I can assure you, the Little Ships of Dunkirk was indeed a real fleet. Nearly 900 private civilian vessels sailed to Dunkirk to assist in the evacuation. One ship, a paddle steamer called Medway Queen, made 7 trips to Dunkirk and back, altogether evacuating over 7,000 troops. The troops called her "the Heroine of Dunkirk." She's now a museum ship.
@@robinhooduk8255 Some were, though. 125 civilians died during the Dunkirk evacuation- mostly merchant sailors, plus four volunteers killed and two wounded (also, though not depicted in this film, the Germans bombed the town of Dunkirk during the attack, setting it on fire- this killed about 1,000 civilians, which was about a third of the town's population).
Ooooh. I just learned that one of the Little Ships, a yacht called the Sundowner, was owned and commanded by Charles Lightoller, the former Second Officer on the Titanic. She saved 127 men.
@@antonbrakhage490 Exactly. The British were very short on manpower. They ran out of men to crew the civilian boats rather quickly. So I don't really know what the count was. If anyone does. But it seems a lot closer to 50/50 then "nearly all the little boats" being manned by royal navy personnel.
After seeing this movie, and being absolutely stunned by it, I went again with my mother, as we had a couple of hours to kill before going to a concert. She went in just expecting a blockbuster war movie. She came out utterly moved. It turns out my great-grandfather, her grandfather, had been an unstable presence in our family, and he had always blamed it on being a survivor of Dunkirk. After seeing the film, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for her.
Now THAT verifies the power and true influence of cinema: Reflection. I'm talking about TRUE Reflection, too... not just the basic, rudimentary, 'self-involved' version. The type when one realizes something about *others* (and + or the world around them) which is truly profound. Most people will NEVER understand what C-PTSD is. Never. Which is quite unfortunate.
when i saw the film in I-max in the movies. i was floored. the sharp violent sound of Nolan was incredible. These youtubers really need a good HDR display and sound system to watch these films. thats just me though.
George’s story recalibrates our notions of what it means to be a hero. When George boards the boat heading for Dunkirk, he says, “I’ll be useful, sir.” Tragically, due to the randomness of war, he dies before he gets the chance to be “useful.” Does that mean George isn’t a hero? No! George became a hero the moment he jumped on the boat and risked his life. Not every soldier gets a chance to perform a courageous action in combat. In fact, many die before they ever get a chance to fight (e.g., the American soldiers who get machine-gunned at the beginning of “Saving Private Ryan”). What I love about “Dunkirk” is that it celebrates both the heroic actions of Tom Hardy’s character and the heroism of George, the heroism of simply volunteering.
Milton said “They also serve who only stand and wait.” In episode 1 of BoB we see the ground crews who serviced the airplanes. They were part of the Greatest Generation as much as the members of Easy. People in the army do what they are told, they obey orders. One of the things that makes Dunkirk, the movie and the actual event so great is that the captains of the little boats went way beyond what was asked. Cassie, if you watch this a second time you will see all the moments where the plot lines intersect, the view from the boat as the planes fly over as well as the view from the plane. These might be separated in the film but they happen at the same time.
@@michaelstach5744 The key to the timeline is that they all intersect at the climax of the movie. The infantryman was on the beach for a week before end. The small boat's story started the day before. The Spitfire's story started an hour before. As the movie nears the end, the more they overlap.
I'm also Canadian and a few years ago I found out one of my granduncles didn't immigrate with the rest of the family to from England in 1937, instead enlisting in 1940 with the British Army. He was evacuated at Dunkirk and later joined the rest of the family in Canada in 1942, only to return to Europe as part of First Special Service Force in 1944. He was only in country a few weeks before being KIA in Anzio, Italy. People lived crazy lives back then. Seeing the movie really contextualized that experience for me as seeing it in the form of a few bullet points on a page is pretty dry.
I'm British, my last year at school I took history we went on a field trip to the ww1 battlefields, they went every year at it was tradition to always go to the Canadian memorial at vimy ridge first because their people were so far away.
@@mikehunt8823 I remember doing this trip at school too, though mine was in year 9. Most of the kids in my year were super disrespectful and I got mocked for the rest of the trip for getting upset and for telling them to stop being arseholes.
The Spitfire flying footage is some of my favorite aviation footage ever in a major film....they did a wonderful job with it. The Spitfire is an all time beautiful aircraft
Every pilot who has ever flown a Spitfire has fallen in love with it. Everyone wanted them: the Canadians, the Australians, the Americans, the Free French, the free Polish. Easily one of the best propeller driven fighters of all time. And the Germans wished they had Spitfires.
While I agree with everything that you said and the Spitfire is my favorite WW2 aircraft as well... the ones in the movie aren't Spitfires. I saw a documentary and I think they used russian Yakolews and made them look like Spitfires.
My favourite scene in this entire film is when Tom Hardy's pilot character is sitting in his cockpit contemplating whether he should continue home or turn around to pursue the bomber. The way he looks ahead, then in the rear view at the bomber, then down to the people in the water before making his fateful decision to turn around and pursue is some of the best physical acting I've seen from an actor for a long time (where Hardy's eyes and mannerisms tell you what is going through his mind).
Little known fact: The little boat portrayed with the 2 boys and old man is based on Charles Lightoller's boat. He was the 2nd officer on board the Titanic, and he was one of the ones who helped at Dunkirk.
Also if you haven't catched it, if you see things repeating is because it was flimed from the perspective of 3 sides. Everything was happeing at the same time just from different perspectives
Hey Cassie. Remember your buddy George who hit his head. That's the same kid as in, "Chernobyl" who had to shoot the puppies. I know you loved him there and you loved his portrayal here.
An important point to remember about this movie: There are 3 separate stories going on here, each one taking place over a different span of time. The story of the soldiers on the beach takes place over the course of 1 week. The story about the civilian boat crew takes place over the course of one day. The story of the pilot takes place over the course of 1 hour. The movie shows the moments when their timelines eventually overlap. Christopher Nolan loves playing with time!
@@CyberDustCapsuled I think it just needed to be explained/contextualized better. On my second viewing, I appreciated it a lot more, but yeah, it was confusing at times on first viewing.
@@CyberDustCapsuled I would say it’s a strong point. It shows the same event happening from different perspectives. This isn’t implemented in too many films, particularly films revolving around War, yet works really well here. It’s also something Christopher Nolan has implemented in many of his other films too, so no surprise he would crest the story this way. The way the entire film is made is to put you in the shoes of everyone your watching from the soldiers on the beach to the civilians on the boat to the pilot in the air. A big thing that’s great is the lack of character development, as in a situation like this there would be no time for normal discussions of home or anything of the sort. People just want to get home and not talk about home or what they did before the war as just when they think they can take a breath something happens and they have to either flee and run or stay and fight. We see this in all three scenarios. This is a film where the actions speak louder than words. There’s not a lot of dialogue, but what each character does tells us way more than multiple pages of dialogue for the characters to say could ever tell us.
The voice as Fortis leader was non other than Michael Caine himself, he also played a squadron leader in the epic WW2 movie "Battle of Britain" Which is also worth a watch, if one wants to watch WW2 films in the time period where Britain stood alone.
