Historic Replicas

Marinara sauce, meet Tex-Mex. The rise of the “Spaghetti Western” genre in the 1960s was unlikely as it was immediately successful. Led by influential film director Sergio Leone and embodied by American movie star Clint Eastwood, the genre married Western tropes with an Italian visual sensibility. It just so happened that the Andalusia region of Spain bore a striking resemblance to parts of the American Southwest, so the director took advantage and saved big on production costs.

Spaghetti Westerns subverted a few of the conventions of traditional Westerns as created in Hollywood films of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. For example, rather than casting the hero in a pure light and the villain in an evil one, all characters dealt with moral struggles and were painted with shades of gray. Some of the authentic western guns the actors used have been emulated in the form of historic replicas.

In a very real sense, Vikings were a precursor to our modern-day version of terrorists. The Vikings rose to power shortly after a major plague outbreak decimated much of Europe’s population. The kingdoms that remained in England, France and much of the rest of Western Europe were small and comparatively weak. They didn’t yet have the major fortifications and embattlements that would protect against an onslaught.

The Viking swords were sharp and formidable, but their real secret to success involved water travel. Their boats featured shallow hulls, allowing them to pass quickly through rivers and far into the interior of England. There they would collect plunder and perform serious acts of violence on peasants and royals alike. In the end, European kingdoms were forced to band together and build better castles for defense.

This is a continuation for our last blog entitled Ancient Japan…

Between the 9th and 12th centuries, Japan was engulfed in an ongoing war for land between the three ruling families:  the Minamoto, Fujiwara, and the Taira clans.  This epic struggle for control of the Japanese islands produced the samurai; astonishingly, they resembled the European knights in practically every way.  Both rode horses, wore elaborate japanese armor, and used exquisite, ceremonial historical weapons – samuari swords.  Both swore allegiance to a landowner (in Japan, they were known as Daimyo), and were eventually given land of their own.  The most remarkable similarity, though, was in the behavior; the knights had their code of chivalry, the samurai, their Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior”.  Bushido will be the topic of our next blog. 

Medieval Europe and Ancient Japan were a world apart.  From the early days of its culture, Japan was a closed society that shunned contact with other civilizations.  The earliest recorded contact with Europe was in 1543, when a Portuguese trading vessel brought the first guns to the Japanese weapons arsenal.  In fact, it’s entirely possible that Europe and Japan were unaware of each other’s existence until that time.  Amazingly, both cultures developed a similar class of professional warriors:  Europe had knights, and Japan its samurai.  We talked about the knights a while back, and if you read that one, you’ll recall that they were specially trained, highly respected fighters, sworn to obey a king.  Land ownership meant power, and was the ultimate sign of status; to be a landowner was to gain entrance to a special ruling class, the nobility.  In return for their services, they were granted small landholdings of their own to rule over.  From the 8th century onward, Japanese culture was much the same. (to be continued…)

Hindsight, as they say, is 20-20, so it’s hard to believe that the Union and Confederate troops originally predicted a quick, neat end to the American Civil War. For their part, the rebels assumed that if they showed enough willingness and determination to break away from the United States, the North would accept that choice. The Union underestimated the South’s steely resolve and well-disciplined fighting force.

Any pretenses about the war ending early came to a screeching halt during the First Battle of Bull Run – known in the South as the Battle of Manassas – which took place in summer of 1861. Just a few months after the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter, the Union was feeling overconfident. Several generals decided to march on Richmond and secure a quick victory. When the smoke from the cannons and Civil War guns cleared, several thousand troops on each side had been killed. The prospect of a short, tidy war vanished with that smoke.

Have you ever taken the time to pinpoint the attributes that your favorite movies have in common? It’s rather vague to say that I like “comedies” or “dramas,” even if both those statements are technically true. After some serious consideration, I’d have to choose period pieces and war movies as my favorites – but only if they’re realistic and believable. And that means scrupulously authentic costumes.

When done right, a movie should make me forget that I’m in the theater and actually watching a film. Anything that draws me out of that engrossing experience is to be criticized. Movie costumes don’t have to be flashy; in fact, they should just look and feel right for a particular time and place. Subtlety and accuracy should be the two foremost goals for any historical costume designer.

Pirates have been romanticized in Hollywood movies and popular culture to the point that their images softened somewhat over time. That’s why the recent trend of high-seas hijackings off the Somalian coast was so jarring to the Western world. Films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” portray these seafaring bandits as little more than colorful characters in search of a little plunder.

Historians and hobbyists know the truth, however. Pirates have always been vigilantes – indiscriminant criminals who had no qualms about breaking international law just to get rich. With that said, pirate replicas such as guns, sword hangers and hats only serve to prove that the pirates of old were a fascinating bunch. Part of their appeal lies in the fact that they could conquer and pillage mighty naval vessels with little more than some extensive nautical knowledge and a few rudimentary weapons.

Looking back now, so many decades after the fact, it’s easy to find irony in President Woodrow Wilson’s claim that World War I would be “the war to end all wars.” At the time, the major participants called it the Great War. They never imagined that another conflict would come along just 35 years later and that the casualties and consequences would be even greater.

By the end of World War II, the world had been virtually rid – however temporarily – of a great fascist threat. It didn’t take long for movies to romanticize the conflict to the point of obscuring many of the facts. There’s no denying that World War II was one of the bloodiest, hardest-fought in all of history. WWII guns represented physical proof of just how far military technology had advanced during the 20th century.

By now I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be a famous thespian. The fact that I earn a generous living at a day job I happen to love does something to soften the blow. Still, I get a genuine thrill from performing in theatrical productions with a local acting troupe. In our most recent play, I was cast in the titular role of Julius Caesar. When offered the part, I said I would take a stab at it.

Our community theater budget is especially low this year, so I had to turn to a third party for a suitable costume. Luckily it took practically no time at all to find replica Roman costumes online. I placed an order and donned my costume in a matter of days. From there, I went on to ham it up in a play that I’ve always admired. It looks like I’ll be shopping for something a bit more Scottish because we’re getting ready to tackle Macbeth.

Those interested in cultivating a new hobby would be well served by checking out historical reenactments. This pastime is especially popular among veterans who yearn to honor the warriors and tacticians who came before them. For instance, a Vietnam vet might be reticent to talk or think too much about his experience overseas. Some things just hit a little too close to home. But what about reliving the thrill of a Civil War battle?

The Civil War has become known as the campaign that eventually saved our union from becoming divided in two. Exhaustive histories have been written, and every principal participant has earned at least one biography. Re-enactors dedicate a special level of realism for their Civil War battles, utilizing replica Civil War swords and other convincing armaments. This is a hobby that commands respect as well as dedication.