Theirs Is The Glory - Men Of Arnhem details
| Format: | U DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Stanley Maxted, Thomas Scullion, Allan Wood, Geoff van Rijssel, Geoff van Rijssel |
| Directors: | Brian Desmond Hurst, Terence Young |
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Studio: | SPIRIT ENTERTAINMENT |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Theirs Is The Glory - Men Of Arnhem |
U Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 29 Aug 2011 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Unvarnished predecessor to 'A Bridge Too Far'
By a customer from York , 14 Feb 2007[Highly rated reviewer]
Filmed in the autumn of 1945, this film is a reconstruction of the unsuccessful attempt to capture the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem by British and Canadian troops the previous year. A much lesser known film than 'A Bridge Too Far', it carries on the WWII 'Story Documentary' tradition of using non-professional actors and actual locations to reconstruct the battles and events of the war. However, as the war itself - and therefore the need for unproblematic, morale-boosing propaganda - had ended, the format could now be adapted to an examination of what was probably Britain's biggest miiltary disaster in the final stages of the conflict. Given the extent of the debacle - flawed intelligence, poor planning and ineffective leadership on the ground - I find it interesting that a major feature film such as this should have been made so soon after the event. This film has a more 'unvarnished' documentary aesthetic than the better-known remake, as is to be expected, given the number of Documentary Movement figures who were involved in the production. The emphasis is firmly on the heroism and bravery of the soldiers involved - unsurprising, given that the film was released in the summer of 1946 when the audience would have included survivors and relatives of the dead. What, to my mind, is more difficult to explain is the extent to which the Battle of Arnhem has, like the Scott expedition, become firmly established as a cause of celebration in British popular culture, despite the strategic failure it represented.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(3)Truely awe inspiring
By a customer from UK , 22 Feb 2010This is, possibly, the most incredible film in my collection. The previous reviewer has missed a couple of crucial facts about this film. It was a celebration of the bravery and heroism of the men involved in what was a terrible strategic mistake. Despite the insurmountable odds, their incredible defiance has been captured on celluloid for all eternity and, crucially, so to has the battlefield in which these deeds were carried out. I can't recall a single other war film shot in the same location, so soon after the events took place. The buildings have remained untouched, the tanks (2 Panthers and 2 Tigers I & II) knocked out during the battle and now reutilised to tell this amazing story. But, the most remarkable thing about it to me, is the fact that every soldier in the film was an actual Arnhem veteran, often portraying their own actions the year before. 200 British troops returned to Arnhem/Oosterbeek to record the sacrifices made by themselves and their friends and still with a certain danger involved - minefields and unexploded ordnance was a constant danger. The British Graves Concentration Unit was there too, exhuming the bodies of these friends from battlefield graves to re-inter them in the cemetery being built in Oosterbeek. For me, this film is an incredibly rare chance to see, for real, these men and the place where heroes were made! One small, historical, point - and I'm sure I'll be corrected - I believe the Canadians were actually spared from Arnhem (except the RCAF).- Was this review helpful to you?
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Awesome
By a customer from Thetford , 25 Dec 2008Im probably biased here, because my late father was a Para at Arnhem, and became a POW, the film just has soldiers as actors and we can hear the posh voices of the Officers which i personally find hilarious,
In answer to the other review, if you ever get the chance to go to Arnhem in the Commemoration week, then go, and you will see why it is still celebrated as a victory, the Dutch people love them, it is a very humbling experience to meet the old Veterans and the Dutch people that lived through those dark times under the Nazis.
I go every year in my dads place and wear his medals with pride.
The film is great though, not a classic but its our history and we should never as a nation never forget- Was this review helpful to you?
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Unvarnished predecessor to 'A Bridge Too Far'
By a customer from York , 14 Feb 2007Filmed in the autumn of 1945, this film is a reconstruction of the unsuccessful attempt to capture the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem by British and Canadian troops the previous year. A much lesser known film than 'A Bridge Too Far', it carries on the WWII 'Story Documentary' tradition of using non-professional actors and actual locations to reconstruct the battles and events of the war. However, as the war itself - and therefore the need for unproblematic, morale-boosing propaganda - had ended, the format could now be adapted to an examination of what was probably Britain's biggest miiltary disaster in the final stages of the conflict. Given the extent of the debacle - flawed intelligence, poor planning and ineffective leadership on the ground - I find it interesting that a major feature film such as this should have been made so soon after the event. This film has a more 'unvarnished' documentary aesthetic than the better-known remake, as is to be expected, given the number of Documentary Movement figures who were involved in the production. The emphasis is firmly on the heroism and bravery of the soldiers involved - unsurprising, given that the film was released in the summer of 1946 when the audience would have included survivors and relatives of the dead. What, to my mind, is more difficult to explain is the extent to which the Battle of Arnhem has, like the Scott expedition, become firmly established as a cause of celebration in British popular culture, despite the strategic failure it represented.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (3) Yes |
- No (0)
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