WWII Solider Mannerisms Wanted

March 29, 2005 4:52 AM

Vet's and movie buffs, I need your help to get me into a WWII solider character.

I've been impromptu cast in a small film with two scenes; one, a military wedding and two, a bar scene with other soliders. The setting is post-war, WWII time. I am a fairly inexperienced actor but I'd like to do my best.

What are your best examples of mannerisms, things that "soldiers" did (what side they hold their hat on, etc.) and ways that I can make this character believable?

posted by dflemingdotorg to media & arts (8 comments total)

I'd recommend watiching the first three episodes of Band of Brothers and Biloxi Blues. You can fast forward to the parts when they're in the bars.

You'll need cigarettes. Lots of them.
posted by bondcliff at 5:25 AM on March 29, 2005

Square those shoulders.

Get a haircut but not a buzz cut. Make sure it's regulation.

Field strip your cigarette butts.

Remember to removeyour hat the second you enter a room and put it back on the second you are outside.

When outside, a junior grade soldier is expected to salute a senior officer first. Also, the salute breaks into a conversation you are having with your buddy and after the salute, continue with the conversation like nothing happened.
posted by Dagobert at 5:57 AM on March 29, 2005

I think you'll have to state which country the soldier is from and what kind of unit the soldier is in and what rank the soldier is. I could be wrong but I should think nationality and unit type and rank will affect the behaviour of the soldier.
posted by timyang at 6:58 AM on March 29, 2005

The hat (normally called cover) is always held on the left so that the right arm is free to render salutes (there are few occasions where salutes are rendered indoors, it is mainly a habit picked up from long periods of carrying stuff around outside.) For a wedding scene, you should have your "date" (if there is one) on the left side for the same reason. Shave all facial hair. No hair may touch ears. No neck hair. Never put your hands in your pockets. As dagobert said :never wear a hat indoors.
posted by mervin_shnegwood at 7:48 AM on March 29, 2005

Keep in mind that the military in the post-WWII era (and, even today, though less-so) puts a lot of emphasis on rank (when it comes to interaction). Enlisted folks always say "sir" to officers, as in "You're looking sharp, Corporal Smith." "Thank you, sir." Junior enlisted (privates, corporal) would say "Sarge" to a senior enlisted, not use their first names". Lower-ranked folks (e.g., private talking to sergeant, lieutenant talking to major) don't offer their opinions unless asked.

If you're junior enlisted, remember that you're a draftee, so probably have no college education, haven't traveled much (if at all) except (possibly) in the Army, quite possibly are rural/small-town (suburbanization is primarily a post-war phenomenon), for what that is worth.

At the military wedding, you're probably wearing your "best" military clothes, which (if a junior officer in particular) you may not worn much (particular if "dress blues"), so don't be too comfortable in them (think of "Sunday best" for a teenager).
posted by WestCoaster at 11:53 AM on March 29, 2005

If you're interested in realism, be careful. Band of Brothers is a good resource because it's recent, fairly well researched, and based on extensive oral history and biographical interviews. It will give you a more realistic picture of how enlisted men behaved in WWII. Keep in mind that images of World War II soldiers that date from the 1940s are highly romanticized. They essentially functioned as propaganda. The draft rate was astounding, and not everyone conformed mindlessly to military protocol. People were drafted from all backgrounds and walks of life, and not everyone was exhibiting upper-crust behavior (keeping the lady on the left, etc) to begin with. There was more profanity, more jadedness, more subordination, and more halfhearted participation than we normally imagine. If your character were an officer, you could probably base at least his physical actions on the standard depiction of a soldier from 40s cinema. But a grunt? Probably not.
posted by Miko at 1:32 PM on March 29, 2005

Oh yeah, refer to your peers by last name.
posted by Dagobert at 9:24 PM on March 29, 2005

Thanks, everyone. We pulled it off in one day of shooting and things went really well. Much appreciated!
posted by dflemingdotorg at 4:57 AM on March 30, 2005