Die Schlacht an der Somme

This is a documentary, apparently watched by a third of Britain's population at the time of release. Watching it now it may prove hard for some viewers to appreciate what a technological tour de force is was for the time. Being a war documentary issued at a time of war it is biased, but there is still enough there to hint at the horrors of the battle. It's true merit is in it's historical importance. Much has been used in documentaries since. For those with an interest in the First World War it is a must see, for others it is an education nonetheless.

Last night I went to the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank to watch a screening of the digitally restored print of this silent film, accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra, playing music written by Laura Rossi. I was nervous about the application of music to a silent film, as I am about the application of music to any film, but more so. Whilst there can be no doubt about the power of music to augment the impact of a scene, this manipulation of our emotions can also be crass, offensive, or a complete failure. There were times during this film when the music was the perfect partner - the rendering of the wind over the battlefield was incredible and terrifying. But the accompaniment of drum-bursts for the firing of artillery pieces was less-than-impressive. And there were moments when i wished the film would be left to speak for itself, such as the filming of the first charges; some men slid back down the muddy faces of the trenches, one thought initially because they had lost their footing, but it was soon clear that they had been killed before they had even set foot in no-man's land. For me, this moment would have been made powerful by silence, because there are no words or sounds for the sadness and futility of such things. Finally, on the music, the accompaniment of cheerful marching tunes when the lads marched back from "a successful attack", left me with a sour taste, but i think this says more about the film than the music. Laura Rossi could hardly provide sarcastic or barbed rejoinders (in the manner of Kipling or Sassoon's poetry) to these moments of propaganda. This is where the film falls down (but is still fascinating and valuable) in that, for the most part, it is content to talk up the British Army, the power of bombardment, and the success of its attacks. Even the images of dead men and horses are tempered by the smiling faces of 'jolly tommys' and the jaunty, cheery tone of the titles boards. What this unique visual record of the battle needs is to be seen in context, against the terrible losses of battalions such as the Accrington Pals, and the pitiful gains of this style of warfare. I never fail to be impressed, however, by the efforts of the institutions on the South Bank to bring amazing documents like this out of obscurity. Well done to them, and to Laura Rossi for her attempts to soundtrack this one-off film.

... and is an early example of propaganda. Most of the footage shows British troops from various divisions preparing for war, gathering ammunition and deploying heavy guns. Some time is spent showing the medical section working on wounded soldiers, as well as the treatment of German prisoners, and even a few moments of battlefield casualties.

Historically, this film is priceless, a glimpse at the Great War while it was still in full swing, and a treasure trove for history buffs and military enthusiasts. This was released one month into the battle, which would continue for another 3 months. Although rather arbitrarily divided into 5 chapters, there's no narrative,per say, and will be of little interest to most viewers. However, it is listed as one of the 101 War Movies to See Before You Die.

The war had been raging for almost two years when the British War Office sent two cameramen, one of them Geoffrey Malins, over to France's Western Front to document what the English department felt would be a major breakthough of the German lines during World War One.

Malins and cameraman John McDowell shot reels of film of the preparatory stage of British Expeditionary Force gearing up for its big push around the Somme River. Malins was informed the battle would begin when the detonation of tons of dynamite was ignited underneath the German-held Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt. Malins, with limited film stock, was concerned when he ran through 250 feet of film and the appointed time of the explosion didn't come off. Then, in the next breath, he caught on film one of the largest mine explosions under enemy trenches. The release of August 1916's "The Battle of the Somme" captivated British audiences, especially seeing the explosion that was felt on July 1st all the way to London. The explosion can be seen around 29 minutes into the movie.

More tickets were sold in the first six weeks of the release of "The Battle of the Somme" than any other movie in England until 1977's "Star Wars," over 20 million viewers. London cinemas were saturated by playing the movie, with 34 projecting it all at the same time. Parents attended several showings of the film in hopes of seeing their sons. The documentry gained international status, displaying for the world, including Germany, the look of the lingering two-year war.

The 75-minute film was cinema's first feature war documentary, and the pattern Malins established would be followed throughout thousands of movie war documentaries.

Malins was able to record the bloodiest day in English history. Over 58,000 British soldiers either were killed, wounded or went missing on that July 1, 1916 day. Some of the German gunfire was so intense that as soon as the soldiers climbed out of their staging trenches scores were killed just 10 to 15 steps from where they began. Malins had to stage some of the battle scenes afterwards, recreating the scenes 25 miles behind the battlefield. But the cameramen were fortunate to film overrun German trenches and groups of German prisoners. But most effecting British viewers were the scenes of the wounded and dead of the United Kingdom's soldiers laid out and carried on stretchers.

After editing and releasing "The Battle of the Somme," Malins returned to France to film the war's introduction to the English tank, first used in the September 15, 1916 battle for the village of Flers-Courcellette. Marlins' January 1917 "The Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks," unveiled to England's populace its country's secret weapon and its hope of breaking the Western Front logjam by this new solid steel mobile vehicle.

In later documentaries on World War 1, filmmakers used Malins and McDowell's footage to illustrate the advancements and brutalities of the war, a war that everyone at the time had predicted would end all wars.

This is interesting from a historical point of view; it was released in 1916 as a propaganda film to get more people to join the army, as numbers were running low. So, they made the battle look much more nice and friendly as it is.

For this reason then, it is excellent for History buffs.

It is in black and white, and of course, made in 1916, during the war, contains some realism. However, don't watch this film if you want a real plot based thriller/drama, or anything that will rivet you in your seat.

Honesly, I'd recommend this to anyone studying history, or interested in the topic, or who wants to own a piece of classic Brit propaganda. If you're at film school, it also might be quite nice to watch. Otherwise, watch a Kevin Spacey movie.