Not really alone though, is it? At Dunkirk, Britain (or rather the UK) stood with the French and some Belgians; afterwards, Britain still stood with Free Poles, Czech, French and US volunteers, not to mention the vast resources of its Empire, both human and material.
Canada declared war on Germany a week after Britain did...As I believe the rest of the Commonwealth not part of Westminster Treaty did, on their own accord within days
@@corto4668 You forgot to throw in the Norwegians, Australians, New Zealands etc...😏😉 Anyway after the fall of France, Britain/UK stood more a less alone as she was the only world power left in Europe, not occupied by the Germans. Yes she did provide a safe haven for the mixed collection of nationalities from various occupied countries, and put them to good use, so one shouldn't ignore their contribution to the commen cause. And as we all know now, Britain would basically be the main Forward Operating Base, from which the liberation of "Western" Europe would come from. Which I am grateful for, for else I would be talking German or Russian. 🤔
My Regiment, 'The Glorious Glosters' held the line at Cassel just outside Dunkirk as the retreat progressed so that other could escape, only a handful made it home, most were killed or captured the battalion took Lest we forget that for our tomorrows they gave their todays.
When you said "i want that to be true" regarding the wave of private boats that came to evacuate the men at Dunkirk, that absolutely was true! The reason why the evacuation was a massive success rather than a complete disaster is precisely due to the actions of private boats. Winston Churchill called for all private boats to aid in the evacuation, and they responded. The reason it worked so well is because the larger Naval ships were getting shot down left and right since they were big juicy targets. No bomber wants to waste their load on tiny fishing vessells, so most of those slipped through successfully. The RAF (Royal Air Force) played a massive role as well in keeping the bombers at bay. Tom Hardy and the other pilot were representing the actions of several other pilots that day.
It's not that straightforward sadly. While loads of private boats got involved, their impact overtime was rather limited. The myth that they played a key role was born out of Britain's need for a myth that would raise the morale at home and abroad. In fact, a large portion of those private boats, while owned by civilians, where crewed by Royal Navy personnel that day. Does not change the bravery of the people involved in those operations, of course.
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True, though the vast majority were rescued by RN ships as well as other larger vessels like commercial paddle steamers, though individually to the thousands of families that had loved ones brought back by the little ships they were massively important, the British would have been better off not sending them and just not taking the French. As almost all of the 110,000 French soldiers rescued returned within a month and were either captured, killed or began working for the Nazis, effectively "wasting" their spaces aboard the ships.
If it had not happened and the British expeditionary force was lost there would have been no way they could have stayed in the war and think how much harder if it could be done at all d-day would have been without the UK as a base
@@corto4668 To say their impact was limited is utter rubbish. While crewed mostly by royal navy personnel, without those shallow draft boats a vast majority of those men wouldn't have made it off the beach.
The word 'masterpiece' is thrown around a lot, but this movie is actually an absolute masterpiece. People talk about certain movies giving you anxiety, but this is another level. The fate of the world literally hung in the balance on that beach. It's such a great movie
There is a saying in Britain - 'To have the Dunkirk spirit', having the spirit of Dunkirk means, everyone pitching in to help and when it seems like all hope is lost, there is still hope, yes the boats did answer the call to come for the soldiers when Britain needed them most.
It's such a good movie. There were a few Canadians on that beach at Dunkirk and a few heroes from Canada who maned the boats that saved quite a few men.
Commander Bolton, the naval officer on the mole, was Canadian. The boat that finally evacuated him was torpedoed, and Bolton drowned within sight of the White Cliffs.
Manchester's quote was actually "England's fathers, sailing to rescue England's exhausted and bleeding sons". But apparently some are offended by the use of "England".
Watching your reaction to war movies is a reminder that people actually care for soldiers. I served a short 5 years with the U.S. Army before getting injured in combat. Things like this happen but we honor their legacy by not forgetting them. Life comes and goes but being a legend amongst piers is forever. Tears are not wasted, our family above appreciate. Till Valhalla
The elderly man with the boat going to dunkirk was based on the real life second office of the Titanic Commander Charles Lightoller. , DSC & Bar, RD, RNR (30 March 1874 - 8 December 1952) was a British merchant seaman and naval officer. He was the second officer on board the RMS and the most senior member of the crew to survive the disaster. As the officer in charge of loading passengers into lifeboats on the port side, Lightoller strictly enforced the women and children only protocol, not allowing any male passengers to board the lifeboats unless they were needed as auxiliary seamen. Lightoller served as a commanding officer in the Royal Navy during World War I and was twice decorated for gallantry. During World War II, in retirement, he provided and sailed as a volunteer on one of the "little ships" that played a part in the Dunkirk evacuation.
Fek, for a guy that did such dangerous things he still lived a pretty long life dying at 78 and 2/3 years old. That's some S grade luck happening right there.
@@theawesomeman9821 Not a cameo. The character is based on a real man that died in 1952. A cameo is when an actor or other individual shows up in the film but remains unnamed in the credits. Like the real life Goose (naval consultant for the film) seen meeting Charlie at the bar in Top Gun. Or Edward Norton who played the key but uncredited role of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (aka the leper king) in Kingdom of Heaven.
When you said ‘I want that to be true’ - it absolutely was true. They knew they couldn’t get big ships to the beach to pick up the soldiers, so just ordinary everyday people who happened to be sailers on small boats like that risked their own lives to sail into the war to rescue as many men as they could, and it’s almost certain the actions of these brave people kept Britain in the war, and stopped a total German victory in Western Europe
It's a brilliant film. So critics complained that it humanized Hitler, but I think that misses the whole point. It's too easy to think of Hitler as some nearly supernatural evil, when in fact he was a human being like everyone else. Humans are capable of great evil. They don't need to be elevated to some superhuman status.
I really liked your reaction to this movie, i am a veteran and a history buff so when you talked about what you take away from war movies it made me tear up. When you kept telling pilots to eject i hurt for your worry for them, and because i know that back then they didn't have ejection seats they had to climb out onto the wing and fall away. The little boats and there owners and crews sailed as close to the beach as they could, there are pictures of soldiers standing in water to their necks waiting to be picked up. Over 300,000 British french and Belgian soldiers were rescued. There is a movie from the 60's or early 70's you should watch called the battle of Britain.
I love this movie, I saw it at least 3 times in the theatre. I kept going back for the sound design more thna anything. The bullet fire and the drone of the Stukas was just piercing. The real event of Dunkirk is actually a really fascinating event too, and the one thing I'll criticise this film for is that it really doesn't capture what 400,000 men on a beach looks like. interesting note. Althoguh everyone knows it's the German's they're facing, the film only ever refers to them as 'the enemy' and you don't see their faces.
Great choice for Remembrance Day. My uncle, Fabian Generoux, was with Canadian Armoured forces in the Mediterranean Theatre during WW2. He was wounded in the foot by a sniper, then after treatment he re-joined his unit in Italy. He was riding in a half-track when it was attacked by a German tank. The half-track exploded and my uncle was badly injured... he ended up with a fractured skull, a shattered right elbow, and lost a leg above the knee. On the hospital ship, while being evacuated, it was sunk by a submarine and an escort destroyer found him still on his cot bobbing up-and-down in the sea. I believe he may have been the only soldier attacked by a sniper, a tank, and a submarine who survived. He was an executive with the War Amps charity group. He died an old man of natural causes, in Canada, after having lived a full and happy life.
