Battle Of The Somme & Spirits Of The Somme

Description

BATTLE OF THE SOMME:
The Official 1916 Film Digitally Remastered. This is one of the most remarkable war documentaries ever made with over 20m people going to see it when it was officially released during the valiant war effort.

Following two years of fighting in which cameras were not permitted at the front; the British Army High Command suddenly relented and allowed movie cameras to film the build up to the great offensive battle on the Somme and scenes from the fighting itself.

The resulting documentary film proved to be a sensation with over 20 million tickets being snapped up within the first two months of its release. Although it includes some reconstructions, notably of the famous sequence depicting the opening day of the battle, these are very limited. The sheer wealth of imagery conveys the reality of the Great War like no other historical document. Real scenes of the wounded men and dead bodies caused controversy at the time and highlight the bold vision of this remarkable primary source film.

The official film of the Battle of the Somme is indispensable viewing for anyone with an interest in World War One.

SPIRITS OF THE SOMME
The 1st July 1916, the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, was the blackest day in the history of the British Army. 60,000 men became casualties on that one day alone.

In this major new documentary, Emmy Award winning film maker Bob Carruthers returns to the battlefield on 1st July and retraces the events which unfolded on that disastrous day. Drawing extensively on rare film and photographs from both British and German sources, the spirit of the men who fought and died on that day is beautifully evoked by these powerful and haunting images from 1916.

The film also reveals how the sacrifice of the men of the Somme is being honoured today by the work of the historians and enthusiasts who strive to increase our understanding of the battle and to commemorate the memory of that terrible day.