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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Spielberg's '1917'


Mark Hone

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31 minutes ago, phil andrade said:

 

Alan, 

 

If memory serves me, the posh officer was sticking a few “Fs” into Daniel Craig, who had just been riddled with bullets and fell dying into the trench.

 

Phil

Phil

 

The officer was aiming the Fs at Private McFarlane (?) Who Sgt Daniel Craig had fallen on top of. McFarlane had yet to leave the trench and the officer was threatening to shoot him.

 

To be fair, every other word was the F word which probably suited Danny Dyer as he would have been able to remember his lines.

 

I hadn't heard of this film until yesterday but for the uninformed it covers 30 June to 1 July 1916 on the Somme and the unit concerned was Royal Fusiliers. 

 

They were not shy in showing blood and gore.

 

Regards

 

Alan.

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1 hour ago, phil andrade said:

 

Alan, 

 

If memory serves me, the posh officer was sticking a few “Fs” into Daniel Craig, who had just been riddled with bullets and fell dying into the trench.

 

Phil

Spoiler alert?  

Spoiler

I’m joking.

 

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Went yesterday, £6.50 for mature people.....The first half was quite good, then we came to the burning town (Escourt?) pure Hollywood/Disney. As a previous chum pointed out the tents for treating the wounded on the surface near the jumping off trench! Very poor. The senior officers spoke to the Lance Jack, L/Cpl, using "Lance Corporal" when it is my contention using distant experience that it would have just been "Corporal"  As we know The CO of a Battalion is a Lt Colonel, junior officers do not address him as "Lieutenant  Colonel" but "Colonel"....

The photograph our hero takes out in the final scene are in remarkably good condition after the soaking in that Scottish mountain river, never seen one like that on the old Western Front.

There are other bits in it which I may come to later.

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Loved it... so I saw it twice. Some of the circumstances may be far fetched but, sometimes, life can throw a very unexpected chain of events your way leading to coincidences that you didn't think possible; until it happens. For Schoffield and Blake, it was exactly that so thank goodness those coincidences were caught on film! Go see it if you haven't, just don't expect others (hollywood directors) to know the war as well as you because you/we take for granted how much detail we know about the conflict. Let it go and enjoy!

- Jordan 

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5 hours ago, WhiteStarLine said:

The SBRs looked wrong slung over the shoulder but I let that go.  Perhaps there were units that did that, just as the AIF made up its own rules. 

The two main characters were the only ones in the film wearing their respirators in this way. Others in the film all wore their respirators at "the alert".

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6 hours ago, WhiteStarLine said:

-  there were no mobile phones or popcorn noises, so that's a good sign for a modern audience. 

I went with Mrs 67 (which surprised me a little) , both thoroughly enjoyed it (apart from the rats,- also surprising).  Everything, apart from the plot, seemed very well done. 

 I'm not sure how much the younger generation will take in; about 15 mins in there were still 5 mobiles on show in our row, a peek over the balcony showed several more. The young lass across the aisle my good lady showed her boyf kitten pictures and Love Island clebs in bikinis all the way through!

 I may be doing her a disservice, she may have been reading relevant tweets as well.

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Went to see it last night and, rather like GWF1967, was rather surprised that my wife elected to join me.  

 

Overall, I thought the film was excellent (to say "enjoy" seems a tad strange when we're dealing with the horrors of war).  The plot was certainly contrived and, on occasion, entirely broke the willing suspension of disbelief.  That German sniper near the canal was a pretty poor shot...and then, when our hero goes into the building to ensure the sniper is dead, he doesn't just roll a hand grenade into the room; he opens the door to offer his enemy a perfect target.  There were many others, including a German pilot who, having been rescued from a burning aeroplane by two plucky Tommies and is more than a little wounded, promptly goes and stabs one of them. 

 

All that said, the depictions of trench warfare and no-man's land were remarkable and truly showed the results of the daily, deathly grind that was the Western Front.  The film certainly won't be everyone's cuppa but if it prompts a few people to learn more about the GWF, and perhaps their ancestors' roles in it, then the film was worth every penny invested and spent (by producers and viewers alike).  

 

 

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3 hours ago, stripeyman said:

. As a previous chum pointed out the tents for treating the wounded on the surface near the jumping off trench! Very poor.

 

I think that's down to the director. Trudging a full 1 - 2 miles to a CCS was not on in any film. I'm sure Andrew Robertshaw would have pointed it out but would have been over ruled.

