One of the remarkable things about The Longest Day was that a few soldiers (on the Allied side) who had been in the actual D-Day landings were in the movie. That was also true of Blackhawk Down.
I read somewhere that the filmmakers in Saving Private Ryan recruited some reenactors to play German soldiers and the first thing they did was to give them haircuts. Apparently they, the filmmakers, were unaware of the WWII hairstyles. By today's standards, however, they all had long (and greasy) haircuts. See the photo of John Banner above. The Soviets always had short hair. However, many of the photos of German soldiers with rather long hair were taken in the field and probably would not have been acceptable in the barracks on parade. But German soldiers to this day are happy they are not required to spit-shine boots like the Americans and especially the British. I learned that directly from German soldiers in the field when I was in Germany about 50 years ago.
As far as cowboy movies made in the 30s, there were, of course, still real cowboys then. Some of the B-westerns of the time were set in contemporary times, with radios, cars and current fashions if they weren't in cowboy outfits. But others were set in some vague year, presumably in the 1880s, with little reference to any particularly datable event, unless it was about the California gold rush or a few other things. But there was already myth making about the Old West even before WWI, what with Wild West Shows and so on. Personally, I don't worry too much about reality in the movies because I have enough of it in my own life to do me. I'm looking for escapist entertainment.
I read somewhere that the filmmakers in Saving Private Ryan recruited some reenactors to play German soldiers and the first thing they did was to give them haircuts. Apparently they, the filmmakers, were unaware of the WWII hairstyles. By today's standards, however, they all had long (and greasy) haircuts. See the photo of John Banner above. The Soviets always had short hair. However, many of the photos of German soldiers with rather long hair were taken in the field and probably would not have been acceptable in the barracks on parade. But German soldiers to this day are happy they are not required to spit-shine boots like the Americans and especially the British. I learned that directly from German soldiers in the field when I was in Germany about 50 years ago.
As far as cowboy movies made in the 30s, there were, of course, still real cowboys then. Some of the B-westerns of the time were set in contemporary times, with radios, cars and current fashions if they weren't in cowboy outfits. But others were set in some vague year, presumably in the 1880s, with little reference to any particularly datable event, unless it was about the California gold rush or a few other things. But there was already myth making about the Old West even before WWI, what with Wild West Shows and so on. Personally, I don't worry too much about reality in the movies because I have enough of it in my own life to do me. I'm looking for escapist entertainment.