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The Battle of the Somme (film)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Somme is a 1916 British documentary
and propaganda
film. Shot by two official cinematographer
s, Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell, the film depicts the British Army
's preparations for, and the early stages of, the battle of the Somme. Premiere
d in London on 10 August 1916 and released generally on 21 August, while the battle continued in France, the film gave a very graphic depiction of trench warfare
, showing dead and wounded British and German soldiers. The film was a massive success, selling some twenty million tickets in its first six weeks of release in Britain and going on to be distributed in eighteen other countries. A second film, covering a later phase of the battle
, was released in 1917 as The Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks.
Preserved in the film archive of the Imperial War Museum
since 1922, the film was inscribed on UNESCO
's Memory of the World Register
in 2005. The film has since been digitally restored and released on DVD in 2008. The Battle of the Somme remains significant today as an early example of film propaganda technique, as an historical record of the battle, and as a frequent source of footage illustrating the First World War.
divided into five parts, with individual sequences divided by intertitles summarising their contents. The first part shows the preparations for battle behind the British frontline; sequences include troops marching towards the front, French peasants continuing their farm work in rear areas, the stockpiling of munitions, General Beauvoir De Lisle
addressing the 29th Division, and some of the preparatory artillery bombardment
. The second part depicts further preparations, troops moving into the frontline trenches, the intensification of the artillery barrage, and the detonation of the Hawthorn Ridge Mine
. Part Three begins with the launch of the assault on 1st July 1916
, and shows the recovery of British wounded and German prisoners. The fourth part shows further scenes of British and German wounded, the clearing of the battlefield, and some of the aftermath. The final part shows further scenes of physical devastation, including the ruins of the village of Mametz
, British troops at rest, and preparations for the next stage of the advance.
Malins and McDowell shot the film before and during the Battle of the Somme
, which started on 1 July 1916. They staged some of the scenes of troops going "over the top" before the battle started, but Malins captured many of the most famous scenes on the first day of the battle, when stationed near the front
at Beaumont Hamel. From this position he filmed iconic images of the detonation of the massive mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt
as well as of the preparations and advance of the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
of the British 29th Division
. (This same battalion had won six VCs
at W Beach during the landing at Cape Helles
, Gallipoli
on April 25, 1915.)
Malins and McDowell did not set out to make a feature film
, but once the volume and quality of their footage had been seen in London
, the British Topical Committee for War Films decided to compile a feature-length film. William Jury produced
the work and it was edited by Malins and Charles Urban
.
on 10 August 1916, while the battle still raged. On 21 August the film began showing simultaneously in 34 London cinemas
, opening in provincial cities the following week. The Royal Family
received a private screening at Windsor Castle
in September. The film was eventually shown in 18 countries.
British soldiers at rest in France
also saw the film: here it provided new recruits with some idea of what they might soon face. The soldiers' main complaint was the failure of the film to capture the sound of battle. However, for a silent film
, the titles could be remarkably forthright, describing images of injury and death.
British authorities showed the film to the public as a morale
-booster and in general it met with a favourable reception. The Times reported on August 22, 1916 that "Crowded audiences...were interested and thrilled to have the realities of war brought so vividly before them, and if women had sometimes to shut their eyes to escape for a moment from the tragedy of the toll of battle which the film presents, opinion seems to be general that it was wise that the people at home should have this glimpse of what our soldiers are doing and daring and suffering in Picardy".
By contrast others considered it immoral to broadcast scenes of violence, the Dean
of Durham
protesting "against an entertainment which wounds the heart and violates the very sanctity of bereavement". Others complained that such a serious film shared the cinema programme with comedy film
s. The British public responded to the film massively, purchasing an estimated 20 million tickets in two months. On this basis, The Battle of the Somme remains one of the most successful British films ever made.
However, historians believe that a lot of the available footage was censored from the final version shown to the public, as the War Office
wanted the film to contain footage that would support the war effort and raise morale, which it did very successfully.
The film was shown in New Zealand and on October 16, 1916 Wellington's The Evening Post ran a review of it on page 3. It had been advertised in the paper four days earlier as "The extraordinary films of 'the big push' which were taken by the British War Office". It was also billed as "an awe-inspiring, glorious presentation of what our heroes are accomplishing today." The lengthy review concluded with the following: "These pictures of the Battle of the Somme are a real and valuable contribution to the nation's knowledge and a powerful spur to a national effort."
's Memory of the World Register for the preservation of global documentary heritage. The film was described by UNESCO as a 'compelling documentary record of one of the key battles of the First World War [and] the first feature-length documentary film record of combat produced anywhere in the world' and as having 'played a major part in establishing the methodology of documentary and propaganda film'.