The RAF knew that Germany was planning on invading England, and the first step was air supremacy. The RAF didn't send many planes to Dunkirk because they needed them to defend England when the invasion started. The RAF had 650 aircraft versus the Luftwaffe's 1500.
The RAF didn't send more fighters to France in order to preserve their resources for the expected onslought. They did send fighters to cover the Dunkirk operation but thwy weren't seen over the beaches because they were intercepting inland.
The RAF absolutely were in France as part of the Expeditionary Force, but not over the beaches, they were further inland, intercepting as much as they could. Very few sorties were flown from the UK, to preserve the Aircraft for the anticipated defence of the UK, another factor (as shown in the film) being the limited fuel state once over France. As the noose grew tighter the planes in France were launched and the ground crew evacuated in lorries, mostly heading West. There was a lot of bitterness from the troops on the beaches over the lack of visibility of the RAF, but they were there, doing what they could away from the beaches.
Cassie you should watch the 1969 movie "The Battle of Britain". The events are a follow up to this. For a movie made in the 1960's it still stands up very well with today's movies.
When this movie came out, I saw it three times in one weekend. 1. Friday at a midnight screening on IMAX 2. Saturday afternoon in 35mm at an art house theater and 3. regular theater on Sunday with my parents.
I’d like to suggest again the movie Glory. It’s about the first black regiment that fought for the Union. Denzel Washington, Morgan Freemen and Mathew Broderick star…( Washington won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role.)
The Evacuation at Dunkirk was simultaneously an unmitigated disaster and one of our greatest triumphs of the War. The fact that so many soldiers were rescued is nothing short of miraculous.
GodEmperorOfShorts Over forty thousand British troops were left in France to defend the beacheswith the french, over 338,000 troops were rescued, 150,000 were from different countries, with 120,000 of these being French.
The Home scene really got me when I saw it in Theaters. It still gets me but the first time was rough. 🥺 Christopher Nolan did a wonderful job on this movie.
War film, but not so heavy? Try: Stalin 13, South Pacific, Francis the Talking Mule, Mr. Roberts, Operation Petticoat; or the TV comedy shows: Hogan’s Heroes, McHale’s Navy.
A recent movie with "Tom Hanks" is "Greyhound" convoy duty in the North Atlantic to supply England also Russia. Also an OLD movie is " Action in the North Atlantic" with Humphrey Bogart
my grandfather was at dunkirk, and above my fireplace in a frame is the bullet the medics pulled out of his lung, he kept it because the nurse that pulled it out he later married, and as a kid he would say to me "i wish i could thank the german who shot me in the chest, because of him i met my lovely wife"
The thing I love about this film is it didn't try to remake Saving Private Ryan like so many other films. There are heroes that come in all shapes and sizes, there is tragedy for those who's lives get cut short who don't get a chance to be a hero and there are cowards as well, probably an accurate depiction of war. There is no time to reminisce and talk about home to develop characters for the viewers, it's about surviving and the characters are defined by their actions. The last shot when he looks up after reading Churchill's speech, I always found quite poignant. As rousing and powerful as the speech was, the soldier just lived it and the romanticism is lost on him, it's war and it was a horrible experience.
I liked Dunkirk for all the reasons you said. But I never understood why he went with the stripped back production design. I understand it's Nolan's visual style but you don't make a factual movie where you put your style of film making over facts. There weren't nearly enough men on the beach, shooting in a completely rebuilt Dunkirk.And his refusal to use any CG to augment his scenes is just stupid arrogance, seeing as digital mattes never look bad. Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers looked far more authentic.
@@robinhooduk8255 I think most people would agree that Band of Brothers and the Pacific are the ones to watch over SPR. But Dunkirk isn't without it's problems.
Cassie... I stumbled upon your channel several months ago, and have now seen every one of your reactions. Just wanted to express how very much I've enjoyed your authenticity as well as your kind spirit. (By the way, I think my favorite was the reaction you and your sister had to Jaws...probably because I actually saw that movie for the first time on its opening night. Can't even begin to describe the horror of THAT experience...lol.) Anyway, thank you for what you're doing, and who you are. Stay real. You're a refreshing breath of honesty in an otherwise crazy world.
This is one of the best movies I've ever watched on the big screen. It was shot so well and has some of the best sound you'll ever hear in a movie. When the pilots were flying it felt like you were in the cockpit too. It was amazing. But damn this is one emotional movie. Even though there's no blood or gore I was on the edge of my seat because it made me so anxious. I love how little dialogue there was in this because what is there to really say? The soldiers on the beaches were desperate and getting picked off. They had nowhere to go and many were just waiting until they would die. I can't even begin to imagine being in a scenario where all hope is lost and I was just waiting until that moment came. Talk about heartbreaking. And George. I loved George! He wasn't hoping to be some war hero who shot down 10 planes or anything like that. All he did was want to help out in some way. That is what made him a hero. He went into danger simply to help (or help those he was with so they could help). He didn't have any grand dreams except being in the LOCAL paper. That's it. The local paper. That part where his story runs in the paper always gets me. This movie hits some harder than others. I'm American, but absolutely love the history of this, the soldiers who managed to survive, and the civilians who risked their safety to bring their heroes home.
A good choice for this time of year; thank you. Some figures, for those who are interested in such things: BEF personnel in France: 420k (including 25k brought in after the invasion began on 10 May) BEF personnel evacuated through Dunkirk: 218k (plus 120k French troops, most of whom returned to France & were captured later) Total BEF casualties in France: 68k (a majority of these were prisoners, including nearly the entire 51st Highland Division, captured in NE France) There was one Victoria Cross awarded for actions at the Dunkirk beaches: Capt Marcus Ervine-Andrews of the 1st East Lancs (who fortunately survived); six others were awarded for earlier in the French campaign, four of them posthumously (F/O Garland, Sgt Gray, 2/Lt Annand, L/Cpl Nicholls, CSM Gristock & Lt Furness) RAF losses (10 May-24 Jun): 934 aircraft, 1004 men RAF losses (10 May-24 Jun) (fighters only): 155 men
I saw this in the theater and it was such a thrilling experience. Just 100 minutes of pure, relentless tension and suspense. I don't always need character arcs, I don't always need complex stories. Sometimes I just want to watch fine craftsmanship unfold before my eyes. This movie was it.
And it seems to be the thing humans are good at doing over and over and over again. We are a savage animal. Love scenes in movie are looked down on more than violence.
Many of the civilian boats that arrived are actual boats who went to dunkirk in WWII who were well taken care of by their owners, about 88 are still around including the Sundowner that the films boat is based of. I read about every year the owners get together and perform a parade taking the same route the little ships took.
The thing that got me the most in this film was the musical score. Through the score Hans Zimmer nailed the intensity of what it must have felt like waiting on those beaches.
"It sounds like that plane is falling apart....." That's just good ol' fashioned British fighter plane engineering before they could isolate the engine vibrations from the cockpit. Contrary to how it looks and sounds that plane probably is harder wearing than most modern planes which rely on a lot of computers and sensors to work properly.
