Battle of the Somme, The
Geoffrey Malins, - McDowell / GB, 1916
In 1916, during World War I, two British filmmakers made a war reportage of the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme tells the story of a single ‘straightforward’ battle and does not shy away from dramatic effects. With live orchestra.
As was recently discovered, this “documentary”, an official War Office film, turns out to have been partly staged. The film, which used material by French film companies such as Gaumont and Pathé (who employed cameramen enlisted in the French army), offered the thrust and action the public wanted to see. As 'The real war simply did not live up to the expectations of the motion pictures', the reality of war received a boost. The Battle of the Somme was a commercial success in the United States and England.
The film was completely restored a few years ago by the Imperial War Museum (IWM), and composer Laura Rossi was asked to write a new film score. To commemorate the first centenary of the Battle of the Somme, the IWM launched a project under the name Somme100Film. For the first time in the Netherlands, the musical score will be performed live, by the Projectorkest Somme 100 Noord under conductor Hildo Flierman.
Laura Rossi, composer of the score, will be present at the screening.
Details
Director
Geoffrey Malins, - McDowell
Production year
1916
Country
GB
Original title
Battle of the Somme, The
Format
.mov
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