On 22 October 2006, following a restoration project by the Imperial War Museum
and Dragon Digital Intermediate, a digitally restored version of The Battle of the Somme was screened at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
in London. The film was accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra
, conducted by Nic Raine, performing an original orchestral score by composer Laura Rossi
. The restoration was later nominated for an Archive Restoration or Preservation Project award by FOCAL, the Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries.
In November 2008 the restored film was released on DVD
to mark the 90th anniversary of the Armistice in 1918. As soundtracks to the film, the DVD included Laura Rossi's score, an accompanying 1916 musical medley, and a commentary by Roger Smither, film archivist at the Imperial War Museum. The DVD included interviews with Smither and Rossi, and with Toby Haggith (film archivist) and Stephen Horne (silent film musician) on the reconstruction of the contemporary medley. Also included were film fragments and missing scenes. Tied to the release, the Imperial War Museum launched a minisite
featuring viewing notes, further reading and teaching resources.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
film. Shot by two official cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
s, Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell, the film depicts the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's preparations for, and the early stages of, the battle of the Somme. Premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
d in London on 10 August 1916 and released generally on 21 August, while the battle continued in France, the film gave a very graphic depiction of trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
, showing dead and wounded British and German soldiers. The film was a massive success, selling some twenty million tickets in its first six weeks of release in Britain and going on to be distributed in eighteen other countries. A second film, covering a later phase of the battle
Battle of the Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
, was released in 1917 as The Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks.
Preserved in the film archive of the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
since 1922, the film was inscribed on UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Memory of the World Register
Memory of the World Programme
UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme is an international initiative launched to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and willful and deliberate destruction...
in 2005. The film has since been digitally restored and released on DVD in 2008. The Battle of the Somme remains significant today as an early example of film propaganda technique, as an historical record of the battle, and as a frequent source of footage illustrating the First World War.
Content
The Battle of the Somme is a black and white silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
divided into five parts, with individual sequences divided by intertitles summarising their contents. The first part shows the preparations for battle behind the British frontline; sequences include troops marching towards the front, French peasants continuing their farm work in rear areas, the stockpiling of munitions, General Beauvoir De Lisle
Beauvoir De Lisle
General Sir Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle KCB KCMG DSO was a British Army General who served in World War I.-Military career:...
addressing the 29th Division, and some of the preparatory artillery bombardment
Barrage (artillery)
A barrage is a line or barrier of exploding artillery shells, created by the co-ordinated aiming of a large number of guns firing continuously. Its purpose is to deny or hamper enemy passage through the line of the barrage, to attack a linear position such as a line of trenches or to neutralize...
. The second part depicts further preparations, troops moving into the frontline trenches, the intensification of the artillery barrage, and the detonation of the Hawthorn Ridge Mine
Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt
Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt was a German front-line fortification west of the village of Beaumont Hamel on the Somme. It was the scene of a number of costly attacks by British infantry during the Battle of the Somme in 1916...
. Part Three begins with the launch of the assault on 1st July 1916
First day on the Somme
The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the Battle of Albert, which was the first phase of the British and French offensive that became known as the Battle of the Somme...
, and shows the recovery of British wounded and German prisoners. The fourth part shows further scenes of British and German wounded, the clearing of the battlefield, and some of the aftermath. The final part shows further scenes of physical devastation, including the ruins of the village of Mametz
Mametz, Somme
Mametz is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Mametz is situated on the D64 road, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
, British troops at rest, and preparations for the next stage of the advance.
Production
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
, which started on 1 July 1916. They staged some of the scenes of troops going "over the top" before the battle started, but Malins captured many of the most famous scenes on the first day of the battle, when stationed near the front
Front (military)
A military front or battlefront is a contested armed frontier between opposing forces. This can be a local or tactical front, or it can range to a theater...
at Beaumont Hamel. From this position he filmed iconic images of the detonation of the massive mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt
Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt
Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt was a German front-line fortification west of the village of Beaumont Hamel on the Somme. It was the scene of a number of costly attacks by British infantry during the Battle of the Somme in 1916...
as well as of the preparations and advance of the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
Lancashire Fusiliers
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.- Formation and early history:...
of the British 29th Division
British 29th Division
The British 29th Division, known as the Incomparable Division, was a First World War regular army infantry division formed in early 1915 by combining various units that had been acting as garrisons about the British Empire. Under the command of Major General Aylmer Hunter-Weston, the division...
