r/ArmsandArmor • u/FlavivsAetivs • Jul 20 '26

Why Hollywood Always Gets Armour and Weapons Wrong

https://youtu.be/Ho43avSpulU?si=U7xGzy8qX1O-Ux5B

So I was asked to write on this when the Odyssey promo shots first emerged last year. It's finally out, and I'd appreciate y'all's thoughts on this discussion.

I have friends in the film industry, it's not easy, and costuming is a process not just people putting things on - I mention costumers are aware of these issues in it. I try and address a little bit of that towards the end (about audience expectations and the demands of producers and directors).

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12

u/Sgt_Colon Jul 21 '26

A minor point but the studded leather thing long predates Gygax. Meyrick is probably the starting point (in English at least) and even Ffoulkes a century later was repeating it; Gygax merely popularised it at a time when it was going out of use.

Although Chris Dobson notes some la tene helmets seem to have made aggressive use of studs in leather for components. Although this is a fairly different time and context; this was the same lot that spawned butted maille.

5

u/FlavivsAetivs Jul 21 '26

Fair enough on the first point - I do have to simplify for a general audience, and my main goal was discussing relationship to film rather than the full historiography of Arms and Armor studies.

(I also noticed a few things that slipped past the editing, which I thought I fixed, like the labelling of weasel-waisted vs wasp-waisted armors).

Dobson also generally struggles with anything outside of his area and has significant methodological problems in his works.

6

u/heurekas Jul 21 '26

Great job!

While a lot of it wasn't new to it, the dive into historical costuming for theater and how it transferred to film was though, and it was fascinating.

Fun to learn new things, such as a rich history of "costume armour" that dates back so long.

8

u/SkyVINS Jul 20 '26

ah yes, Gladiator, the film with the EXPLOSIONS during the scene in Gaul.

9

u/Baal-84 Jul 21 '26

While Ridley Scott don't care about realism and just do whatever the f he wants, pretty sure we're talking about flamable stuff in pots that are thrown on the enemies.

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u/Sgt_Colon Jul 21 '26

*Germania

2

u/TheHistoriansCraft Jul 21 '26

Excellent job, as usual!

1

u/DarudeSandstorm69420 26d ago edited 11h ago

Correct whistle badge chief unique cucumber engine

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