The Battle Of The Somme - Trailer

The Battle Of The Somme

On November 3rd 2008, to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the end of World War 1, Network DVD will be releasing the digitally restored version of the landmark documentary film record from 1916 of The Battle Of The Somme, on a superb extras laden DVD package. The DVD (produced by Network in association with The Imperial War Museum) contains the film that has recently become the first British documentary film to be ascribed UNESCO statues in their prestigious 'Memory of The World' register.

The Battle Of The Somme was shot by only two cameramen in and around June /July 1916 and documented the British Army's preparation for the battle, carrying out the battle itself and the result of the battle. In its day it provided the viewer, for the first time, the ability to experience some of the realities of a soldiers life in and out of the trenches. Apart from the battle itself, the film offers glimpses of the minutiae of daily life - eating, marching, hauling equipment etc, plus the British soldiers interaction with German prisoners etc.

The battle itself was the single bloodiest day in British Army history with 19,000 men killed and a further 35,000 wounded. Bearing in mind this film was made in an attempt to help win the war at home, there are necessarily few images of allied casualties. What was less easy to hide in the film is some of the conditions that the men survived in. At the start of the film we see many of the soldiers marching off to the battle front in relatively high spirits, and very often playing up to the camera, whereas by the end of the film post-battle, we see the obviously battle weary men resting on the ground hollow-eyed as they allow the camera to pan across them barely registering its presence. Obviously propaganda was much less of an crucial art form in those days than it became in WW2, film cameras where even barred from the battle front in the earliest years of WW1, yet this still primitive and emerging technology would start to play its part in the war itself. When it was released in August 1916 over 20 million people saw the film.

The images captured in this documentary include some of the most iconic images captured during the entire war, and these images are very familiar to anyone who has read / viewed documentaries on World War 1. The digital restoration work done on the film is little short of miraculous, with the images brought into a sharp focus and the correction of the continually re-printed material that resulted in the ever darkening film contrast, now being lightened enabling the backgrounds and detail finally becoming apparent. For those of us brought up in the pre-digital era and accustomed to seeing images of World War 1 in grainy, jumpy, distorted prints, it is a real treat to see these images displayed in such clarity - something that perhaps helps us ensure that this war will not be allowed to be seen as ancient history.

This film, along with the current series 1914-18 running on BBC4, and the legendary 1960s BBC documentary series The Great War (which can be picked up quite cheaply on DVD now) also both produced with assistance by The Imperial War Museum, are the definitive documents of "the war to end all wars".

The DVD itself contains three separate soundtracks form the film which marks this release out as truly unique. Firstly a commentary by Roger Smither, Keeper of the Imperial War Museum's Film and Photograph Archives. Smither provides the historical context of the scenes of the film, and explains in fascinating detail the action on screen. Secondly is a wonderful contemporary orchestral score soundtrack composed by Laura Rossi. Thirdly, a soundtrack that recreates the songs that were used to accompany the film in the cinemas when the film was originally released in 1916.

Also included on this superb release are: missing footage not contained in the original cut of the film; interviews with Roger Smither, Laura Rossi and the curators who worked on the project; and an official 36 page booklet with contributions from the Imperial War Museum archive team (booklet not available at time of review).

This is a wonderful release and much credit has to go to Network for making such an important historical film available; to The Imperial War Museum for its tireless work in displaying and making available to the public the archives from this period and to Dragon Digital Intermediate for its superb efforts on digitally restoring the work for current / future generations.

The film was produced in association with The Imperial War Museum. Viewing notes, additional information, further reading and teaching resources can be found at www.iwm.org.uk/somme-film . The Imperial War Museum will be staging a series of events to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the end of the First World War, for further information on these events go to www.iwm.org.uk/90.