Parer's War

Keith Webb · #1 28-04-14, 05:57

I didn't see the tele movie last night so can't comment on how accurate it was personally, but this pic was sent to me. Should a 1980s air conditioner be in a 1940s period movie... I also heard the acting was somewhat wooden.
Also there is some doubt the uniform is wartime issue.
Be interested to hear what those who watched it think.

Ryan · #2 28-04-14, 06:16

Only caught 10 mins of it. First thing I noticed was the (I assume) Independent company soldier wearing his beret like an actor would, badly.

lynx42 · #3 28-04-14, 07:20

There was one factual part of the show.

My father was one of the 2/7th Independant Company commandos who was filmed by Parer. Dad always said that the footage of the battle where the huts were blown up used in the Academy Awarded, film was a re-enactment. Parer arrived the next day and asked for them to have a shoot up and to blow up the native huts.

I was pleased to see and hear Parer, when he stood in front of the screen say how that should be portrayed and were not disappointed with that part of the show, the truth came out.

One of Dads 2/7th mates called here in March. 92years old and fitter than me. (Not that that would be too hard.) He had his wife with him. She was frail and unable to walk too far. Unfortunately she past away 3 days later. It was great to see them as they have been part of our extended family since WWII and they all still stick close together. (I had many courtesy Uncles and Aunts in that mob.)

Regards Rick.

lynx42 · #4 28-04-14, 07:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Also there is some doubt the uniform is wartime issue.

I was also waiting to see if the soldiers in New Guinea were in Jungle Greens or not as it was Parers film which got them changed from the Middle East Tan to the Jungle Green. That part was correctly played out.

BUT,
who would sit in an ambush situation awaiting the enemy SMOKING? That would be a complete give away. The yanks in Vietnam gave themselves away by using aftershave, etc.

Too many WWI films supposing to show battles in France and Belgium have the soldiers in clean uniforms in the muddy battlefields. You will see this in the upcoming ABC Telemovie "Anzac Girls" on TV in July. My Albion and I are in it. I pointed that out to the producer and she didn't want the expense of having to pay to clean the uniforms. They were also using round Nissen huts in 1915 which hadn't been invented yet. They were invented in late 1916. Their reply was we know and you know but 99.99% of those who watch don't know.

Regards Rick.

motto · #5 07-05-14, 10:52

Perhaps this thread should be moved to 'In The Background'?

David

Keith Webb · #6 07-05-14, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by motto

Perhaps this thread should be moved to 'In The Background'?

David

But Dave, the background has to include a CMP!

Mike Kelly · #7 07-05-14, 11:22

The first thing you have to realize is, the movie / TV industry in general, are concerned with entertaining their audience , the truth nearly always comes last .

I was mixed up in the making of the Dunera Boys , a TV telemovie series depicting the Jewish refugees shipped out to Australia from the UK during 1940. These people ended up in a internee camp.

The props lady on the set ( Point Cook I think it was ) didn't have a clue re: the correct vehicles for that period . I politely pointed out what would be correct , but she said " there is a Jeep in the script , so we want a Jeep "

Keith Webb · #8 07-05-14, 11:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

The first thing you have to realize is, the movie / TV industry in general, are concerned with entertaining their audience , the truth nearly always comes last .

I was mixed up in the making of the Dunera Boys , a TV telemovie series depicting the Jewish refugees shipped out to Australia from the UK during 1940. These people ended up in a internee camp.

The props lady on the set ( Point Cook I think it was ) didn't have a clue re: the correct vehicles for that period . I politely pointed out what would be correct , but she said " there is a Jeep in the script , so we want a Jeep "

If they have the money, give 'em a Jeep... by the sound of that props lady you could have even painted a Wrangler OD with stars and got away with it.

Mike Kelly · #9 07-05-14, 12:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

If they have the money, give 'em a Jeep... by the sound of that props lady you could have even painted a Wrangler OD with stars and got away with it.

Not wrong Keith . On the set , there were people like Bob Hoskins ( who just died ) Warren Mitchell ( Alf Garnett ) and John Mellion ( always looked red faced and pissed ) walking around . The nicest was Maurie Fields , the old vaudeville comedian . They waited ages for the correct light and just as they started shooting a scene , the truck I was driving ran out of petrol .. the director went nuts and he could have shot me

BTW they built a complete POW camp with guard towers , but most of the buildings were just empty shells . In the end , the Jeep didn't appear in any scenes at all . It was quite an experience seeing the other side of the industry .

Tony Wheeler · #10 07-05-14, 13:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

I politely pointed out what would be correct

Mike, you should know better than to correct a woman!

motto · #11 07-05-14, 14:04

I was also in 'The Duneera Boys' with my Dodge WC 52. The internment camp they built down there at Point Cook in a bare paddock was very impressive. That is until the wind lifted the 'corrugated iron' on the roof of a couple of the huts that was in fact just rolls of corrugated fibre glass layed out and held on with a few screws. It didn't look too good when long lengths of it started flapping wildly in the wind.
One day on the set I was sitting in the vehicle chatting with some extras in the back when one of them asked what the film company was paying for the truck. I told him $200 a day and he exclaimed 'geez, we're only getting $60 a day!' I explained to him that you can get a load of extras anywhere but WW2 trucks are rare. He couldn't argue with that.

Dave

Ian Fawbert · #12 07-05-14, 14:08

Hi all,

I was impressed to see that the vehicles seemed period correct. For once (a first?) the jeep had a correct ARN (didn't check if it was a real one for a jeep but hey, it was a great start!). There were some CMP's in it also, but I was still abit in a daze from the jeep with ARN!

Vehicles also had Aussie unit markings (I don't know enough of the specific history of units involved or markings to say if they were correct or not, but looked decent to me). Better than another bloody US star on an Aussie vehicle!

Overall I was glad I watched it and wasn't ready for the sad ending- I'm only 31, so didn't know much of Damien Parer, but was impressed with what I saw despite a few inaccuracies already pointed out.

Cheers,
Ian.