Christopher Nolan’s success goes beyond measure when it comes to his historical epics. The most recent example being Oppenheimer, the director successfully created a box office bonanza in association with Cillian Murphy. But prior to his 2023 blockbuster, there’s his 2017 WWII movie Dunkirk, which earned rave reviews following its screening.
However, Christopher Nolan made a controversial decision in Dunkirk that made fans question the historical accuracy of the movie. According to reports, the mistake revolves around the film’s German planes that were intentionally painted yellow by Nolan and his crew. But was it actually a mistake or a genius move?
Historical Inaccuracy in the 2017 WWII Movie Dunkirk
Following the release of Christopher Nolan’s historical epic Dunkirk in 2017, fans simply lost their mind over how accurately it was all done. The director and his film earned rave reviews over the impeccable depiction of the Battle of Dunkirk and the heroic small-boat evacuation of British and Allied troops.
However, right after historians and WWII fanatics watched the movie, one particular mistake started surfacing that was difficult to overlook. Apparently, it was a minor change made in filmmaking that turned into a grave historical mistake. According to reports, Dunkirk’s mistake was featuring German planes with yellow noses.
Although Christopher Nolan made sure audiences could follow a rather hectic, breathless movie, his minor change turned out to be immense in the eyes of historians. However, the only minor issue in the film that put holes in its depiction of a 1940s war-torn France was apparently done intentionally by Nolan and his crew.
Intention Behind Christopher Nolan’s Controversial Decision
While fans and historians were thoroughly disturbed by the one mistake made by Christopher Nolan in Dunkirk, it was later reported that the director made it intentionally. Keeping normal audiences in mind who aren’t quite aware of the historical titbits, Nolan painted the German planes yellow to help people distinguish between those and the British ones.
According to reports, Nolan and his crew painted the noses of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 a bright yellow. But, according to history, German planes didn’t have yellow noses until about a month after the Dunkirk evacuation. But the director purposefully did so to help his audiences keep track of the German and English planes in the mid-air fights.
“In reality, the planes were not painted yellow until about a month after Dunkirk… but it’s a very useful color scheme for trying to distinguish two planes in the air. We need to tell the story in a clear way, and there are going to be things that we have done that are inaccurate, but they are done with eyes open and with respect for the real history.” Nolan told USA Today.
The director knew that someone extremely knowledgeable would know the difference between the planes, but normal audiences might lose track. Thus, Nolan’s controversial decision proved to be a genius move for the film.
