History Film / HartsWar

** A couple of the men’s testimonies against Scott is also riddled with racial bias with statements “I’m not colored. I can control myself when I get angry” and that Hart shouldn’t be worried about a “flying bellhop”. [[SarcasmMode Some really great soldiers and upstanding Americans in this camp.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Hoo boy Bedford might be one of the biggest ones in movie history. He starts off at first as a model solider and a man’s man but when Lieutenants Scott and Archer arrive at the camp, that’s when his true colors as begin to come out as a vicious racist. As the trial goes on it’s revealed that he is a traitor and coward as he traded with the Germans every day, set Archer up to be executed, told them about the radio and was close to telling them about the tunnel so he would be given the privilege to leave the camp.

** Also several of the enlisted men protest about the officers being assigned to their barracks and show nothing but casual racism and disrespect to the two men despite the fact that they outrank them and are their fellow comrades in battle.
** A couple of the men’s testimonies against Scott is also riddled with racial bias with statements “I’m not colored. I can control myself when I get angry” and that Hart shouldn’t be worried about a “flying bellhop”. [[SarcasmMode Some really great soldiers and upstanding country men in this camp.]]

** Bedford’s hostile racism makes the Nazis look like peace workers and that’s REALLY saying something giving that the “niggers” he hates are on the same side as he but he can’t let go of his stupid prejudices.

* RealLife/CoolPlane: The P-51D Mustang. See DeathFromAbove below.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Hart, a young and clearly inexperienced officer, attempts to hide his failure to keep quiet under torture from Col. [=McNamara=] and fails. [=McNamara=] then forces him to bunk with the enlisted men. Also, Flt. Lt. Archer is executed after the Germans are tipped off about the planted crowbar in his bunk.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Hoo boy Bedford might be one of the biggest ones in movie history. He starts off at first as a model solider and a man’s man but when Lieutenants Scott and Archer arrive at the camp, that’s when his true colors as begin to come out as a viscous racist. As the trial goes on it’s revealed that he is a traitor and coward as traded with the Germans every day, set Archer up to be executed, told them about the radio and was close to telling them about the tunnel so he would be given the privilege to leave the camp.

** Also several of the enlisted men protest about the officers being assigned to their barracks and show nothing but casual racism and disrespect to the two men despite the fact that they outrank them and are their fellow comrades in battle........
** A couple of the men’s testimonies against Scott is also riddled with racial bias with statements “I’m not colored. I can control myself when I get angry” and that Hart shouldn’t be worried about a “flying bellhop” [[SarcasmMode Some really great soldiers and upstanding country men in this camp.]]

** Col. [=McNamara=] originally looks to be this, but ultimately subverts this trope since he is not above doling out petty retributions for minor offences and threatening [[spoiler:and ultimately killing]] any of those under his command who does not do things his way.

* NotSoDifferent: Early in the film, Mancnamara tells Visser that Americans "don't make those distinctions" after Visser tells him a group of executed Russian escapees were "untermenschen"[[note]]aka 'the unmentionables' who were those the Nazis considered to be sub-human[[/note]]. Needless to say, Visser takes great delight in forcing [=McNamara=] to put this to the test once African American fliers Archer and Scott arrive. [=McNamara=] fails miserably to keep the moral high ground.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: As mentioned above in NotSoDifferent about [=McNamara=]. He might not use racial epithets but when both Scott and Archer arrive to the camp, he places them in the enlisted men’s barracks instead of quartering them properly as officers, which gives the impression to the audience that [=McNamara=] is not as tolerant as he tries to make himself out to be.

* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Not the camp the itself but German POW camps in America which mentioned above in DeliberateValuesDissonace. Very TruthInTelevision as German POWS received several privileges and experienced first class treatment compared to the second class treatment Black Men and Women who served America during the war at home and abroad.

* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Not the camp the itself but German POW camps in America which mentioned above in DeliberateVaulesDissonance. Very TruthInTelevision as German POWS received several privileges and experienced first class treatment compared to the second class treatment Black Men and Women who served America during the war at home and abroad.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Ooo boy...... Bedford might be one of the biggest ones if not the biggest one in movie history. At first he seems like a good guy and a competent respectful solider but he later reveals himself to be a vicious racist, a moocher, a huge liar and a backstabbing traitor on top of it.