People that wanted an action movie I am sure were sorely disappointed, but how well they told this story of very little time passing and how things went was so masterful that those looking for a drama/historical recount of it were left speechless with how good it was done.
You have to watch "Darkest hour" next!!! It fits right into this film. A MUST, MUST, MUST!!! Gary Oldman won an Academy Award for his lead role in this film. Watch it now before you forget a lot of this movie you just watched. You will see how the decision to use civilian boats was made. And you will see the very speech Cillian Murphy was reading in the newspaper when they got back to England. It is so flippin' powerful!!! If you ever listen to anything I say listen to this one suggestion please 🙏. 🙂
One of the greatest war films ever made. Nolan has you gripped from the first to the last and everything in between. Beautifully shot and with an incredible score and sound design.
The thing about the points of view in this Dunkirk film is that it's based on real stories of people really involved, each of whom had very different perspectives on what happened. The soldier who escaped two sunken ships is real, the officer of the Rifle Brigade rescued from the sunken ship was real, he was defending the port of Calais and was overrun, helped rescue people from a sunken ship, then was sunk himself and survived up on the stern of the sunken ship, then was taken back to the beach and later made it home. The boy who died in a accident aboard one of the 'little ships' is real, the incident of his death being reported in the paper can be checked as it's in the paper's archives. The soldiers who got aboard a ship that floated off at high tide are real, as is the business with the Germans taking target practise at the ship, and them capturing a civilian and how some of them died almost as they were rescued. The quick incident of the soldier shooting up at the bombers, then being killed by a bomb is real; he was photographed by one of the few reporters with the British Army who made it back to Britain.
When he managed to get the wheels down I teared up, but then when he got captured 😭😭😭 And the boy in the paper with the speech 😭😭😭 A very slow-burn of a movie to start with, but man what an incredible second half.
Popcorn in Bed is without doubt one of the more wholesome reaction channels out there. Her reactions are so genuine and wholesome it hurts my heart. I do not want her to become as jaded and calloused as me, I wish a better destiny for her.
My Irish Grandaunt was married to a Dunkirk veteran, used to visit us in Tipperary Ireland when on holidays. I remember him well, a very polite English gentleman. My grandfather was her brother and was a member of the British Homeguard in London during the blitz, their other brother was in the RAF. All came from Tipperary Ireland. About 50,000 Irish men fought for Britain during WW2.
The civilian boats that took part in this evacuation (around 850 of them) were honoured with their own flag dubbed the 'Dunkirk Jack'. To this day only those boats that are still around can display this flag. One of my cousins did some digging on our great grandparents and found a news clipping for one of my Great Grandads, Private Henry Rathmill. He enlisted at 36 years old in 1915 WW1 and died on the frontlines 6 months later at 37. I remember him every year on Remembrance Day. He was a brush maker who became a bomb thrower. Something about the news clipping put a poem verse in my head which i will never forget: From brushes to bombs, And bombs to dust, Sweep sweep away, The toil and rust. I have much respect for him and all who served.
I hate shifting timelines, I hate when I don't have central characters to emotionally care about. But this film is so good that it doesn't matter. Actually the central characters were the whole British Army and the citizens who came in to save them. The fact that Nolan did this without relying on CGI is amazing.
I admire Nolan's use of practical effects, but he could have used a bit of CGI, because Dunkirk totally failed to capture the scale of the battle and the rescue effort.
I agree with J LAL. While I commend Nolan for what he accomplished, and I really do like this movie, there were like 400,000 soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk in real life. That opening shot when you first see the beach, and it's like empty... maybe 1,000 extras spread out across a few hundred yards on this massive beach... it really ruins the authenticity, strangely enough. People think that CGI will ruin authenticity, but limited use of it would have done wonders for this movie, and would have taken it from very good to great IMO.
@@jonttul yeah, the dogfights in this movie while 100% practical, somehow really didn’t excite me because I know how much Nolan failed to capture the scale of just how much air combat went on that day. Even with the limited amount of planes the RAF sent to France.
My mother's uncle died at Dunkirk. Which I actually only found out about a couple of weeks ago (I'm surprised she never mentioned it. It happened long before she was born, so she never met him). One thing the movie doesn't mention (and the English sure as heck don't talk about it) is the Royal Scots Brigade was left behind to cover the evacuation. 400 Scottish soldiers who were commanded to "Stand your ground until the last man" so that the evacuation would be successful. They fought for three days before ultimately being overwhelmed. They bought precious time for the evacuation to be carried out. But of course, nobody talks about them. Because, after all, they're "only Jocks". The film itself is generally accurate in terms of how it portrays the evacuation; although it omits some of the efforts of French, Indian and African soldiers in helping the evacuation. The dog fighting is also portrayed at much lower altitude. The characters themselves also fictional, but not unrealistic (borrowing some inspiration from real people).
There's a reason if you look at WW2 torpedoed boats losing almost all their crew and only having a few surviving. If you are 3 or 4 decks under the ship you aren't going to be able to fight against the water pouring in and make it out. Also when the torpedo hits the explosion sends a shockwave through the floor and hull and breaks ankles and legs, so with several swimming pools of water rushing in a second and with broken limbs you don't make it out. The HMS hood was Britain's flagship of a battle cruiser. When she engaged the German battleship Bismarck, Bismarck hit her and she sank very quickly. Only 3 sailors made it out of a crew of 1,000 or so.
The main reason that so many were saved was because of the small boats. The operation was named Dynamo and controlled from over. Another reason that so many were saved is Hitler. He hoped for a negotiated peace still with Britain so halted his panzers armies and ordered Goering to have his planes bomb the beaches. The only problem with this is that the beach is sand and the planes flying low some just buried themselves without detonating. One more reason which is not highlighted is the rearguard action of the french troop who delayed the German ground forces. When you ask where were the planes the battles were fought inland mostly so the soldiers on the beach never saw them. Also, the British military recognised France was going to be lost and had to hold back a lot of planes for the defence of Britain. Churchill had to reluctantly agree with his military leaders as he had promised the French the squadrons. Great reaction and sorry it caused you distress but its what makes your reactions genuine and sincere thank for viewing this film and sharing.
Dunkirk is a major point in British military history, so much so we're taught it in school in both a way of "this is how grim and horrible the war was" but also in a "this shows the classic British spirit of turning a huge negative into a positive and the power of community and love of country and kinship when we all pull together"
The story of the Moonstone boat is based upon that of Sundowner, captained and owned by Charles Lightoller. Both were accompanied by their son and one other young man, both men had lost another son earlier in the war, and both evaded fire from a German aircraft using a technique taught to them by their deceased son. Charles Lightoller was the most senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic; in the 1997 film, he was portrayed by Jonathan Phillips.
And if you want to know what happened next, watch the film "Battle of Britain" (1969) - tells the story very well with spectacular flying scenes and an awesome cast.
Fishing boats, pleasure craft, whatever could float, and carry people, was put into the Channel (that lifesaving aquatic barrier which no enemy has successfully breached since A.D. 1066).
