#stephs stuff

Let's start with what I feel like was the good.

First of all, and what I feel like is one of the MOST important things about this movie: We have a movie about WOMEN in WWII. About Women of COLOR in WWII. About the WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS itself. We have a movie where the WAC are at the forefront of a war movie instead of being blurry background images with no names faces or lines OR just nurses acting as a romantic plot device to lift a man's story before disappearing never to be heard from again. Now we have a full movie just about THEM. And I fucking love it!! I want MORE!!!! And this film is getting people interested in history and wanting to learn more about not only the WACs but the 6888 themselves which will lead to more interest in women's history and women's history during WWII which makes me so fucking happy I could SCREAM!!!!! That's so amazing and so important and if anyone wants some more resources to learn more hit me up! I'm happy to share things!

In terms of the plot/story I'm fairly pleased with it too. Knowing it's a lower budget Tyler Perry Netflix movie, I fully expected them to sensationalize, exaggerate and change a lot of the real history. And yes they did do this a few times but the meat of the story is accurate. A lot of the story was accurate. More accurate than I expected.

The processing of new WACs, the gas mask drill, the voyage over, the marching through the streets upon arrival in England, the state of the King Edward School, the process of sorting the mail, all of the extra steps they all took to locate the men, the church scene, the loss of several women, the scene of Adams saying "over my dead body", etc. were all TRUE. That happened!! And I loved how it was all shown. I really really do.

However, I don't like that they changed the reason Lena joined the WACs to go from fighting for her country to be a romantic/for a dude story. I'm so tired of amatanormativity jeezus christ. Why does everything have to have romance in it. I mean I get why they shoehorned that plot in there. It's for the public who expect and apparently need a romance plot or whatever. But yeah I didn't like that. Was it a good story? Sure I guess. If you don't know the truth and like romance plots. I mean, Lena and Hugh were already married when she decided to join the WACs.

I also don't like that they changed the story of the women who lost their lives. In fact this is the one plot point that infuriates me the most. The rest I could overlook and accept as film nonsense that was always gonna happen for dramatic effect. But this? What was the point. First of all it was 3 women who lost their lives. In a jeep accident. They were not blown up because they went off the prescribed course. They didn't even give them the names of the real women who died. Which were Dolores Browne, Mary Barlow, and Mary Barkston. The emotional impact was lovely and I may have cried a little watching it but that doesn't mean I'm not so mad that it was changed. At least that WAS included in the movie that women died. And the part about raising money for the caskets is true as well. Charity Adams wrote about it in her memoirs. They took up a collection to purchase caskets and sent 3 women who matched the deceased women's measurements to buy them. Then they gave them a Protestant (for 2 of them) and a Catholic (for 1 of them) ceremony. The 3 women are now buried in the Colleville-Sur-Mer Normandy American Cemetery. That was true. And I'm glad all of this was included because the regular movie watcher should know this happened even if the facts weren't quite right.

I loved the ending. A lot. I sobbed when they returned home and were saluted by the men who benefited from the work of the 6888th. I SOBBED when they started playing the real footage of the battalion and the interviews with the members. SOBBED. I was a fucking mess after that segment and I'm BEYOND glad that it was included. That was the most important part of the whole damn movie. This story is REAL and about REAL women and you should go learn about them!

I literally clapped and cheered during the marching segment. I'm such a nerd for proper WAC drill. That dress right dress and cover down was SO GOOD!! Anyone who's been at my mercy when trying to learn drill should know that it's not easy to do. But these ladies were SHARP and SNAPPY and BEAUTIFUL! Ugh I loved it! That's what I am my unit to look like one day! The marching itself was a little weird though. They were picking up their feet way too much. It's like they were stomping down the street when it should have been a smooth roll step. And some of the ladies didn't have the arm swing down either. But the eyes right and salute moment!?! Aaaaahhhh!!! I screamed!!! In a good way!!! That movement was so smooth!!! So good!! And it felt, emotionally, so good to watch this giant group of women march down the street. Ugh I loved that.

This one is unique to me but The Phantom!!! I may have waved at the Phantom like it's my friend lol. Shoutout to my friends who own that vehicle!! The Phantom is a star!! I've ridden in that vehicle many times!! And my other friends car is in the movie too!! So fun!!!

I like the montage of the work WACs did post graduation. That had the feeling of a WAC recruitment video and I enjoyed it a lot. That was cool AND ACCURATE!!!!!!!!

Kerry Washington and Milauna Jackson had great chemistry together and every time they were on screen together I was having a blast.