* NoNameGiven: One guard is listed as "Lowly Guard", and the sergeant who gives Hart his coat is listed "Boxcar Sergeant".
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: As mentioned above in NotSoDifferent about [=McNamara=]. He might not use racial epithets but when both Scott and Archer arrive to the camp, he places them in the enlisted men’s barracks instead of quartering them properly as officers, which gives the impression to the audience that [=McNamara=] is not as tolerant as he tries to make himself out to be.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:After successfully escaping, Colonel MacNamara returns to the camp just in time to stop the execution of dozens of men]].

* CompositeCharacter: Commandant Visser is a combination of hostile Gestapo officer Captain Visser and reasonable commandant Von Reiter from the book. Colonel Macnamra's name and role as the senior prisoner are the same as in the book, although much of his personality (particularly towards Scott) belonged to his AdaptedOut executive officer, Clark, and [[spoiler: Bedford's killer was the unnamed leader of the prison marching band]].

-->'''Macnamara:''' ''({{Beat}})'' Bedford's footlocker is in my barracks. I'll make sure you get it.

* NotSoDifferent: Early in the film, Mancnamara tells Visser that Americans "don't make those distinctions" after Visser tells him a group of executed Russian escapees were "untermenschen"[[note]]aka 'the unmentionables' who were those the Nazis considered to be sub-human[[/note]]. Needless to say, Visser takes great delight in forcing Macnamara to put this to the test once African American fliers Archer and Scott arrive. Macnamara fails miserably to keep the moral high ground.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: As mentioned above in NotSoDifferent about Macnamara. He might not use racial epithets but when both Scott and Archer arrive to the camp, he places them in the enlisted men’s barracks instead of quartering them properly as officers, which gives the impression to the audience that [=McNamara=] is not as tolerant as he tries to make himself out to be.

** Col. Macnamara originally looks to be this, but ultimately subverts this trope since he is not above doling out petty retributions for minor offences and threatening [[spoiler:and ultimately killing]] any of those under his command who does not do things his way.
** Cpt. Ross to a lesser extent. He takes care of those on the POW train as they suffer an attack by friendly fire and, despite his ultimate loyalty to macnamara, is willing to repeatedly offer Hart assistance and advice.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Hart delivers a minor one to Macnamara and Scott delivers one to the entire camp (which contains an element of ShamingTheMob).

* AffablyEvil: Col. Visser. He repeatedly offers assistance to Hart during the preparations for the trial, shows genuine respect towards both Hart and his own American counterpart Colonel Williamson [[spoiler:(to the point of giving the latter an honourable death)]] and, despite being a Nazi, freely admits that he enjoys a lot of "forbidden" things including African American jazz music.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Again, Hart. [[spoiler:It's implied that the only reason Williamson came back at the end was because of Hart's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to him]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Both Hart and Scott are still alive and (presumably) survive the rest of the war. However, Williamson is dead and ReasonableAuthorityFigure Col. Visser likely won't be too far behind.]]

* DeathGlare: Hart, Williamson and Bedford all have this down to an art.

* DirtyCoward: Bedford, to an extent. He was a snitch and regularly made deals with the German officers in order to improve his situation, even if that meant selling out his fellow [=POWs=]. [[spoiler:Hart also essentially calls Williamson this when he works out Williamson killed Bedford and is willing to let Scott die for the crime rather than admit it was him. However, this is ultimately averted.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Hart, a young and clearly inexperienced officer, attempts to hide his failure to keep quiet under torture from Col. Williamson and fails. Williamson then forces him to bunk with the enlisted men. Also, Flt. Lt. Archer is executed after the Germans are tipped off about the planted crowbar in his bunk.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Scott is set up to become this [[spoiler:only to be saved by Hart falsely confessing to the murder. Then ''he's'' saved from becoming this thanks to Williamson]].

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: As mentioned above in NotSoDifferent about Macnamara. He might not use racial epithets but when both Scott and Archer arrive to the camp, he places them in the enlisted men’s barracks instead of quartering them properly as officers, which gives the impression to the audience that Williamson is not as tolerant as he tries to make himself out to be.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The movie depicts Stalag [=VI-A=] as being located in the middle of a desolate valley near Augsburg, Germany. The real Stalag [=VI-A=] was located on a hillside overlooking the city of Hemer, halfway across the country, and interned mostly Russians or Poles, with a few Frenchmen and Britons, and no Americans.

** Col. McNamara wears a subdued arm patch of the Big Red One (First Infantry Division). Subdued service patches were not used by the Army until the 1960's.