Now all roads lead to France and heavy is the tread
Of the living; but the dead returning lightly dance.
Edward Thomas, Roads

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Filming the Battle of the Somme: A Then and Now Story

The filming of this documentary which is intended to present the visit of two descendants of Battle of the Somme veterans to the sites their relatives served (well told), contains another story within this framework. The battlefield experts and film experts also do a great job of  overlaying 1916 and 21st-century imagery.  Their treatment of the Hawthorne Mine Crater explosion (at about minute 40) is superb.  MH



3 comments:

  1. Powerful account. Speaks to all who have lost a loved one in comnbat and have no body to bury.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A fascinating documentary. Very moving. The memoir of Geoffrey Malins, the photographer who filmed the original battle footage, is available through Project Gutenberg and is also on Amazon.

    ReplyDelete