 

Regarding the river - yes it was a bit large but think about the cascades in the middle of Albert. So waterfalls do exist on the Somme.

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5 hours ago, trajan said:

On the use of the f*** word. I seem to recall an earlier post suggesting the f*** word was over used in the film and perhaps reflected an introduced Americanism.

 

But a 1999 Guardian report on "Lest we forget: the 306 'cowards' we executed in the first world war" (https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/14/firstworldwar.uk) quotes a sergeant-major as saying : 'If you don't go up to the ******* front, I'm going to ******* blow your brains out.' 

I appreciate Robert Graves is not an altogether reliable source, but there are numerous references to the 'f' word in 'Goodbye to All That'-e.g the squeamish bandmaster reporting the boy soldier calling him ' a double effing c.'; and the wounded sergeant advising his officer that his men could not advance as 'they're all f-ing dead.' Manning's 'The Middle Parts of Fortune', written as a novel,but by a veteran, and widely considered a very authentic piece of writing, has a number of examples, including such as the song to the tune of the Marseillaise ' ..And we ran, yes, we ran,

From the fuckin' Alleyman..'

Michael

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5 hours ago, phil andrade said:

 

Alan, 

 

If memory serves me, the posh officer was sticking a few “Fs” into Daniel Craig, who had just been riddled with bullets and fell dying into the trench.

 

Phil

 

As in Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' ...

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1 minute ago, Steven Broomfield said:

 

As in Huntin', Shootin' and Fishin' ...

He was directing the invective at our main hero who was gawping, horrified at Daniel Craig dying in the bottom of the trench 

‘Get up out of that trench or I will f@@@ shoot you’  or  something similar 

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9 hours ago, Alan24 said:

Whilst browsing on You Tube last night, came across a full length 1999 film titled The Trench.

Staring very young versions of Daniel Craig and Danny Dyer....I say no more.

Good thing the corporals in 1917 didn't divert from their route as much as this thread threatens to! :) (Or perhaps they did - I haven't seen it yet.) We've discussed "The Trench" in detail

 

here

 

Several offerings of it on YouTube, including

 

this one

 

Moonraker

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On 17/01/2020 at 10:48, MikeyH said:

 

It looked like a dress bayonet, but only visible for a second or so, short so an S.84/98 a posibillity.

 

Mike.

 

OK, found it. 19th July 1915, decree that all  officers, ballonists and aviators should use the kS 98. 

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2 hours ago, Gunner Bailey said:

 

I think that's down to the director. Trudging a full 1 - 2 miles to a CCS was not on in any film. I'm sure Andrew Robertshaw would have pointed it out but would have been over ruled.

 

Regarding the river - yes it was a bit large but think about the cascades in the middle of Albert. So waterfalls do exist on the Somme.

Perhaps it was meant to be an advanced dressing station, but I think it was supposed to be a CCS.

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23 minutes ago, trajan said:

 

OK, found it. 19th July 1915, decree that all  officers, ballonists and aviators should use the kS 98. 

 

Aren't  the people who advised on the weapons etc. for this film,  members of this Forum ?  It would be great if they could confirm what equipment was featured.

Edited by Myrtle
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Open Letter to Cumberbatch

Get down on your knees Cumberbatch and offer the great one on high a huge thank you for his/her/they creation of your agent!

You are the most one dimensional posh boy character actor who gets to play the same upper class role in everything you do.

Your scene, thankfully short, was utterly ridiculous as you changed from a seasoned believer in attrition into a luvvie-bubble pleaser by telling the protagonist to eff off as he had done his duty. Oh be still my aching sides.

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Saw the film today and I must admit  that 'Warhorse', as a movie, engaged me more.

The production values of 1917 are amazing and that German aircraft scene startled me but that was about it. 

Maybe my expectations were too high and a second viewing is required. (I hated Blazing Saddles and The Life of Brian on first showing but absolutely love them now).

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Well ....

 

Would a runner have gone with all that kit? Would he have fixed his bayonet? A sudden awareness of the Hindenburg Line? 'Wearing your medal' conversation, implying the medal and not just a ribbon? A message going that far from a brigadier general, implying from the same brigade? Roads/tracks in remarkably good order? No sort of artillery barrage of any sort before a two-battalion attack? No Man's Land looking in remarkably tidy/untouched condition?  A river (plus dam) of considerable dimensions - nothing like that anywhere near the places mentioned. A village which looked like a small town, with remarkably cleared roads; there was snowy weather at the time and no 'feel' that the Battle of Arras was about to start? A booby trap that seemed to bring down a whole dugout system? A CCS a short stroll from the forward line? And so on.

