|
|
Post by racingteatray on Jul 24, 2017 10:24:59 GMT
Went with a friend last night to see Dunkirk at the IMAX in the Science Museum.
My goodness. It's quite a film and one you should absolutely watch, and absolutely watch in an IMAX if you possibly can.
I'm not a particular war film fan and I hadn't read any of the reviews beforehand so didn't know what to expect beyond that it was quite gritty. But heavens above, it's a film that grabs you by the neck from the opening scenes and remains viscerally attention-grabbing throughout. There's precious little dialogue, but that's entirely appropriate and the cinematography is gruellingly realistic and at times simply breathtaking – particularly the aerial footage. This is not a film that glorifies war in any way but neither does it demonise it. It simply presents the experiences of each of the three forces (Army, Navy, RAF) in an unvarnished and unsentimental way that seeks to give the viewer a sense of the experience without the sense of an agenda or axe being ground. Yes, it celebrates simple unsung heroism but it does so interlaced with tales of simple human efforts to survive at any cost that are rendered understandable by the sheer horror of a truly desperate situation.
|
|
|
|
Post by PG on Jul 24, 2017 10:52:44 GMT
We're going to see it a week today.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jul 24, 2017 11:00:18 GMT
Looking forward to seeing this. It does get very good reviews, although I have heard some complaints from viewers in The States that it doesn't feature enough women and black and ethnic minority actors.
My grandad's youngest brother joined the 1st Bn Tyneside Scottish, Black Watch in Feb 1940 and on 23rd April they were dispatched to France. The battalion largely comprised young boys, lead by older NCOs from the first war. With only 8 weeks training they were tasked with defending the retreating BEF against the advancing German tanks. On 20th May ( 6 days before Operation Dynamo began) they were overun at Ficheux and shot up, fighting tanks with rifles and bayonets. David was killed and buried in Ficheux at the nearby WW1 military cemetery with another 100+ of his colleagues that died that day. My cousin managed to take my grandad over to visit his grave before he died and that was quite moving. His name is listed in the book of remembrance in Edinburgh Castle.
|
|
|
|
Post by humphreythepug on Jul 24, 2017 11:44:11 GMT
Saw it on Saturday, what a film and filmed amazingly; the tension and atmosphere portrayal was phenomenal, it was so gripping from start to finish, I don't think I have ever been in a full screen before and not heard a mumour from anyone watching, everyone was silent thoughout.
I have aheard a few people were dissapointed as they were expecting more of a Saving Private Ryan type film; more action and blood and gore etc, I didn;t kno wwhat to expect, however I most certainly wasn't dissapointed.
I love the way that it was shot from 3 different perspectives, at first it was a tad confusing but it became clear quite quickly.
Christopher Nolan definately earned is £20 million + 20% of the profits.
|
|
|
|
Post by racingteatray on Jul 24, 2017 11:44:47 GMT
Yes, if your grandparents, parents or other relatives fought in WW2, then I think this will really make you reflect on the experiences. My paternal and maternal grandfathers were respectively a Navy commander and an RAF wing-commander, who died in the early '80s when I was still much too young to have asked them about their experiences, and I have to say this is the first time I've watched a film involving RAF fighters engaging the Luftwaffe over the Channel and thought "God, grandpa did this?" It's something of an OMG moment.
Yes, it's not anywhere near as gory as Saving Private Ryan, for example, but it deals with the nightmare aspect extremely effectively all the same.
|
|
|
|
Post by PG on Jul 24, 2017 14:51:57 GMT
....My paternal and maternal grandfathers were respectively a Navy commander and an RAF wing-commander, who died in the early '80s when I was still much too young to have asked them about their experiences.... My maternal grandfather fought in the Royal Artillery in the trenches of WW1 and was awarded the Military Medal. Like your relatives, I really regret that he died before I was old enough to have an adult relationship with him (he died when I was 18 and we hardly saw him the last few years of his life as my mum fell out with her brother my grandma died) and ask him about his time. But he never talked about it at all, so maybe he'd not have wanted to talk about what happened. My mum said something once about his battery taking a direct hit and he was one of the few left to operate the guns at a critical time. |
|
|
|
Post by Alex on Jul 24, 2017 21:05:34 GMT
My maternal grandfather spent his war in Egypt so wasn't near any of the European fronts but still he rarely talks about the war and being in his mid 90's I do sadly wonder if his tales will soon be forgotten. It makes me glad I've read books such as The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich to get a better idea of what their generation went through.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tim on Jul 25, 2017 9:48:58 GMT
I have a relative who went ashore on D Day but he has never spoken about any of it.
Another relative, recently deceased, was a gunner on oil tankers on the Atlantic convoys, again he never spoke about it although he did once show me and a cousin his medals. They were simply kept in a cardboard box and we never saw them again.
|
|
|
|
Post by racingteatray on Jul 25, 2017 11:25:40 GMT
It seems ex-forces people don't talk about these things much. My father spent 16 years in the Fleet Air Arm before going into banking, and saw active service in all sorts of interesting places in the 60s and 70s. But he very rarely ventures many details. One day, I'd love to corner him with a Dictaphone and get him to tell some of the stories for family posterity.
|
|
|
|
Post by PG on Jul 25, 2017 16:37:49 GMT
It seems ex-forces people don't talk about these things much. Wasn't it Jeremy Clarkson who never knew for years that his ex father-in-law had won the Victoria Cross? |
|
|
|
Post by humphreythepug on Jul 25, 2017 20:25:12 GMT
An old friend; his dad died years ago, the family only found out he had been a member of the SAS after he died, he'd been long out of the army by the time he'd died too.
|
|
|
|
Post by Boxer6 on Jul 25, 2017 21:04:13 GMT
I've often wondered if my dad played down what he did during his National Service. He was in Malaya in the mid 50's and said his service consisted mostly of riding a dispatch motorcycle for the Royal Engineers. His dad, my papa, was in a reserved occupation during WW2 (he was a universal miller) and was apparently not even allowed to try and volunteer!
My other grand-dad was a Marine in WW1, his age on his gravestone making him just turned 17 when the war ended. Sadly I was only 9 when he died, so no chance to talk with him about any of that even if I'd been so inclined at that age (not helped by him living in Portishead with us just outside Glasgow!) but by all accounts he said nothing to any of my mum's family about his time in the service.
One of my uncles was in the Para's towards the end of WW2, 7th Battalion, and was a major influence on me when deciding which regiment I wanted to join. Again, though, no chat of his service (apart from the funny stuff I suppose), even my cousins say he never really spoke about it. My older, male, cousin himself never joined up but served in a Lifeboat crew from age 18 until he moved to Cornwall last year (aged 57!) the last 22 years as Cox'n. As if that's not enough to be going on with, my brother-in-law did 22 years in the RAF, his son (my oldest nephew) joined last January (2016) and another cousin also did his 22 in the RAF Regiment.
|
|
