Dunkirk - Film

[Panzer Lehr]

The film was ok regarding technical qualities and the 70mm format looked great. The story pace, with daylight, nighttime, fog, clear skies etc was rather confusing and didn't have any meaning for me. For the factual parts there were some really low marks.

Solo He 111s dropping bombs from very low altitudes. Alone or with a two plane escort.

One Stuka making an solo attack at the end, the same that went down by a glide flying spitfire! That same plane landed at sunset (about 21:30) having flown half a day on one tank.

Single Bf-109s engaged in combat. What happens with finger four and kette formations?

Deck light tuned on the British warship hit by torpedo.
Dunkirk skyline with streetlights on.

Most orderly Dunkirk beach I've ever seen, looks like an exercise or parade ground.

He 111 firing back on attacking Spitfires sounds like heavy cannon barrage. Besides in the front they were equipped with MG 81, MG 15 or MG 17 7.92mm guns, about the same as the British 7.7mm.

[Bern]

Good flick, watched it last evening with my son, the theatre was packed.
Some friends of ours were leaving the previous viewing and they made the comment that the horse died at the end. We didn't understand what they meant until viewing the final scene when the pilot fired his flare gun into the cockpit to prevent the aircraft from being captured. The horse you rode in on.
Regards
Bern

[Woolgar]

The film was ok regarding technical qualities and the 70mm format looked great. The story pace, with daylight, nighttime, fog, clear skies etc was rather confusing and didn't have any meaning for me. For the factual parts there were some really low marks.

Solo He 111s dropping bombs from very low altitudes. Alone or with a two plane escort.

One Stuka making an solo attack at the end, the same that went down by a glide flying spitfire! That same plane landed at sunset (about 21:30) having flown half a day on one tank.

Single Bf-109s engaged in combat. What happens with finger four and kette formations?

Deck light tuned on the British warship hit by torpedo.
Dunkirk skyline with streetlights on.

Most orderly Dunkirk beach I've ever seen, looks like an exercise or parade ground.

He 111 firing back on attacking Spitfires sounds like heavy cannon barrage. Besides in the front they were equipped with MG 81, MG 15 or MG 17 7.92mm guns, about the same as the British 7.7mm.

Which documentary are you reviewing here?

[bobgee526]

Out of curiosity I watched 'Atonement' on Netflix. The Dunkirk beach scenes were outstanding, effectively and I believe, realistically portraying the masses of troops and their piles of equipment stuck on that beach. 400 thousand men! Where they shown in Nolan's film?Check it out. Bob

[Jean-Loup]

I am glad I got a few of you to discover Attonement.

For anyone who understands French, what this reviewer writes is unfortunately very true: https://unodieuxconnard.com/2017/07/...on-top-budget/

JL

[Totenhead]

Which documentary are you reviewing here?

Sorry Nick, but I feel it was poor

This review sums it up for me

https://www.theguardian.com/film/fil...droidApp_Tweet

[Bob Hritz]

Back in 1999, I was in Germany and having a few drinks with former German soldiers. All three were lamenting the weakness of the Field Marshals in not destroying the British forces at Dunkirk.

I can understand documenting the retreat of the British forces and celebrating the many lives saved. However, I do feel the French got a raw deal, in the movie. I only made it through 45 minutes as I had an engagement and will see it again.

However, the German Field Marshals should have gotten more credit for failing to neutralize the invaders. I believe, as did those former German soldiers, the war was lost for Germany with this major blunder. Had their forces been destroyed, England would have been out of the war. Thank goodness for poor decisions.

No matter what, no film will ever satisfy all audiences. Enjoy it for the scenery and action.

Bob Hritz

[Totenhead]

Back in 1999, I was in Germany and having a few drinks with former German soldiers. All three were lamenting the weakness of the Field Marshals in not destroying the British forces at Dunkirk.

I can understand documenting the retreat of the British forces and celebrating the many lives saved. However, I do feel the French got a raw deal, in the movie. I only made it through 45 minutes as I had an engagement and will see it again.

However, the German Field Marshals should have gotten more credit for failing to neutralize the invaders. I believe, as did those former German soldiers, the war was lost for Germany with this major blunder. Had their forces been destroyed, England would have been out of the war. Thank goodness for poor decisions.

No matter what, no film will ever satisfy all audiences. Enjoy it for the scenery and action.

Bob Hritz

Its not about the history of the movie, its about the movie itself.

If it is all about " if's and buts " then if the French had reacted to Hitlers Remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936, the French were militarily vastly superior, then WW2 and Dunkirk would not have happened.

As regards the French getting a raw deal in the film, IMO everybody did because the film is rubbish

[Kelly w]

Just saw a doc about the British codebreakers having a great hand in saving thousands that day.

[Christian J]

Glad to finally see a movie about the war not being politicized to death.
Nolan getting criticism for the cast not being diverse enough.

[docmaster1]

American here...I am super excited to see it. I plan on seeing it at an IMAX theater.

I just hope it was as historically accurate at U-571. [emoji23]


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[bodes]

Back in 1999, I was in Germany and having a few drinks with former German soldiers. All three were lamenting the weakness of the Field Marshals in not destroying the British forces at Dunkirk.

I can understand documenting the retreat of the British forces and celebrating the many lives saved. However, I do feel the French got a raw deal, in the movie. I only made it through 45 minutes as I had an engagement and will see it again.

However, the German Field Marshals should have gotten more credit for failing to neutralize the invaders. I believe, as did those former German soldiers, the war was lost for Germany with this major blunder. Had their forces been destroyed, England would have been out of the war. Thank goodness for poor decisions.

No matter what, no film will ever satisfy all audiences. Enjoy it for the scenery and action.

Bob Hritz

I'm not sure you will ever get complete agreement on fault when it comes to the BEF escaping from Dunkirk...At the time, it is said Hitler put blame on his generals....However some have stated Hitler himself argued for slowing with the advance......With the narrow bridgehead, there was fear of a British counterattack....This and concern with the German's long swing to the coast in such a short time, that the panzers were in need of refitting and the troops rest....I also cannot wonder if Hitler's respect for the British didn't play some minor role....The French he despised, but Adolf Galland said Hitler was fighting a war with England that he did not like or want.....Of course this I'm sure changed, when the British refused Hitler free reign in eastern Europe......This in exchange of allowing England to keep their overseas empire.....Bodes

[Robert Shoaf]

Saw this film last evening, and I have to say I was underwhelmed. Minimalist dialog, abrupt scene switching, and the abandoned trawler scene was just annoying and unrealistic, among others,IMHO.
I enjoyed the flying sequences the most, although I agree with earlier comments about the lack of numbers, especially for the Luftwaffe. And, yes, a Spitfire that transformed itself into a glider for an absurd amount of time was ludicrous.
Since I can nitpick with the best of them, the numerous times an Army officer was addressed as "colonel", when he wore the three pips of a captain was puzzling, and disappointing.
Some memorable scenes, but, to me, not a coherent work of cinema.
I would still encourage those with any interest in the subject to watch, and draw there own conclusions.
I'm about as anglophile as they come, for many, many years, but I came away disappointed. Just my two farthings worth.

Bob Shoaf

[Edward]

Just shocked that they would make a movie about the evacuation of the BEF and there were zero panzer berets showing the manufacturers labels in them for the discerning TR collector's in the audience. Inexcusable. Just gutted really.

[Woolgar]

Sorry Nick, but I feel it was poor

This review sums it up for me

https://www.theguardian.com/film/fil...droidApp_Tweet

What a load od twaddle this review is

Nick