 

On the other hand ... The problem is quite probably mine - I never really enjoy films based on historical events unless I do not know a lot about them and I suppose one should be able to enjoy it for it what it is, a war drama with a lot of effort put in to many aspects to give it the right feel; and it was beautifully filmed. 

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1 hour ago, maxi said:

Saw the film today and I must admit  that 'Warhorse', as a movie, engaged me more.

The production values of 1917 are amazing and that German aircraft scene startled me but that was about it. 

Maybe my expectations were too high and a second viewing is required. (I hated Blazing Saddles and The Life of Brian on first showing but absolutely love them now).

 

Now in the UK I might see 1917 this week even though by now I reckon I know the whole thing from GWF...

 

'Blazzing Saddles? I too but am a pawn in game of life... And dont get me started on  Romanes eunt domus...

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33 minutes ago, nigelcave said:

Well ....

 

Would a runner have gone with all that kit? Would he have fixed his bayonet? A sudden awareness of the Hindenburg Line? 'Wearing your medal' conversation, implying the medal and not just a ribbon? A message going that far from a brigadier general, implying from the same brigade? Roads/tracks in remarkably good order? No sort of artillery barrage of any sort before a two-battalion attack? No Man's Land looking in remarkably tidy/untouched condition?  A river (plus dam) of considerable dimensions - nothing like that anywhere near the places mentioned. A village which looked like a small town, with remarkably cleared roads; there was snowy weather at the time and no 'feel' that the Battle of Arras was about to start? A booby trap that seemed to bring down a whole dugout system? A CCS a short stroll from the forward line? And so on.

 

On the other hand ... The problem is quite probably mine - I never really enjoy films based on historical events unless I do not know a lot about them and I suppose one should be able to enjoy it for it what it is, a war drama with a lot of effort put in to many aspects to give it the right feel; and it was beautifully filmed. 

 

Guess you didn't like it then? There are - as you acknowledge - times to suspend accuracy for the film as it was :hypocrite: 

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Haven't seen it yet, but do plan to.  Looking at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield I was surprised to see they have a Baby Friendly Screening of the film, Monday as 11.00 for parents/guardians and babies under 1 yr.  Brilliant idea!  Get them while they're young, it could trigger a lifetime interest and they could be the next generation of forum members!

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Watched it last night.

 

Thought it was absolutely boring.

 

I had no connection with the characters except for one scene and couldn't wait for it to end (my torment I mean !!)

 

Regards,

 

Graeme

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On 17/01/2020 at 17:27, suesalter1 said:

BTW, it's actually called 'The Wayfaring Stranger'.

Thanks Sue, typing faster than I was thinking (not hard)! I thought it was a cracking scene - reminded me of the 'Down in the river to pray' scene in 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou?' (another film drawing heavily on the Odyssey!) I also thought Andrew Scott's role as the 'threshold guardian' was more than reminiscent of the officer who gives Kevin Costner his passport to the frontier in 'Dances with Wolves' - a drunken, broken man spouting Arthurian romances and calling Costner 'Good Sir Knight...' 

 

Interested to know whether there were any other cinematic references picked up?

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20 hours ago, stripeyman said:

Went yesterday, £6.50 for mature people.....

 

OK... now I'm jealous... paid 14€ per person... and it was only halfway the publicities that Boyfriend announced that he could have gotten the tickets for 7€ via work... 

MEN !!! 

 

M.

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13 hours ago, maxi said:

Open Letter to Cumberbatch

Get down on your knees Cumberbatch and offer the great one on high a huge thank you for his/her/they creation of your agent!

You are the most one dimensional posh boy character actor who gets to play the same upper class role in everything you do.

Your scene, thankfully short, was utterly ridiculous as you changed from a seasoned believer in attrition into a luvvie-bubble pleaser by telling the protagonist to eff off as he had done his duty. Oh be still my aching sides.

 

Hear, hear.

10 hours ago, 593jones said:

Haven't seen it yet, but do plan to.  Looking at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield I was surprised to see they have a Baby Friendly Screening of the film, Monday as 11.00 for parents/guardians and babies under 1 yr.  Brilliant idea!  Get them while they're young, it could trigger a lifetime interest and they could be the next generation of forum members!

 

And I thought I was a cynic.

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