Is Tom Hanks too old to storm Omaha Beach?

Host Paul Bavill welcomes Rob Hutton and Duncan Weldon, hosts of the War Movie Theatre podcast, to kick off a series of previews for the Imperial War Museum’s (IWM) Podcast Live Festival. This week, they are raising the curtain on movies in a historical setting with a fierce debate on the one historical inaccuracy that Hollywood keeps getting away with.

Rob and Duncan unleash their rage on the persistent and problematic trend in war cinema: the casting of much older actors as young combat soldiers in World War II movies.

• The Saving Private Ryan Problem: Discover exactly why Tom Hanks (mid-to-late 40s) as a Ranger Captain, and Matt Damon (27) as Private Ryan, were both fundamentally too old for their D-Day roles—in some cases by 20 years.
• The hosts argue that casting older actors fundamentally changes how we perceive the Second World War, overshadowing the reality that the fighting was overwhelmingly done by fresh-faced 19-year-olds.
• But is historical accuracy the real goal? The discussion turns to the industry's love for "whizzy ideas" and the notorious trope of a writer or director "struggling to get the green light"—and whether this pursuit of a marketable story is the real reason historical truth gets sacrificed for Hollywood blockbusters.
• Find out which TV series, like Band of Brothers, got the ages right, and whether Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk managed to break the mold.
• Plus, a fascinating discussion on how the youthful, risk-taking mindset applies not just to infantry and Luftwaffe pilots, but even to Formula 1 drivers.

Don't miss this heated discussion!

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• Listen to War Movie Theatre: Find Rob and Duncan’s podcast everywhere you get your podcasts and follow on all social media channels @warmovietheatre
• See them Live: This episode previews the IWM Podcast Live Festival on the 1st of November. Be sure to grab your tickets for the live discussion on movies in a historical setting!
• Tickets available at: https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/podcast-live
• Support History Rage: Love the show? Check the links for how to support Paul Bavill's podcast, including getting ad-free listening and the coveted History Rage mug.
• Subscribe at www.patreon.com/historyrage
• Follow History Rage on Social Media @historyrage

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