Great Escape

[ElvisJJonesRambo]

Need some help, guessing the Buntas here could help. You know the movie Great Escape? Dumb question, sure you do. I have the movie on in the background, while watching UFC which is live. Steve McQueen does the piano wire across the road, wipes out German motorcycle dude. McQueen (Captain Virgil Hilts) goes behind the barn, takes the German uniform and helmet. Noticed there's a Red/White/Red decal on the right side of the helmet, what does that mean?

My first guess, some Vichy French dude. Nah, that's stupid. Germans aren't giving Vichy their uniforms.
Second guess, it's for being a unit which kicked ass in France, maybe.
Third guess, it's some type of Axis Minor buddy unit, military police?

okay......now I googled it. Appears this helmet been around awhile. Wikipedia doesn't real tell the tale.

Anyone know?

[IIo4Tu]

Decals of such colors did not exist in reality, this is a cinematic blunder. Check for yourself on request the list of decals of the interbellum period.

[havoc1371]

Funny place for a movie question...

[ElvisJJonesRambo]

ORIGINAL: havoc1371

Funny place for a movie question...

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little something up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

[IIo4Tu]

ORIGINAL: ElvisJJonesRambo

ORIGINAL: havoc1371

Funny place for a movie question...

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little something up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

black-white-red is a standardized decal after Hitler came to power, before him there was a variety depending on the " land " belonging of the troops, but red-white-red never existed

[ElvisJJonesRambo]

Ha! My bad, I typed in wrong, lol. Didn't mean to write Red/White/Red.

So that's Black/White/Red, looks Blue/White/Red. Somewhat Yankee like or a Barber pole.

[Bo Rearguard]

It's the motorcycle that McQueen is riding that is the more glaring inaccuracy in the film. There were several bikes used during filming, but all were British 1961 Triumph TR6 Trophys modified to look like the German BMW R75s that were common during WWII. The mods to make them look like BMWs were fairly simple: they were limited to replacing the front and rear suspension along with a spot of paint.

[OldCrowBalthazor]

Also, sometime in 1940, the black, red, white decal was ordered removed from all helmets. Since this scene is of an American POW trying to jump the border fence into Switzerland....there must of been some time traveling going on during the escape attempt [:D]

[ElvisJJonesRambo]

Fun facts:

1) Great Escape is the first ever "book" I read. Around 5th grade, I was at a garage sale, looking for baseball cards. While digging thru some box of people's junk, the paperbook version of 'Great Escape' appear. Think I paid 35 cents for it.
2) By far, my favorite scene takes place in France, when escapee James Colburn is reading a paper at a Cafe, "Monsieur, telephone call". James is playing Flying Officer Sedgwick 'The Manufacturer', an Australian officer. The look on his face. WTF, phone call, I'm an escaped prisoner from Australia, in France, sitting beside some Kraut officers. You know the rest, French Resistance drives by, LMG (Light Machine Gun) in the back seat zaps the Gerries.
3) The best actor in the movie, easy is Donald Pleasence as Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe 'The Forger'. Later plays in James Bond Movies, and one of my all-time flicks, "The Eagle Has Landed."
4) James Garner of the Rockford Files, plays Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley 'The Scrounger'has a cool move to steal the training plane, love that leg sweep.
5) Richard Attenborough as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett 'Big X', love them Euros who can speak multiple languages.
6) Honorable mention to the Kraut The Kommandant, well done.
7) The cameo, from recent Masterpiece, "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood", on Great Escape, done by Quinton, priceless. Dig that Director. Felt like I grew up on the same street as him.
8) Best prison camp movie is 'Stalag 17', top 10 movie of all-time. Great Escape is Top 50.
9) Would have loved to see Elvis play Steve McQueen's role.
10) I could have played Danny the Pole, part.

Overall, the movie is slow, have to be in that couch mood. Loafing around or running in the background, like I was doing while watching UFC last night. Horrid performance by Derrik Lewis, the Black Beast. The last 45 minutes of the movie, I've easily watched 25+ times. Well, I stream movies in the background while doing something else, no volume to the best scenes. Technology is grand for this.