I studied military history. It's really hard to overstate how important this was to the survival of the allied forces in WWII. It was a retreat, not necessarily a victory. However, if not for this heroism, we'd all be speaking German.
no we wouldn't. I mean on multiple levels that is just wrong. first the idea that Germany could not only successfully launch a cross channel invasion but continue to supply the army in England long enough to win the war is almost laughable. The British navy would all have pulled back to protect the homeland if an invasion was launched and they RAF was always strong enough to at least compete with the Lufwaffe. After D day the allied forces struggled to establish supply lines across the channels and they had absolute control of the sea and of the air. Germany would have had neither. Lets say they either force a surrender or successfully invade though, even then soon hitler would attack Russia and while the war might take longer eventually Russia would beat Germany. If England is out and the US never enters this would probably mean all of Europe would speak Russian not German. Though I doubt the US or England would allow the USSR to have control of all of Russia and Europe so they might end up rejoining the war on the German side once it because clear Germany is losing. Either way the idea that Germany could ever held on to all of Europe and England is almost laughable.
Unless of course the national socialist party would've won the election in USA, than the war would've been very different. And besides, what's the point of invading England? It's just a waist of time. Than again, what was the point of heading into stalingrad...
@@lalangner2253 well I think the idea with Stalingrad was cutting off the river crossing so that the USSR couldn't reinforce the south allowing Germany to access the oil fields and solve their oil shortage issues plus stopping tank production in the city. Still the generals and hitler definitely underestimated how hard that would be. Either way they were already running on fumes. If they weren't turned back in Stalingrad they would have been in the caucuses or around Moscow or somewhere. Russia is just way to big for a country with limit oil supplies and not fully motorized to ever conquer. Really they should have negotiated a way for Japan to invade the east of Russia. If Russia had to fight in the east too they might have had a chance and America might have not entered the war for another year or so. Too bad for them they were too racist to work closely with Japan.
@@lalangner2253 actually its conceivable if they focus more on North Africa and on close ties to Japan that turkey and Japan both join attack Russia too Japan from east turkey from south and Germany from west. Solves the oil problem for both Japan and Germany and probably wins them the war. Just needed to conquer Egypt.
@@mike-mz6yz It's the UK or Britain, not just England. And you have to remember that on that beach was practically the whole British army. If we had lost them it would have taken years to replace them. You could raise the men easily enough, but who is going to train them? You're probably right the Germans still couldn't invade, but losing the army would have have strengthened those like Halifax who wanted peace, and weakened or even removed Churchill. Hitler offered the British generous terms, they could keep their empire as long as Germany had a free hand in Europe. The Germans would have still attacked the Soviet Union, but strengthened by the 2600 aircraft and crews they now didn't lose in the Battle of Britain, added to the fact that they would not have to keep half a million men to protect Europe from the British of dedicate increasing resources to fend of British air raids. Even without these advantages the Germans got within five miles of Moscow, with them Stalin was a dead man.
The timeline thing was very interesting. Brilliantly done. This was the end of May 1940 through the start of June. We would not be in the war for nearly another year and a half. Despite the huge numbers of troops evacuated, the British lost all the heavy equipment of the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force), 240 vessels of all types, 6 of their destroyers along with three French, and 26 others damaged. Both sides lost significant numbers of aircraft.
You should watch The World At War, it’s a 26 part documentary made in the 1970s and narrated by Lawrence Olivier. It is regarded as the best documentary of the Second World War ever made. If you’re interested in learning what really happened from beginning to end it’s a must see.it shows all actual footage and has veterans from all sides talking about the war. It is a masterpiece.
Superb documentary. We were lucky in Britain to see in a few short years three of the greatest, most epic docs ever made - WaW, Civilisation and The Ascent of Man.
What really lets this film down is the final scene on the train. They used 1970s train carriages, which really kills the vibe. But now you need to watch the same event as portrayed in the movie, Atonement.
Great war movies you should see "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now" from the Vietnam war. And "Black Book" (2006), a very underrated WW2 spy thriller, with a love story, and tons of plot twists. By same director as Robocop (Paul Verhoeven), a true masterpiece really. It's less known because he didn't make it in Hollywood, but his home country Netherlands.
Don't forget David Lean films like Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. The Longest Day, The Pianist, Judgement at Nuremberg, Das Boot.
Apocalypse Now is the worst pile of dog feces to ever try to be called a "war movie"...and a complete affront to everyone who has ever served. Bullshit liberal revisionism at its worst.
@@mikeb4595 Won 2 Oscars and 20+ other awards, IMDb score 8.4 ranking it #53 top rated movie of all time. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's "liberal revisionism". It's not as realistic as Platoon, doesn't try to be, it's more of a symbolic, philosophical and artistic movie. But where the hell you get this "liberal revisionism" nonsense I have no idea. Platoon doesn't paint a pretty picture about "everyone who has ever served" either (the village massacre is inspired by My Lai, and the IRL person Sgt. Elias is based on, a real person, was killed in a friendly fire incident IRL), I guess you call it liberal revisionism too? Vietnam war was a nasty, chaotic and futile war, that US should have never interfered with. Both movies show it as that, just in different styles
Interesting bit of trivia: the screaming sound the German dive bombers (the Stukas) made was the inspiration for the sound the TIE Fighters make in Star Wars. Great movie telling a meaningful story and great reaction as always!
I rather like that this film is more about what you see and hear over the dialogue between the characters; this was a film about the Dunkirk and the events that happened there, not about one particular or group of soldiers. I'm also a WWII aviation enthusiast and on seeing the JU-87 'Stuka' show up I had a bit of a smile; it vanished as soon as that siren started sounding; Nolan did a magnificent job making a viewer feel as if they were a boot on the ground, a sailor on one of the small boats, and a pilot in a Spitfire.
I remember watching this in theaters and it was enormously difficult to watch. The tone is cold and brutal, and you feel unsafe in every way. It makes you appreciate that if you feel that way during a few hours watching a movie how it must have felt experiencing that feeling over the course of months and years.
Also the old man in the boat is based on Charles Lightoller...he was the Second Officer on the RMS Titanic, senior surviving officer, the only reason he survived was because he was sent out to direct the lifeboats early on. He was pretty old and retired...but he wasn't going to let a crew of Royal Navy (reservists and draftees mostly) take his boat over, so he did it himself. In a boat licensed to carry 21 he brought back 127 servicemen, his son having the men lay down below decks to help with stability. One description was that they were stacked 'like cordwood.' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lightoller
One of the interesting things about this film is that you don't actually see any German soldiers until the very end. And not very well then as they capture the pilot (Tom Hardy). I think this "unseen enemy" on the ground, in planes and submarines, added an additional level of stress. This rescue from Dunkirk saved Britain from being knocked out of the war very early on, in 1940, which would likely have had the outcome of Germany winning it. Hitler overruled his generals who wanted to take the town and beach with tanks standing by. He did it to show them who was in charge and this single act of hubris cost him the war.
It will be interesting to see how Cassie does with the sometimes confusing time structure of this movie. Even though the scenes are interspersed, the parts with the soldiers depicts 1 week, the parts with the Mr. Dawson and his son on their boat depicts 1 day, and the parts with the Spitfire fighter plane depicts about 1 hour.
