This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

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Redeye
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Redeye » Thu Jul 27, 2017 5:22 pm

Also, I agree with most point of criticism- but given the obvious artistic flair, the limitations of real assats, Nolan gave me a highly engaging and enjoyable experience, hammered in by beautiful camerawork and an epic score.

Every single war film a can think of is lacking in some way or many, and as a history buff that has given me plenty of headaches. I could write alot here, but most point are already covered.

I think Nolan succeeds in creating the ESSENCE of the situation, the anxiety, the bursts of violence, the longing and desperation.

I'm watching it a second time for the airscenes alone.

Brigg
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Brigg » Thu Jul 27, 2017 6:35 pm

Agreed Redeye some of the camerawork is very nice. The things that disappointed me the most (apart from the fake 109 and yellow noses, but lets not be a total nerd) was when they were lining up on the beaches it just felt like a school dinner queue and baron. Secondly Harry Styles.

Now the way I see it is like this. its not the best film ever made, but it is watchable. Now to the most important point, and that is the story and genre is still been made by Hollywood and other film producers which will in turn ignite an interest and passion into a younger generation or a wider audience in general.
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Broadsword
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Broadsword » Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:08 pm

A very good point. Regardless of its flaws, it's important to see that the subject matter is still compelling enough to attract the best directors, actors and studios etc. even seventy odd years after the event. It gives us hope that these events will remain part of our cultural environment long after the eyewitnesses have all passed.
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I must go up to the skies again, to the peace of silent flight, To the gull’s way, and the hawk’s way, and the free wings’ delight;
And all I ask is a friendly joke with a laughing fellow rover, And a large beer, and a deep sleep, when the long flight’s over.

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Maltloaf
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Maltloaf » Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:22 pm

Broardy

Whilst I agree with much of what you say it is worth chiming in with two family pieces of history. Firstly, I lived with the family of my school chum after my father died and the head of the family, Fred, was my fathers best friend. Well, he was on the beaches whilst my father was avoiding flying over France in a Fairy Battle and had a fairly unconventional view of events. He went on to pick up campaign stars for: the Battle of the Atlantic (as a gunner on a merchant ship), Africa and Italy. He was at El Alamein, OP Husky, Monte Cassino and the Anzio Landings, so he was no lightweight in the Battle experience department.
He described Dunkirk as a ‘bear pit’, as a disorganised shambles and a living nightmare. He hated the John Mills film with the soldiers all lining up as if queuing for a train and said, whilst it must have happened at some point somewhere because of the photographic evidence but those photos were nothing like the scenes he remembered. Four hundred thousand men probably all had very different opinions on the subject but his memories were of men scrambling over each other to survive rather than neat lines of patient ques.

Secondly on your comments about Weymouth. I would agree with you except for a story my mother tells. She was evacuated to Exeter for the war and was on the platform of Exeter station during the Dunkirk evacuation. She must have been about 12 or 13. A long train pulled in crammed with filthy unshaven soldiers in an appalling state (I did notice all the men in the film were fairly close shaven??). Apparently they had been landed at Exmouth, whether in small boats or something bigger I have no idea. Anyway, the train was stuck in the station for some while and the men were starving. A girl went by with a tea trolley full of buns and an urn on it. The soldiers begged for some buns but they only had BEF money and of course they weren’t hers for the poor girl to give away. My mother’s uncle stepped forward, bought the whole trolley and beckoned to a Scottish Sgt to dish it out. The chaps were obviously over the moon and scoffed the lot. Some half hour later the Sgt returned with a thick leather belt onto which he had attached one of each cap badges from all the regiments he had found on the train. There were 17. He passed the belt to the uncle and said it was for the ‘little girl’. The Belt is sat on my sideboard as I type.

The task of the fleet of little ships was to ferry the troops to the bigger ships, which they didn’t show in the film, ferries, paddle-steamers, coasters, colliers etc and then the bigger vessels took them home. With a third of a million men to disperse I guess they spread them over the whole south coast, certainly as far as Exmouth.
"I have never once lost my gratitude for those who were the sentinels and held the line between tyranny and civilisation"

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Bonkin
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Bonkin » Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:56 pm

Malty - that is an amazing story. I'm actually quite moved by it.
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Broadsword
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Broadsword » Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:59 pm

Fair play, can't argue with personal experience. I think you're right though to suspect that it might have been bigger ships that delivered a whole wad of soldiers to the more westerly ports, despite the larger ships in the movie all looking like they were dawdling along instead of moving with any speed or purpose. Keep it up though guys, and maybe I can learn to love Dunkirk :D
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I must go up to the skies again, to the peace of silent flight, To the gull’s way, and the hawk’s way, and the free wings’ delight;
And all I ask is a friendly joke with a laughing fellow rover, And a large beer, and a deep sleep, when the long flight’s over.

Frederf
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Frederf » Sat Jul 29, 2017 12:43 am

Redeye wrote:Dunkirk can't handle ACG numbers.
To be fair, neither can ACG.

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Dickie
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Dickie » Sat Jul 29, 2017 8:25 am

What an awesome personal story! Please photograph the belt so we can see!!

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Maltloaf
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by Maltloaf » Sat Jul 29, 2017 10:03 am

Here you go. Regiments represented:

Lancashire Fusiliers
Northamptonshire
15th/19th Hussars
Worcestershire Regiment
Kings Shropshire LI
Wiltshire Regiment
Royal Scots
Cameron Highlanders
Norfolk Regiment
4th-7th Royal Dragoon Guards
Royal Engineers
Kings Royal Rifle Corps
Royal Signals
Royal Fusiliers
Queens Own Hussars
Lincolnshire
The Border Regiment

(I think)

A fairly mixed bag for one trian!
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"I have never once lost my gratitude for those who were the sentinels and held the line between tyranny and civilisation"

LuftAsher
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Re: This week I have mostly been watching.... Dunkirk!

Post by LuftAsher » Sat Jul 29, 2017 10:07 am

That's incredible, Maltloaf. Thanks for sharing.

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