good, a warrior during this time period wouldn’t be wearing this. The film took place in 1876, and yet the armor dates back to 1600. So, by the film’s time, the armor would have been outdated.
There Will Be Blood: Day-Lewis' Boots Have Waffle Soles, Which Didn't Exist In The 1800s
With this next mistake, you really would need a good eye to catch it. This movie masterpiece received significant critical praise, particularly for the performance of Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview. 2007’s "There Will Be Blood" follows the quest of a silver-miner who becomes an oilman on his search for wealth during Southern California’s oil boom of the late 19th century. Despite the critical praise that the film received and the 2 Oscars, we are going to nit-pick because that’s what we came here to do.
So, if you are as detailed as we are, you would have noticed that the bottom of character Daniel Plainview’s boots contradicts history. The pattern on the soles belonged to a type of shoe called waffle shoes, and they weren't around in the late 19th century, which is the time in which the film is set. Still, the flaw is insignificant when considering what a masterpiece the film is.
Gangs of New York: Inaccurate Firefighter Uniforms
Martin Scorsese’s "Gangs of New York," which was released in 2002, had some pretty huge actors in its cast like Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz, just to name a few. The film is set in the New York slums in 1863 and is inspired by the non-fiction book, "The Gangs of New York." The film follows the New York Draft Riots, which erupted into violence in 1863. Scorsese spent nearly twenty years working on the project until 1999, when Harvey Weinstein acquired it. It was finally released in 2002 and grossed $193 million against a $100 million budget. The film was nominated for ten Oscars.
For the most part, "Gangs of New York" succeeds in staying historically accurate. But, there was one minor detail overlooked by producers. The firemen in the film wear uniforms that aren’t so different than what firemen wear today. Considering that the movie took place in 1863, it’s safe to assume that firefighter uniforms looked much different.
I Dream of Jeannie: You Can See The Stand-in's Face
Jeannie the genie (portrayed by Barbara Eden) and her mortal husband Tony (portrayed by Larry Hagman) enthralled audiences on the hit show "I Dream of Jeannie." They cracked up the world with their mischievous and rowdy ways in the 1960s. Despite this, more observant fans of the show noticed something different in the episode called “My Sister, the Homemaker” during Season 5. Something seemed off.
During this episode, Barbara Eden played Jeannie and her evil brunette twin sister. In order for both characters to be on screen at the same time, a stand-in was used. Of course, the face of the stand-in was supposed to be covered in order to make the illusion successful. But, at one point in the episode, viewers are able to see the stand-in entirely. Whoops!