'When they ask you, go back and tell them, for your tomorrow we gave our today." John Maxwell Edmonds, 1916. Lest we forget that for all our tomorrows they all gave their todays 🌷
A good follow up to this would be “Darkest Hour” starring Gary Oldman. It covers this same event during the same time only from the historical perspective of England’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. It truly was Britain’s “finest hour”. Cheers!
The fighter pilot on the beach that was captured was actually Canadian and for his action at Dunkirk he was awarded the Victoria Cross the highest medal Canada has.
It's a shame you didn't get to experience this in IMAX - still an amazing movie on the small screen but Christopher Nolan filmed and directed sound mixing specifically for it to be shown in the 70mm IMAX format. Remembering back when I saw it you really did feel like you were in the war side by side with the soldiers - it was an experience more akin to a theme park ride than I think I've ever experienced watching a movie...
When the pilot in the sinking plane is trying to break the canopy glass to escape, you ask if there isn't some tool there for the job. Well, I don't know about WW2 English warplanes, but at least by Vietnam, our pilots had a specially-designed tool, looking like a cross between a hammer and a hatchet, which was kept inside planes for breaking glass and chopping through sheet-metal fuselages to escape. They weren't sharp, just sturdy. They're available for sale to collectors on some military surplus websites.
up until a few years ago, one of these little ships would give tours around Portsmouth Harbour, on the south coast of England, i did one of these tours, the boat had just started the tour when i found out that this was one of the little ships, from seeing a plaque next to the cabin door, i cried.
I took my mother to see this film - she's 91 not out as I type this. She was 9yo at the time this happened and living in northern Scotland. Her town was bombed 24 times by the Luftwaffe and she still remembers the 'crump' of bombs falling whilst they hid in shelters. She sat watching the film in absolute silence and commented afterwards that she remembers every moment of the evacuation of Dunkirk. The moment of the film that affected me emotionally was when one of the lads on the train read out loud Churchill's speech to the House of Commons. They thought they had failed but were greeted by people on the rail line handing them jam tins of tea and sandwiches in thanks. I'm crying as I type this.
I can assure you, the Little Ships of Dunkirk was indeed a real fleet.
Nearly 900 private civilian vessels sailed to Dunkirk to assist in the evacuation. One ship, a paddle steamer called Medway Queen, made 7 trips to Dunkirk and back, altogether evacuating over 7,000 troops. The troops called her "the Heroine of Dunkirk." She's now a museum ship.
Medway Queen is currently at Ramsgate harbour being renovated.
@@robinhooduk8255 Some were, though. 125 civilians died during the Dunkirk evacuation- mostly merchant sailors, plus four volunteers killed and two wounded (also, though not depicted in this film, the Germans bombed the town of Dunkirk during the attack, setting it on fire- this killed about 1,000 civilians, which was about a third of the town's population).
Ooooh.
I just learned that one of the Little Ships, a yacht called the Sundowner, was owned and commanded by Charles Lightoller, the former Second Officer on the Titanic. She saved 127 men.
That's amazing. A paddle steamer is a hog and take a lot to operate..
@@antonbrakhage490 Exactly. The British were very short on manpower. They ran out of men to crew the civilian boats rather quickly. So I don't really know what the count was. If anyone does. But it seems a lot closer to 50/50 then "nearly all the little boats" being manned by royal navy personnel.
After seeing this movie, and being absolutely stunned by it, I went again with my mother, as we had a couple of hours to kill before going to a concert. She went in just expecting a blockbuster war movie. She came out utterly moved. It turns out my great-grandfather, her grandfather, had been an unstable presence in our family, and he had always blamed it on being a survivor of Dunkirk. After seeing the film, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for her.
Now THAT verifies the power and true influence of cinema: Reflection.
I'm talking about TRUE Reflection, too... not just the basic, rudimentary, 'self-involved' version. The type when one realizes something about *others* (and + or the world around them) which is truly profound.
Most people will NEVER understand what C-PTSD is. Never.
Which is quite unfortunate.
@@Novastar.SaberCombat unfortunate, but also something that you're glad of.
when i saw the film in I-max in the movies. i was floored. the sharp violent sound of Nolan was incredible. These youtubers really need a good HDR display and sound system to watch these films. thats just me though.
My grandad too.
George’s story recalibrates our notions of what it means to be a hero. When George boards the boat heading for Dunkirk, he says, “I’ll be useful, sir.” Tragically, due to the randomness of war, he dies before he gets the chance to be “useful.” Does that mean George isn’t a hero? No! George became a hero the moment he jumped on the boat and risked his life.
Not every soldier gets a chance to perform a courageous action in combat. In fact, many die before they ever get a chance to fight (e.g., the American soldiers who get machine-gunned at the beginning of “Saving Private Ryan”). What I love about “Dunkirk” is that it celebrates both the heroic actions of Tom Hardy’s character and the heroism of George, the heroism of simply volunteering.
Exactly! He knew it was dangerous, he was told not to go, he went anyway because he wanted to help.
First ballot, hall of fame, hero.
Milton said “They also serve who only stand and wait.” In episode 1 of BoB we see the ground crews who serviced the airplanes. They were part of the Greatest Generation as much as the members of Easy. People in the army do what they are told, they obey orders.
One of the things that makes Dunkirk, the movie and the actual event so great is that the captains of the little boats went way beyond what was asked.
Cassie, if you watch this a second time you will see all the moments where the plot lines intersect, the view from the boat as the planes fly over as well as the view from the plane. These might be separated in the film but they happen at the same time.
Wow. Well said! Thank you! 🙏🏽
@@michaelstach5744 The key to the timeline is that they all intersect at the climax of the movie. The infantryman was on the beach for a week before end. The small boat's story started the day before. The Spitfire's story started an hour before. As the movie nears the end, the more they overlap.
Insightful and illuminating comment, David. You gave me something to reflect on, tonight ... thank you!
I'm also Canadian and a few years ago I found out one of my granduncles didn't immigrate with the rest of the family to from England in 1937, instead enlisting in 1940 with the British Army. He was evacuated at Dunkirk and later joined the rest of the family in Canada in 1942, only to return to Europe as part of First Special Service Force in 1944. He was only in country a few weeks before being KIA in Anzio, Italy. People lived crazy lives back then. Seeing the movie really contextualized that experience for me as seeing it in the form of a few bullet points on a page is pretty dry.
I appreciate your uncle's service. May he rest in peace.
I'm British, my last year at school I took history we went on a field trip to the ww1 battlefields, they went every year at it was tradition to always go to the Canadian memorial at vimy ridge first because their people were so far away.
@@mikehunt8823 I remember doing this trip at school too, though mine was in year 9. Most of the kids in my year were super disrespectful and I got mocked for the rest of the trip for getting upset and for telling them to stop being arseholes.
The Spitfire flying footage is some of my favorite aviation footage ever in a major film....they did a wonderful job with it. The Spitfire is an all time beautiful aircraft
It is so good it has infinite glide properties, to this day glider designers are baffled.
Every pilot who has ever flown a Spitfire has fallen in love with it. Everyone wanted them: the Canadians, the Australians, the Americans, the Free French, the free Polish. Easily one of the best propeller driven fighters of all time.
And the Germans wished they had Spitfires.
While I agree with everything that you said and the Spitfire is my favorite WW2 aircraft as well... the ones in the movie aren't Spitfires. I saw a documentary and I think they used russian Yakolews and made them look like Spitfires.