. (This same battalion had won six VCs
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
at W Beach during the landing at Cape Helles
Landing at Cape Helles
The landing at Cape Helles was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula by British and French forces on April 25, 1915 during the First World War. Helles, at the foot of the peninsula, was the main landing area. With the support of the guns of the Royal Navy, a British division...
, Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
on April 25, 1915.)
Malins and McDowell did not set out to make a feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, but once the volume and quality of their footage had been seen in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the British Topical Committee for War Films decided to compile a feature-length film. William Jury produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
the work and it was edited by Malins and Charles Urban
Charles Urban
Charles Urban was an Anglo-American film producer and distributor, and one of the most significant figures in British cinema before the First World War...
.
Release
The completed film spanned five reels and lasted 62 minutes and 50 seconds. Its first screening took place to an invited audience at the Scala TheatreScala Theatre
The Scala Theatre was a theatre in London, sited on Charlotte Street, off Tottenham Court Road, in the London Borough of Camden. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire...
on 10 August 1916, while the battle still raged. On 21 August the film began showing simultaneously in 34 London cinemas
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, opening in provincial cities the following week. The Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
received a private screening at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
in September. The film was eventually shown in 18 countries.
Reception and Impact
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
also saw the film: here it provided new recruits with some idea of what they might soon face. The soldiers' main complaint was the failure of the film to capture the sound of battle. However, for a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, the titles could be remarkably forthright, describing images of injury and death.
British authorities showed the film to the public as a morale
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
-booster and in general it met with a favourable reception. The Times reported on August 22, 1916 that "Crowded audiences...were interested and thrilled to have the realities of war brought so vividly before them, and if women had sometimes to shut their eyes to escape for a moment from the tragedy of the toll of battle which the film presents, opinion seems to be general that it was wise that the people at home should have this glimpse of what our soldiers are doing and daring and suffering in Picardy".
By contrast others considered it immoral to broadcast scenes of violence, the Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
protesting "against an entertainment which wounds the heart and violates the very sanctity of bereavement". Others complained that such a serious film shared the cinema programme with comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
s. The British public responded to the film massively, purchasing an estimated 20 million tickets in two months. On this basis, The Battle of the Somme remains one of the most successful British films ever made.
However, historians believe that a lot of the available footage was censored from the final version shown to the public, as the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
wanted the film to contain footage that would support the war effort and raise morale, which it did very successfully.
The film was shown in New Zealand and on October 16, 1916 Wellington's The Evening Post ran a review of it on page 3. It had been advertised in the paper four days earlier as "The extraordinary films of 'the big push' which were taken by the British War Office". It was also billed as "an awe-inspiring, glorious presentation of what our heroes are accomplishing today." The lengthy review concluded with the following: "These pictures of the Battle of the Somme are a real and valuable contribution to the nation's knowledge and a powerful spur to a national effort."
Restoration and DVD release
In 2005 The Battle of the Somme was inscribed on UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Memory of the World Register for the preservation of global documentary heritage. The film was described by UNESCO as a 'compelling documentary record of one of the key battles of the First World War [and] the first feature-length documentary film record of combat produced anywhere in the world' and as having 'played a major part in establishing the methodology of documentary and propaganda film'.
On 22 October 2006, following a restoration project by the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
and Dragon Digital Intermediate, a digitally restored version of The Battle of the Somme was screened at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in London. The film was accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra
Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
, conducted by Nic Raine, performing an original orchestral score by composer Laura Rossi
Laura Rossi
Laura Rossi is a British composer of film and concert works. Originally from Devon, she graduated with a Masters Degree from The London College of Music, having previously studied at the University of Liverpool....
. The restoration was later nominated for an Archive Restoration or Preservation Project award by FOCAL, the Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries.
In November 2008 the restored film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
to mark the 90th anniversary of the Armistice in 1918. As soundtracks to the film, the DVD included Laura Rossi's score, an accompanying 1916 musical medley, and a commentary by Roger Smither, film archivist at the Imperial War Museum. The DVD included interviews with Smither and Rossi, and with Toby Haggith (film archivist) and Stephen Horne (silent film musician) on the reconstruction of the contemporary medley. Also included were film fragments and missing scenes. Tied to the release, the Imperial War Museum launched a minisite
Minisite
A minisite is a website by which companies offer information about one specific product or product group. Typically, a minisite is enhanced by various multimedia content, such as an animated, narrated introduction, and accompanied by a visual scheme which complements the product well.For example, a...
featuring viewing notes, further reading and teaching resources.
Further reading
- Tookey, Chris and Walsh, David (20 October 2006) The Film Programme' Real Player Audio interview from 14:38. BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. Accessed 27 October 2010.