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Remembered Today:

Who Goes Next? (1938 film)


Moonraker

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Interesting film on Talking Pictures (Channel 81) on  Wednesday, January 18 at 1615.

 

No, it's not, it's on Wednesday, January 17 at 1615.
 

Who Goes Next?

 

The story was inspired by the real-life escape of 29 officers through a tunnel from Holzminden PoW camp in July 1918.

 

I say "interesting", but I've no idea as to its quality.  However, I've never before heard of it, IMDB gives only the cast list and I don't recognise any of the actors apart from (a young) Jack Hawkins. And apparently no clips are available on the Web.

 

Moonraker

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Moonraker
wrong day
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On ‎1‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 20:35, Moonraker said:

Interesting film on Talking Pictures (Channel 81) on  Wednesday, January 18 at 1615.

 

 

Is that meant to be the 17th? The 18th is Thursday... :huh:

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Oops sorry, Andrew is correct. Talking Pictures' schedule gave the time as " Wed 17 Jan 18 ", and what with my trying to remember that its 1918 2018 and not 2017 ...

 

Moonraker

Edited by Moonraker
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Centenaryitis strikes again!

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I'll be watching my recording later this evening and may not have a chance to comment until tomorrow evening. The film is  being shown again this Saturday the 20th at 1125 and Sunday the 21st at 1800.

 

Moonraker

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Just watched my recording and submitted a review to IMDB (its first of this film) , which will take a day or so to approve it.

 

Not at all bad.  I did wonder about Flying Officer Stevens' rank, as his first scene suggested he had been a prisoner before this rank was introduced (not that I'm sure exactly when this was). The German sentries had impressively long rifles, even allowing for the bayonets. I know nothing about German rifles, but they did seem longer than those I've seen depicted in other feature films and contemporary documentary film footage.  Perhaps not being front-line troops in real life they had been issued with old models?
 

Holzminden Camp

 

the mass escape from which is said to be the basis for the film.

 

I note that the famous archaeologist O G S Crawford was one captive and reported that he was far less unhappy there than when he was at Marlborough College. Some of his postwar aerial photographs of archaeological sites in Wiltshire are useful in showing evidence of the recent military training in the county.

 

Moonraker

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Well , I don't think they will be showing it instead of 'The Great Escape ' at yuletide . Having read 'The Tunnellers of Holzminden'  and 'Beyond the Tumult '

recently I believe that someone should make a film about it  . As long as they don't change the British officers into Americans :devilgrin:

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/18/2018 at 19:27, Moonraker said:

My IMDB review

 

(IMDB is sensitive about "spoilers" giving away too much of the plot, especially any denouement, so I've been circumspect.)

 

Moonraker

Thanks. I stumbled across your review when searching for more on the film. I'm intrigued by the time it was made - pre-WWII and wondered how accurate its portrayal of WWI and the first Great Escape. I note it is not mentioned in the HistoryExtra  2014  interview with Sual David. 

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Having read two books on the subject the only bits of the film that rang a bell were the nasty German Kommandant and when they pushed a stick up through

the tunnel so that a look out in the camp could see how far they had dug . Other than those two things I don't think it had much in common with the actual

escape from Holzminden , except maybe that a tunnel was used in both escapes.

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  • 2 months later...

I missed Who Goes Next on Talking Pictures but alerted Moonraker's review I went tonight to the BFI to watch the film. Really enjoyed what I saw but was called away with babysitter trouble and now find there's no way to watch the rest. A lot to ask, but has anyone any way of helping me with a recording? I'd pay costs/postage of course - or alternatively could anyone help the film find its way onto YouTube? Thought I might as well ask. Otherwise I'll have to scan the TP schedules...

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I check out the Talking Pictures every five days or so; there seem to be lots of films that seem to be shown every month or so, but not this one. But it's very probable that it will be screened again sooner or later.

 

Moonraker

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  • 3 weeks later...

Being shown again on Talking Pictures, Channel 81, Monday, May 7, 1000-1145.

 

Moonraker

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