@@stefanlaskowski6660 "never try to turn with a Spitfire "
@@felixdippel7544 Some of the footage was filmed from a Yak, but 3 genuine Spitfires were used.
My favourite scene in this entire film is when Tom Hardy's pilot character is sitting in his cockpit contemplating whether he should continue home or turn around to pursue the bomber. The way he looks ahead, then in the rear view at the bomber, then down to the people in the water before making his fateful decision to turn around and pursue is some of the best physical acting I've seen from an actor for a long time (where Hardy's eyes and mannerisms tell you what is going through his mind).
Little known fact: The little boat portrayed with the 2 boys and old man is based on Charles Lightoller's boat. He was the 2nd officer on board the Titanic, and he was one of the ones who helped at Dunkirk.
Also if you haven't catched it, if you see things repeating is because it was flimed from the perspective of 3 sides. Everything was happeing at the same time just from different perspectives
Lightoller saved 127 British servicemen on a boat which was only licensed for 21.
Great fact man, had no idea 👍
And he even shot down a German zepplin during WW1
Lightoller's son was the one of the advisers to the Titanic film that came out in 1958, "A Night To Remember".
21:50 This right here is why Mark Rylance is such an amazing actor. ONE simple look that says "Well done, son. I'm proud of you".
Hey Cassie. Remember your buddy George who hit his head. That's the same kid as in, "Chernobyl" who had to shoot the puppies. I know you loved him there and you loved his portrayal here.
He's in the current MCU movie The Eternals, he's one of the highlights of that film. A excellent actor!
whenever you see that actor you know shit is going to happen
@@matthewdunham1689 He's going to be in Dune Part 2 as well.
“They went into a war to pick up their boys” that made me shed a tear🥲
An important point to remember about this movie: There are 3 separate stories going on here, each one taking place over a different span of time. The story of the soldiers on the beach takes place over the course of 1 week. The story about the civilian boat crew takes place over the course of one day. The story of the pilot takes place over the course of 1 hour. The movie shows the moments when their timelines eventually overlap. Christopher Nolan loves playing with time!
Which is imo the weakest part of the movie.
@@CyberDustCapsuled I think it just needed to be explained/contextualized better. On my second viewing, I appreciated it a lot more, but yeah, it was confusing at times on first viewing.
@@CyberDustCapsuled I would say it’s a strong point. It shows the same event happening from different perspectives. This isn’t implemented in too many films, particularly films revolving around War, yet works really well here. It’s also something Christopher Nolan has implemented in many of his other films too, so no surprise he would crest the story this way. The way the entire film is made is to put you in the shoes of everyone your watching from the soldiers on the beach to the civilians on the boat to the pilot in the air. A big thing that’s great is the lack of character development, as in a situation like this there would be no time for normal discussions of home or anything of the sort. People just want to get home and not talk about home or what they did before the war as just when they think they can take a breath something happens and they have to either flee and run or stay and fight. We see this in all three scenarios. This is a film where the actions speak louder than words. There’s not a lot of dialogue, but what each character does tells us way more than multiple pages of dialogue for the characters to say could ever tell us.
Oh I finally understand thius numbers, thank you !
Those who couldn't comprehend this telling of the Story are mostly the one's who don't like it.
To far over their heads
The voice as Fortis leader was non other than Michael Caine himself, he also played a squadron leader in the epic WW2 movie "Battle of Britain"
Which is also worth a watch, if one wants to watch WW2 films in the time period where Britain stood alone.
Not really alone though, is it? At Dunkirk, Britain (or rather the UK) stood with the French and some Belgians; afterwards, Britain still stood with Free Poles, Czech, French and US volunteers, not to mention the vast resources of its Empire, both human and material.
Canada declared war on Germany a week after Britain did...As I believe the rest of the Commonwealth not part of Westminster Treaty did, on their own accord within days
@@corto4668 You forgot to throw in the Norwegians, Australians, New Zealands etc...😏😉
Anyway after the fall of France, Britain/UK stood more a less alone as she was the only world power left in Europe, not occupied by the Germans.
Yes she did provide a safe haven for the mixed collection of nationalities from various occupied countries, and put them to good use, so one shouldn't ignore their contribution to the commen cause.
And as we all know now, Britain would basically be the main Forward Operating Base, from which the liberation of "Western" Europe would come from.
Which I am grateful for, for else I would be talking German or Russian. 🤔
Nolan considers Caine his lucky charm ever since Caine agreed to participate in his student film.
@@camulusmagnus uhmmm... did you bother to read my follow on post, in this comment section, when someone else made a "No alone" comment 😉😏😁
My Regiment, 'The Glorious Glosters' held the line at Cassel just outside Dunkirk as the retreat progressed so that other could escape, only a handful made it home, most were killed or captured the battalion took Lest we forget that for our tomorrows they gave their todays.
When you said "i want that to be true" regarding the wave of private boats that came to evacuate the men at Dunkirk, that absolutely was true! The reason why the evacuation was a massive success rather than a complete disaster is precisely due to the actions of private boats. Winston Churchill called for all private boats to aid in the evacuation, and they responded. The reason it worked so well is because the larger Naval ships were getting shot down left and right since they were big juicy targets. No bomber wants to waste their load on tiny fishing vessells, so most of those slipped through successfully. The RAF (Royal Air Force) played a massive role as well in keeping the bombers at bay. Tom Hardy and the other pilot were representing the actions of several other pilots that day.
In fact, many of the boats you see in this film are the same boats that were at Dunkirk in 1940.
The 'little ships association'.
It's not that straightforward sadly. While loads of private boats got involved, their impact overtime was rather limited. The myth that they played a key role was born out of Britain's need for a myth that would raise the morale at home and abroad. In fact, a large portion of those private boats, while owned by civilians, where crewed by Royal Navy personnel that day. Does not change the bravery of the people involved in those operations, of course.
True, though the vast majority were rescued by RN ships as well as other larger vessels like commercial paddle steamers, though individually to the thousands of families that had loved ones brought back by the little ships they were massively important, the British would have been better off not sending them and just not taking the French. As almost all of the 110,000 French soldiers rescued returned within a month and were either captured, killed or began working for the Nazis, effectively "wasting" their spaces aboard the ships.
If it had not happened and the British expeditionary force was lost there would have been no way they could have stayed in the war and think how much harder if it could be done at all d-day would have been without the UK as a base
@@corto4668 To say their impact was limited is utter rubbish. While crewed mostly by royal navy personnel, without those shallow draft boats a vast majority of those men wouldn't have made it off the beach.
The word 'masterpiece' is thrown around a lot, but this movie is actually an absolute masterpiece. People talk about certain movies giving you anxiety, but this is another level. The fate of the world literally hung in the balance on that beach. It's such a great movie
There is a saying in Britain - 'To have the Dunkirk spirit', having the spirit of Dunkirk means, everyone pitching in to help and when it seems like all hope is lost, there is still hope, yes the boats did answer the call to come for the soldiers when Britain needed them most.
It's such a good movie. There were a few Canadians on that beach at Dunkirk and a few heroes from Canada who maned the boats that saved quite a few men.
