Battle of the Somme

original title:
Battle of the Somme
other titles:
(Schlacht an der Somme)
country / year of production:
Great Britain / 1916
original length:
53 min. , black/white
premiere:
genre:
Propaganda film
based on:
director:
Geoffrey H. Malins , J. B. Mc Dowell
film script:
producer:
cinematographer:
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cast (role):
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plot synopsis:
The last week of June 1916, the start of the Battle of the Somme (from June 24th till November 26, 1916). Steadily firing artillery, huge piles of artillery cartridges, and marching troops illustrate the preparation of the battle, a seven-days-long artillery fire. Followed by the assault on German trenches, their seizure, and the transport of the wounded and prisoners. Scenes of destroyed German lines underline the British artillery supremacy. The last takes present a British camp on the evening before a new offensive.
keywords:
authenticity , artillery , Battle of the Somme
war:
First World War (1914-1918)
literature:
Stephen Badsey. "Battle of the Somme: British War Propaganda". In: Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Televion 3 (1983), 3, 99-113.

Nicolas Reeves. "The Power of Film Propaganda: Battle of the Somme (1916) and Its Contemporary Audience". In: Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Televion 1 (1997), 17, 5-28.

R. Smiters. "A Wonderful Idea of Fighting": The Question of Fakes in `The Battle of the Somme´. In: Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Televion 2 (1993), 149-168.
remarks:
The film turns the most horrible day of British military history into a victory. On July 1st 1916, British troops lost 60.000 soldiers, 20.000 dead - on a single day.
The film combines documentary material and re-enacted scenes and is probably the first one to show the horror of war. Previously images of dead or wounded soldiers were considered unreasonable but it might have been these scenes that turned the film into a success. Film historians estiate that the film was seen by a majority of the British people and found an audience of 20 million within the first six weeks.
availability: