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blacklion1725.
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July 23, 2017 at 3:31 pm #10423
Watched it today at the crack-of-dawn showing at Lakeside. Thought it was a stunning film – took the other half who came along grudgingly but like me and everyone else came out in a bit of a trance after a 2 hour film that was as intense as anything I can remember watching.
I know some on here have served (including Bob and Duke) and so may be less impacted than those like me who have only known Civvy Street – but blimey – it is a very powerful bit of cinema.
Well worth the effort to go and see this at the pictures – walking home from the station I still had half an eye open for incoming Stukas….
July 23, 2017 at 4:21 pm #10430I have to see this. I was a bit disappointed at the original B&W british film years ago. One of my two uncles in the RN had his first ship almost blown out from under him there, limped back to Pompey listing and crowded with troops. He said that there was fighting on deck between British and French soldiers. The French blamed the Brits for leaving them in the lurch, some French Poilus were thrown over the side, never reported of course, how could it have been?
Maternal Uncle Bob (I am named after him, mam’s family was 2 girls, 7 boys) was very unlucky. Got leave, his ship was scrapped, got another, was torpedoed. Joined another one for the Russian convoys, was bombed but lucky (!) to be picked up before freezing in the Arctic Ocean. Something happened on that one which earned him a medal. Returned to the UK, joined yet another ship on a Malta convoy, bombed again. Something else happened on that Malta Run to earn another medal. He would never talk about either of those, or show his medals, would not talk much about the Arctic or the Malta convoys, other than to say that a lot of mates were killed and injured. He was badly wounded in the Malta attacks, when he came out of hospital it was early 1942 and the USA had been bombed into a reaction. he was sent on a tour of America to help recruiting: unc was a slim, redheaded, good-looking guy and based in Charleston, Virginia. He did talk about that – said it was the best part of his service, had to beat off the US women with a stick and had better food than he had ever eaten in his life. ? He was demobbed after 12 months in the USA, tried to get back into the Wolves’ team that he had just joined as a centre-half before the war but was judged to be too old.
After the war he married an Irish lass from Belfast that he met whilst in the Andrew. More bad luck was that she could never be a mother, they asked to adopt me when I was having problems as a kid, but dad would not hear of it. Uncle Bob died in 1979, he had been head of all Traffic wardens in Stoke. His funeral was attended by hundreds, including an Honour Guard of Police Officers and Wardens. He left me his gold watch, which some barsteward nicked from my coat when I was playing snooker. The bad luck extended to his watch, even! He would have laughed at that, uncle Bob took nothing seriously. After a life like that, who could blame him?
I come from a long line of funny people on both sides.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.July 23, 2017 at 4:53 pm #10431Brilliant read that Bob – thanks and God bless him — and you will really appreciate the film I promise.
My mum’s side hail from Hastings on the south coast, one of many ports that sent all their fishing and pleasure boats over to scoop up our troops. She was only 7 at the time but remembers watching them all sail out and thankfully all come home. The old Hastings lifeboat that took part was sold after the war (to Scottish fishermen) but has recently “come home” and has a deserving place close to the old town….”The Ghost of Dunkirk”
July 23, 2017 at 6:18 pm #10433I was serving when serving private Ryan came out, and I remember the opening scene in that making an impression on us.
Not seen this one yet, but I have an issue with films set in yesteryear being shown in crisp HD. I bought band of brothers on blue ray, and never managed to watch them all. I went back to the dvds. The crispness works against the muted filters used in ww1/2 films for me.
I have no doubt I’ll still like like this, maybe I need to find a 480p version of it. Lol. Though I doubt you could beat watching in the cinema, for the sound alone to add realism.
Controlled and well drilled chaos.
Bob are you sure his name wasn’t uncle Albert ?
July 23, 2017 at 6:24 pm #10435Hastings is one of the few places I have never been on the UK coast BL. My dad used to go to what was Miner’s Convalescent Home in Pegwell Bay, which is good distance north-east of Hastings of course. I learned a few years after he retired, that he could have taken my mam with him on those 2-week convalescences. However, in his Potteries words ” ‘Er never asked an’ I never volunteered!” Crafty old so-and-so, my dad was.
Dad loved that place, he told me that he used to have conversations with Kent farmers and apple-growers about the relative prices of Kent apples and Nottinghamshire coal. They decided a barter system would be great, with dad setting up a fruit stall on Mansfield market: apples up to Notts, lorry loads of coal back to Kent! He always wanted to be a farmer, dad hated every minute he worked underground, from 14 in 1918, to 65 in 1969.
That’s a great story, about the Lifeboat. I used to do some voluntary work for funding the RNLI, a great organisation.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.July 23, 2017 at 6:52 pm #10437I caught it on Saturday morning in 70mm IMAX at the BFI in London (god that screen is HUGE).
Absolutely stunning. Those Stukas – christ, they make the ones in the Battle of Britain sound like toys! I also liked the nod towards the BoB, with Michael Caine as the dispatcher. Not sure if it was intentional but made me smile. Liked that it wasn’t the big name actors getting the bog main parts – that they just seemed to be the glue holding all the parts together nicely.
But as you say, great movie. (I then headed out to the RAF museum at Hendon, because I time to spare and thought it would suit the day).
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
July 23, 2017 at 7:30 pm #10440I’m really looking forward to seeing it, have to wait for it to pop up on Netflix or Amazon Prime though.
July 23, 2017 at 11:16 pm #10445My dad used to go to what was Miner’s Convalescent Home in Pegwell Bay, which is good distance north-east of Hastings of course.
Pegwell Bay is about 10 minutes down the road from me. It’s a lovely part of the County. There’s a Country Park, beaches and great dog walks.
It’s also home to the old Ramsgate Hovercraft Terminal, now unfortunately a derelict area of disused Car Parks, staging areas and concrete pads and ramps. Great shame.
July 24, 2017 at 7:02 pm #10470My dad used to go to what was Miner’s Convalescent Home in Pegwell Bay, which is good distance north-east of Hastings of course.
Pegwell Bay is about 10 minutes down the road from me. It’s a lovely part of the County. There’s a Country Park, beaches and great dog walks. It’s also home to the old Ramsgate Hovercraft Terminal, now unfortunately a derelict area of disused Car Parks, staging areas and concrete pads and ramps. Great shame.
Glad my dad never saw it like that, JayCee. He would have been terribly disappointed. Why are derelict sites like that, left so long to decay and destroy the potential of places, in this country?
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.July 25, 2017 at 6:31 pm #1050197 yo Dunkirk veteran reviews the film here:
This man’s words are moving and lend credence to the film, as well as pointing out the utter stupidity of war. I haven’t seen it yet – my last visit to a cinema was at Mablethorpe, taking (now 12 yo) granddaughter to see “Despicable Me3”. This Oldphart confesses to being a Minions fan, I actually have “2” on my Q Box and have seen it twice in company with said gdaughter, both cackling with laughter, SWMBO making disapproving noises from the kitchen. “3” is nowhere near as good, whereas “2” had me in stitches, “3” just raised the occasional laugh. Another overdone sequel: at least we can’t have a “Dunkirk 2”. Can we?
I was also disappointed with the cinema, which I have not visited for some time. It now looks tawdry and ill-used. Louth cinema is OK, but I think I will watch “Dunkirk” at Cleethorpes Parkway, which is much larger and has more comfortable seats.
Complaint: SWMBO was asked to allow lifesize Minions stickers on the lounge window. The suggestion was not met with wholehearted agreement. ?? Anyway my chief ally and partner in crime (gdaughter) has just gone to Spain for 2 weeks with mum and dad, I can’t get the votes!
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.July 25, 2017 at 6:58 pm #10506I will fess upto one of my fave films of all time being a kids film, Chicken Run 🙂 Proper fantastic film and you will find I got my sig quote from there to! I am potter fan to and also liked Fantastical beasts and were to find them plus pedicrans school for paculiar children, although the last could of been better with out the americans in it !
Americans: Over Sexed, Over Payed and Over here, Wat Wat!
July 25, 2017 at 7:18 pm #10509“Chicken Run” is one of the few films that SWMBO and I love, we both watch it again a few times and it’s still funny, which is the test of a really good film IMO. But they should have found someone else other than Mel Gibson to be the Hero.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.July 25, 2017 at 8:34 pm #10512I think with me is the sense of Britishness “If that’s a word” in a film that I offten find make’s it good eventhough the others on the other side of the pond have been involved. You can tell though when a film as been given direction from usa more than uk. I.E The humour, Terrible English accent, fingers down the throat love sceenes and always trying to blow something up in England and coming to the rescue as the yanks do and 24 hours before/after springs to mind and the Enfield haunting. In the enfield haunting they whent as far as creating an american basement which should of been a british cellar not thy I have seen many 50’s council houses with a cellar.
I could go on but I wont. ?
Americans: Over Sexed, Over Payed and Over here, Wat Wat!
July 25, 2017 at 8:45 pm #10513RSB, Harry Brown might be your kind of film, Caine at his best, not his best film though, that’s The Italian Job.
July 25, 2017 at 9:26 pm #10516Can’t remember the film but there is one where the Americans effectively crack the Enigma code for us as well thanks to them getting hold of a German Enigma machine from a submarine. And I still remember John Wayne kicking one of our Jeeps to get it going in “The Longest Day”. They can’t help themselves. Very insular country – scarily so when you meet a good number of them abroad.
Duke mentioned “Band of Brothers” which I’ve had in a box set for years – just started it and it is good, but I get the point about filming, and I remember it as well with “The Pacific” – the HD made the CGI much more noticeable.
I’m struggling to think if I’ve seen a film (ever) that took the breath away from beginning to end like “Dunkirk”. A Spanish colleague at work and a friend from Russia have also seen it and left the pictures similarly shaken.
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