THE WAC BAND!! WAC BAND!! WAC MUSICIANS! THERE WERE WAC MUSICIANS!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! If you know me at all you know how OBSESSED with the WAC musicians I am. And the dance music for the movie was provided by the black WACs and I loved that. So. Much. Was it accurate to have a full WAC band stationed in England? Fuck no. Not at all. The 404th WAC band never left the US. Do I care? Not at all. I was too excited to see those women playing to care. Sorry not sorry.

Okay now the bad. Hoo boy.

Obviously what I've already stated above about the factual errors. The incorrect facts regarding Lena, the women who died, the made up General Halt (you couldn't pick an actual general to use? why did you make one up?), the conclusion of the inspection and the "over my dead body" situation, etc.

The uniforms. Oh my god the uniforms. What the hell happened!? Now I will say, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE!!! So much worse!! We've seen worse!! At least they were all wearing correct uniform pieces. Every uniform they wore was correct. I saw correct service uniforms, correct HBTs, correct officer uniforms, mostly correct M43s (where the fuck were their leggings?!). So thank god for that. The problem is that the uniforms were so sloppy!! Throughout the movie I kept shaking my head over the sloppy uniforms. Hats that are not on people's head properly. Shirt collars that are popped or crooked. Ill fitting jackets. Garrison caps ok wrong. Crushed Hobby Hats. Leggings not worn or worn backwards. The purses on the WRONG shoulder!

Horrifying. But this stuff wasn't the most egregious error of the film! This is the WORST thing in it. The upside down officers cap badge on Milauna was the WORST. That is unforgivable. How does that even happen!?! How did no one see it and go "oh wait we gotta fix that?" Especially when Kerry Washington was in the same scene wearing the same uniform! How! Does! This! Happen!?! Utterly ridiculous.

I will say that I did chuckle for a bit because I kept thinking about my experience with the shit repro uniforms we have as reenactors and how I've dealt with a lot of the problems the movie had. I don't fit in original pieces so I have to rely on repros. I've dealt with my collars bunching weirdly, my hobby hat getting bent/crushed and not getting back into shape properly. I laughed out loud at the whole "my titties won't fit in my shirt" moment because SAME GIRL!! Big breasted girls know that pain. They make my shirt look so weird sometimes. Did I like the way it was said? Fuck no. I hated Johnnie's character so much. Why did she phrase it like that. Felt way too modern. Even if I could relate to trying to fit my big boobs into my wool shirt. And when I first started reenacting I definitely wore insignia wrong once or twice and once I put my garrison cap on backwards and didn't realize it and no one told me it was backwards so whoops. So I can accept some of the sloppiness because I've been there.

But just because I can relate to this all doesn't make it acceptable for a film! This is not something that should have shitty looking uniforms like this!! You have the time and the money and the resources!! The uniforms should fit and be worn CORRECTLY!! There is no excuse for the mistakes made. None. Not when you have all the references and access to veterans of the 6888 and a freaking historical advisor that I KNOW would have told you THIS IS WRONG! And so much of it is so easily fixable! Pull that hat down so it's on your head. Roll the hair up more. Curl her hair. Twist the insignia so it's the other way. Get her a bigger jacket and her a smaller one. EASY TO FIX.

I like a lot of the hair but the ones that were wrong were SO wrong it was PAINFUL! Johnnie's straight hair made me scream. It looked horrible all the time. Why did so many of them have their hair down below their collars at the dance!?!!!!! WHY!?!?! Sure it's pretty, but IT'S BELOW YOUR COLLAR!!!! STOP!!! Why was that one white WAC in a BUN!?! Why!!!??

And the salutes!!! HORRIBLE!! Salutes aren't that hard!! Why did they all either salute like a Brit with the palm facing front or with the most crooked hand ever.

Also plot wise, what was the point of introducing us to the supporting characters of all they were going to do was be a prop for Lena. We should have been given more about them. They needed more plots, more story, more characterization, more depth. I wanted more from them.

Overall I really really enjoyed the movie and the things that I disliked are not enough for me to say this was a bad movie. It wasn't. I do highly encourage everyone who watched the movie to check out some of the following resources to learn more about these incredible women:

One Woman's Army by Charity Adams Earley

Women of the 6888th website

The United States Army in World War II: Special Studies: The Women’s Army Corps by Mattie E. Treadwell

LTC Charity Adams, Oral History, 1990

Anna Mae Robertson, The “Six Triple Eight” A interview with PFC Anna Mae Wilson and her daughter Janice Banyard on the history of the 6888th

This page of the Women of 6888th website

To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race by Brenda L. Moore

“African American Women and the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.” by Morgan Carlton