MovieChat Forums > The Finest Hours (2016) Discussion > Great rescue in reality, spoiled by writ...

Great rescue in reality, spoiled by writers

posted 8 years ago by cmcurrie2
6 replies | jump to latest

I think the actors tried to do a respectful job. It was obvious that the writers understood little about sea work, and less about the men they were trying to portray.

An example [which turns out to be a very BAD example, thanks to vanillagravity for informing me]: the writers or director wanted heighten the drama of Webber's concentration as he was going out over the bar. So they had him throw off his sea vest!!! Ludicrous. Totally beyond stupidity. How did the writer/director believe that a sailor would decide that he would concentrate more by ditching his safety gear.

If the real Webber actually did ditch his vest, then I stand corrected. I sail: I doubt he did. [He DID ditch his vest -- it might have been constructed from cork]

Added to this post:
And I've also now, after thinking, that when Webber is shown closing his eyes he wasn't steering blind, as it seemed, it might have been depicting him concentrating on keeping aware of the wind direction.

The point of the film is to honor their service and bravery. I am in awe of those who risk their lives to help others.

[–] vanillagravity 8 years ago

I read the book yesterday, he actually did ditch his vest. They said it was for maneuverability because those boats required lots of physical dexterity to steer and the life vests were bulky.

[–] cmcurrie2 8 years ago

Thank you!! I do stand corrected. I bet the vests were cork. In those days, I believe many were. I'm a sailor and I was really bothered by that so I am glad to know it was authentic.

Edit: I was wrong again. Kapok vests, badly faked by the costume department. See comments below.

[–] [email protected] 8 years ago

I bet the vests were cork.

Kapok. Life jackets at the time were very bulky and did impede movement. They weren't at all like the lightweight foam things that modern recreational sailors wear.

[–] cmcurrie2 8 years ago

The vest he took off looked like it had flat rigid plates, and it was not puffy or big, so it wasn't kapok. Looked like it was getting in his way because it was rigid.

I just now looked for some history of life vests -- in WWII they were using plastic foam so that likely was the material. Interestingly, the US coast guard started a research program to improve vests in the late 1950's and now issue standards.

We had kapok vests at home when I was a child, plus a few cork. Kapok vests are like wearing a fat segmented pillow -- very puffy and only somewhat compressible. I have kapok pillows on my couch -- it's wonderful, and indestructible, stuff.

[–] [email protected] 8 years ago

The vest he took off looked like it had flat rigid plates, and it was not puffy or big, so it wasn't kapok. Looked like it was getting in his way because it was rigid.

What they were wearing in the movie, looking at it in freeze-frame, appears to be something made by the wardrobe department. There's something not right about the fabric--it looks like it has some kind of heavy sizing in it and the wear pattern looks like a coated synthetic. The overall outline is the same as the ones I remember using, but the details are off.

I just now looked for some history of life vests -- in WWII they were using plastic foam so that likely was the material.

No, they weren't. The first life jacket I ever saw was Navy issue in the '50s and the ones aboard the ship I served in in the '70s were kapok.

There might have been some issue of foam life vests in WWII but they would have been experimental and with limited availability--they were not widespread or common, at least not in the US military. What the Germans or the Japanese were doing is another story.

If you look at https://www.uscg.mil/history/uscghist/USCG_Uniform_Photos_1941.asp and scroll to the bottom you'll see a couple of photos of Coast Guard crewmen in life jackets. Those are the kapok jackets that I well remember using.

[–] cmcurrie2 8 years ago

Yep, kapok. Irving Maske (foreground) and Bernard Webber, immediately post-rescue:
https://www.uscg.mil/history/gifs/Pendleton_Relief.jpg

Those are the kapok vests we used for canoeing and sailing, though -- as 'everyone' did at the time -- they were tied to struts. Difficult to paddle or work sails in them.

Film makers tried to claim they stuck close to the facts, but they didn't. Landlubbers. They should have hired a few CG personnel to get the details done correctly.

They also missed on Webber's use of sensations for geo-orientation. I'm sure a lot of people believed he was trying to receive divine guidance when he closed his eyes. Pre-electronics we often used a wetted finger to improve what wind direction could be detected from our face. Had they shown him testing the wind, it might have confused some viewers but many would have realized he was seeking sensory data to interpret.

More CG Pendleton rescue photos:
https://www.uscg.mil/history/uscghist/Pendleton_Photo_Index.asp

I wish the film makers had done a GREAT film, because portraying those who provide service to others is a highest priority. The film is flawed but still VERY worth watching.