--- title: "6 times war movies totally altered reality" date: "2019-01-28" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-movies/6-times-war-movies-totally-altered-reality/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # 6 times war movies totally altered reality ![]() The best war movies are oft-told tales of heroes or of strange and surprising history. To revisit these scenes is to be reminded of these stories and the heroes that made them real. --- But we all realize that many of these stories are exaggerated or changed slightly to be more dramatic – and we end up liking the new history better. And sometimes as we watch we are reminded that we haven't properly honored those who starred in the real-world events. Other times, the movie makes us revisit what's happening in our own lives. ## 1. 'Lawrence of Arabia' changes bedouin quality of life. When Peter O'Toole was filming "Lawrence of Arabia," his rear end was sore from his camel's saddle. During the scene where T.E. Lawrence assists Arabs in capturing the Red Sea port city of Aqaba, O'Toole used a rubber sponge under his saddle to ease the pain. ![]() To be fair, that looks terribly painful. So it's totally understandable that the Bedouins hired as extras began using the sponge in their daily lives. #spongeworthy. ## 2. A film propels an actor into the annals of history. The 1938 Russian movie "Alexander Nevsky" is about a Russian knight who defeated a superior Swedish army on the river Neva in 1240. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZPgGbUuX0 During WWII, the Soviet Union awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky to tens of thousands of Red Army officers for heroism. The medal features the image of Nevsky – except no one ever knew what Nevsky looked like.Instead, the image on the medal was that of Nikolai Cherkasov, who portrayed Nevsky in the movie. ![]() ## 3. Rhodes gets a colossal new name. A bay on the Greek island of Rhodes is now named after American actor Anthony Quinn, after his stunning performance in "the Guns of Navarone." ![]() Quinn plays a Greek resistance fighter in WWII in the film, but he actually spent much of WWII in Albania – organizing resistance fighters. ## 4. The church of the 82nd Airborne is in France. After "The Longest Day" hit theaters in 1962, the parishioners of the Sainte-Mère Église church featured in the film constructed an effigy of Pvt. John Steele hanging from the church tower. The real Steele (portrayed in the film by Red Buttons), actually landed on the church's bell tower on D-Day. ![]() The church's stained glass also shows [paratroopers landing next to a praying Virgin Mary](), holding a baby. This is a French town so 'Merica, it belongs in Iowa. ## 5. "The Battle of Algiers" becomes a COIN training film. In 2003, the American Directorate for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict [screened the 1966 film]() to the U.S. military's top commanders at the Pentagon. ![]() The briefing was a called "how to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas." A big jump for a film that was once banned in many places in the world. ## 6. Gunny Hartman gets Staff Sgt. Ermey a promotion. Years after he retired from the Marine Corps, R. Lee Ermey was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant. The reason was his performance as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" was so iconic, the Corps thought it only fitting to make the rank fit the man. ![]() Ermey is the[ only Marine to be promoted after his retirement](). Look at his face. That's pride. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()