In response to the march of the German army across Europe, thousands of young British men were sent to the front lines to push them back into Germany and it was believed that they would never be able to penetrate the British lines. However this signalled the beginning of the Blitzkrieg, and the German forces invaded Holland and Belgium, pushing into France managing to take everyone by surprise and totally cutting off the BEF (British Expeditionary Force). Made up of a large number of 18 and 19 year olds who had just joined the previous year, the BEF begin a retreat that turned into one of the worst defeats of a British Army in recent history and the massive evacuation at Dunkirk. With war footage, many former soldiers recall their first time abroad, their hopes, their fears at being under fire and the terrible things they experienced in the name of war Winner of the 2004 prize for best historical documentary in the UK award ceremony for documentary films, this is not a film to easily walk away from without being touched deeply by it and for this reason I'm sure it is a rightful winner. The film does plenty of things and it does them all very well. The main thing that struck me was how effective the old footage was even after Band of Brothers etc, the real thing still is shocking and frightening. The battle footage is intense but more telling are the shots of the men (boys) themselves dirty, exhausted and either scared or relieved depending on where they were.
The use of official films is also good in a way because it reminds us that reported stuff is often not reality. Of course you can understand why a good spin was put on the BEF at the time but it is interesting to hear the film's "organised and efficient withdrawal" be contrasted with the men telling stories that it was every man for himself and that the BEF were all over the place and lacking leadership. However this is not the place for judgement and the film wisely doesn't make petty attacks on Governmental spin when it has the chance to listen to real people who survived this war. The talking heads are a mix; some talk about it with a sorrowful edge but still plenty of humour but one man is still almost in tears when he talks about the man he killed. Regardless of their personalities they all tell the same story and they tell it in the compelling manner of men who have been there. I cannot understand the contempt for the elderly at times, because nobody can live 80 years without stories and lessons and those that have been in extraordinary situations are even more so. 45 minutes fly by sitting at the feet of these ordinary men whose experiences cannot encourage anyone that war is a thing to wage lightly.
The film is simple but very effective and very well put together. Footage from the time is woven in with talking heads to tell one solid story as opposed to very fragmented individual tales. It is compelling stuff; even if the same subject has been covered so many other places, a good war documentary should leave you chilled yet proud of the sacrifice made during WWII and the extraordinary experiences that were met by 18 year old boys if nothing else you should respect that generation, the only way to get current 18 year olds to show the same level of courage would be to make the army uniform by Burberry! A good war documentary should do these things and this film does them effortlessly. A very good film and a worthy winner at Grierson 2004.
The use of official films is also good in a way because it reminds us that reported stuff is often not reality. Of course you can understand why a good spin was put on the BEF at the time but it is interesting to hear the film's "organised and efficient withdrawal" be contrasted with the men telling stories that it was every man for himself and that the BEF were all over the place and lacking leadership. However this is not the place for judgement and the film wisely doesn't make petty attacks on Governmental spin when it has the chance to listen to real people who survived this war. The talking heads are a mix; some talk about it with a sorrowful edge but still plenty of humour but one man is still almost in tears when he talks about the man he killed. Regardless of their personalities they all tell the same story and they tell it in the compelling manner of men who have been there. I cannot understand the contempt for the elderly at times, because nobody can live 80 years without stories and lessons and those that have been in extraordinary situations are even more so. 45 minutes fly by sitting at the feet of these ordinary men whose experiences cannot encourage anyone that war is a thing to wage lightly.
The film is simple but very effective and very well put together. Footage from the time is woven in with talking heads to tell one solid story as opposed to very fragmented individual tales. It is compelling stuff; even if the same subject has been covered so many other places, a good war documentary should leave you chilled yet proud of the sacrifice made during WWII and the extraordinary experiences that were met by 18 year old boys if nothing else you should respect that generation, the only way to get current 18 year olds to show the same level of courage would be to make the army uniform by Burberry! A good war documentary should do these things and this film does them effortlessly. A very good film and a worthy winner at Grierson 2004.
