Soviet Military and Hollywood

[DougD]

"Has anyone on this forum ever been asked to consult on these types of movies? "

Yes, I was asked to work on K-19.

About 2 years ( I'm guessing; might have been 18 months or so) before the movie came out I got an e-mail from California from a nice lady. She explained that they were producing a film with Harrison Ford as a "Hunt for Red October" character. They needed large numbers of naval uniforms, in proper sizes.

I of course, being an idiot, ignored the e-mail and sent back a repy saying i did more high end one of a kind uniforms (which is true, but had I known the film was REAL and not someones dream, I could have worked out something) and that she should look somewhere else. One of the worst mistakes I ever made.

Mollo is a nice, if odd, guy. He had made a living off doing film work, and did the great uniforms in the HBO film on the Meeting of top SS guys and party guys in 1942 ( I forget the name of the film; Wanasee conference). I write back and forth with him and trade with him now and then. He just got e-mail, after years of me pestering him.

As for films, some are just jokes, but others make a good attempt. Enemy, Red October, K-19 are all good attempts.

Enemy had some really good copies of officer uniforms, though the few M1940 generals uniforms were pretty shoddy.

SC is correct about Stalin; the scene is of Stalin in a famous 1944 portrait wearing his M1943 uniform. Its behind Khrushev when he berates the commissar staff on the Mamayev Kurgan in the early part of the film.

Alot of Russian films from the 1960's or so were allowed to use originals for some scenes. I used to get some nice uniforms with Mosfilm and Lenfilm stamps inside. Some of these were altered and thus lost lots of value. Some were ok though. Mollo got a great NKGB Generals parade tunic from Mosfilm back in 1992. Took me 4 years of begging and planning to trade him away from it! Now those stocks are pretty much gone. They had some great German stuff too. I have seen some nice Panzer wraparounds with Mosfilm stamps inside. Usually stripped of insignia, they were a bargain back in the early 1990's usually selling for a few hundred dollars to the guys like dealer George Peterson of Va who got there first and raided the film storehouses.

Lots more to say here, but thats enough for now.

DougD