Films about World War I, especially those made in the early sound era, are often difficult to get through. For some reason, other than the sinking of the Lieusetania, the assassination of the arch Duke Ferdinand and the failure of the League of Nations as a result of this war, it's difficult to remember many of the details surrounding it. A few memorable films on that war won the Oscar, but most of them are creaky, hard to get into and are thus mostly forgotten. This one set drama, based upon a successful play, is one that really deserves legendary status.
Shot with minimal camera movement and static in some very tinny sound, this is still very much worth seeing, both as a historical reference and quite simply for being one of the very best early talkie. It's set in the covered trenches of a British troop where the soldiers and their officers do their best to keep up their courage as German bombs explode outside. The men share their concerns, their own fears and their own dreams, sharing also laughs as they face an unknown outcome. The direction of James Whale is brilliant, and every detail of the set, the photography, the editing are all brilliant, really making you care about each of these characters. The standout actors are Colin Clive and David Manners who put great depth into bringing these characters to life.
So yes, the camera really never takes the troop out of the trenches, and I am very much surprised at how easily it was to get into this "slice of war life" drama. I half expected to be genuinely bored, but even if a good deal of the film is all talk, it's the type of talk that is literary, intelligent, profound and soul revealing. With all that, it's the tension of how their stories will wrap up, not knowing that at any minute, any one of these men will meet their fate thanks to a German bullet or bomb. The version of this which I saw was half an hour at least short of the running time, and I hope one day to see the entire restored film, that's if it exists. But one thing that is very clear is the anti-war stance that the writer takes, made very potent in a conclusion that might leave you breathless.
Shot with minimal camera movement and static in some very tinny sound, this is still very much worth seeing, both as a historical reference and quite simply for being one of the very best early talkie. It's set in the covered trenches of a British troop where the soldiers and their officers do their best to keep up their courage as German bombs explode outside. The men share their concerns, their own fears and their own dreams, sharing also laughs as they face an unknown outcome. The direction of James Whale is brilliant, and every detail of the set, the photography, the editing are all brilliant, really making you care about each of these characters. The standout actors are Colin Clive and David Manners who put great depth into bringing these characters to life.
So yes, the camera really never takes the troop out of the trenches, and I am very much surprised at how easily it was to get into this "slice of war life" drama. I half expected to be genuinely bored, but even if a good deal of the film is all talk, it's the type of talk that is literary, intelligent, profound and soul revealing. With all that, it's the tension of how their stories will wrap up, not knowing that at any minute, any one of these men will meet their fate thanks to a German bullet or bomb. The version of this which I saw was half an hour at least short of the running time, and I hope one day to see the entire restored film, that's if it exists. But one thing that is very clear is the anti-war stance that the writer takes, made very potent in a conclusion that might leave you breathless.