Shot on 75mm film, with an absence of C.G.I.and close attention paid to aerial shots, what’s not to like? The answer is absolutely everything. The absence of almost any conversation makes it extremely difficult to care whether the film’s characters get off the beach or not! I hate it when film makers slot in images of British soldiers being mown down just to add ” seriousness” to the proceedings. As the retreating British are mown down by the un-named “enemy”, one is put in mind of The Devil’s Own where the I.R.A. create a mini Somme in Belfast.
One does get the impression, rightly I think, that Britain had bitten off more than it could chew in 1940. But, because the characterisation is so weak, you hardly understand the feelings of relief that must have been engendered. The death of the teenage volunteer, at the hands of the flailing beach survivor, is a dark moment and does serve to underline the desperation. But the reliance on action shots and spectacle only detracts.
The 1958 version, with John Mills, is in my view far superior. That film was a box-office flop at the time. Perhaps the audience weren’t ready to hear the message of national decline and dire warnings of what happens when you are ill-prepared? Are we any more ready to hear such a message today?
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