Commander Bolton, the naval officer on the mole, was Canadian. The boat that finally evacuated him was torpedoed, and Bolton drowned within sight of the White Cliffs.
Now watch 'Darkest Hour' as a companion piece to this film.
Agreed, they work as a great pair
I was about to write the exact same thing .( spooky)
And Battle of Britain (1969) to find out what happened next.
Also Atonement
@@BubbaCoop oh yes atonement.
"Britain's Fathers taking to the sea to rescue Britain's Sons" Not my quote.
From The Last Lion, William Manchester's terrific biography of Churchill.
Manchester's quote was actually "England's fathers, sailing to rescue England's exhausted and bleeding sons". But apparently some are offended by the use of "England".
Watching your reaction to war movies is a reminder that people actually care for soldiers. I served a short 5 years with the U.S. Army before getting injured in combat. Things like this happen but we honor their legacy by not forgetting them. Life comes and goes but being a legend amongst piers is forever. Tears are not wasted, our family above appreciate. Till Valhalla
The elderly man with the boat going to dunkirk was based on the real life second office of the Titanic Commander Charles Lightoller. , DSC & Bar, RD, RNR (30 March 1874 - 8 December 1952) was a British merchant seaman and naval officer. He was the second officer on board the RMS and the most senior member of the crew to survive the disaster. As the officer in charge of loading passengers into lifeboats on the port side, Lightoller strictly enforced the women and children only protocol, not allowing any male passengers to board the lifeboats unless they were needed as auxiliary seamen. Lightoller served as a commanding officer in the Royal Navy during World War I and was twice decorated for gallantry. During World War II, in retirement, he provided and sailed as a volunteer on one of the "little ships" that played a part in the Dunkirk evacuation.
Nice cameo, he deserves it
Fek, for a guy that did such dangerous things he still lived a pretty long life dying at 78 and 2/3 years old.
That's some S grade luck happening right there.
@@theawesomeman9821 Not a cameo.
The character is based on a real man that died in 1952.
A cameo is when an actor or other individual shows up in the film but remains unnamed in the credits.
Like the real life Goose (naval consultant for the film) seen meeting Charlie at the bar in Top Gun.
Or Edward Norton who played the key but uncredited role of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (aka the leper king) in Kingdom of Heaven.
@@mnomadvfx cameos aren’t always unnamed. They can be given credit but may only be on screen for a few minutes.
When you said ‘I want that to be true’ - it absolutely was true. They knew they couldn’t get big ships to the beach to pick up the soldiers, so just ordinary everyday people who happened to be sailers on small boats like that risked their own lives to sail into the war to rescue as many men as they could, and it’s almost certain the actions of these brave people kept Britain in the war, and stopped a total German victory in Western Europe
I highly recommend "DOWNFALL" from 2004!
Second that. Downfall was great.
Yes, absolutely. I saw the movie with my dad when it came out 2004 in Germany. Never saw him so speechless after.
"Sophie Scholl - The Final Days" from 2005 would also be a good choice for Cassie, I think.
It's a brilliant film.
So critics complained that it humanized Hitler, but I think that misses the whole point. It's too easy to think of Hitler as some nearly supernatural evil, when in fact he was a human being like everyone else. Humans are capable of great evil. They don't need to be elevated to some superhuman status.
With subtitles. No dub. You'd lose so much from a dubbed version. The actor who portrays Hitler did an incredible job.
I really liked your reaction to this movie, i am a veteran and a history buff so when you talked about what you take away from war movies it made me tear up. When you kept telling pilots to eject i hurt for your worry for them, and because i know that back then they didn't have ejection seats they had to climb out onto the wing and fall away. The little boats and there owners and crews sailed as close to the beach as they could, there are pictures of soldiers standing in water to their necks waiting to be picked up. Over 300,000 British french and Belgian soldiers were rescued. There is a movie from the 60's or early 70's you should watch called the battle of Britain.
You should follow this up with "Battle of Britain" from 1969. There you will see the reason why the RAF was conserving their strength during Dunkirk.
I love this movie, I saw it at least 3 times in the theatre. I kept going back for the sound design more thna anything. The bullet fire and the drone of the Stukas was just piercing. The real event of Dunkirk is actually a really fascinating event too, and the one thing I'll criticise this film for is that it really doesn't capture what 400,000 men on a beach looks like.
interesting note. Althoguh everyone knows it's the German's they're facing, the film only ever refers to them as 'the enemy' and you don't see their faces.
the plane scenes in this movie are some of the most beautiful sequences ever put to screen.
678 small boats , sailed by civilians went across the english channel and helped rescue 338, 000 troops . 🇬🇧
Great choice for Remembrance Day. My uncle, Fabian Generoux, was with Canadian Armoured forces in the Mediterranean Theatre during WW2. He was wounded in the foot by a sniper, then after treatment he re-joined his unit in Italy. He was riding in a half-track when it was attacked by a German tank. The half-track exploded and my uncle was badly injured... he ended up with a fractured skull, a shattered right elbow, and lost a leg above the knee. On the hospital ship, while being evacuated, it was sunk by a submarine and an escort destroyer found him still on his cot bobbing up-and-down in the sea. I believe he may have been the only soldier attacked by a sniper, a tank, and a submarine who survived. He was an executive with the War Amps charity group. He died an old man of natural causes, in Canada, after having lived a full and happy life.
thanks for sharing this story about your uncle.
Awesome story of your uncle's bravery and service. I'm sure you must feel great pride in sharing it!
Your uncle didn't just have a lucky horseshoe - he had the whole bloody horse!
I would highly recommend you watch “Darkest Hour” with Gary Oldman concurrently with this.
The RAF knew that Germany was planning on invading England, and the first step was air supremacy. The RAF didn't send many planes to Dunkirk because they needed them to defend England when the invasion started. The RAF had 650 aircraft versus the Luftwaffe's 1500.
And the Luftwaffe never recovered after the thrashing they got during the Battle of Britain
The RAF didn't send more fighters to France in order to preserve their resources for the expected onslought. They did send fighters to cover the Dunkirk operation but thwy weren't seen over the beaches because they were intercepting inland.
@@bigglesace1626 This, you interset them forward of the front lines not over them.
That's just German fighters. They had around 900 bombers as well.
The RAF absolutely were in France as part of the Expeditionary Force, but not over the beaches, they were further inland, intercepting as much as they could. Very few sorties were flown from the UK, to preserve the Aircraft for the anticipated defence of the UK, another factor (as shown in the film) being the limited fuel state once over France. As the noose grew tighter the planes in France were launched and the ground crew evacuated in lorries, mostly heading West. There was a lot of bitterness from the troops on the beaches over the lack of visibility of the RAF, but they were there, doing what they could away from the beaches.
Cassie you should watch the 1969 movie "The Battle of Britain".
The events are a follow up to this.
For a movie made in the 1960's it still stands up very well with today's movies.
When this movie came out, I saw it three times in one weekend. 1. Friday at a midnight screening on IMAX 2. Saturday afternoon in 35mm at an art house theater and 3. regular theater on Sunday with my parents.
Spitfires George... greatest plane ever built
I’d like to suggest again the movie Glory. It’s about the first black regiment that fought for the Union.
Denzel Washington, Morgan Freemen and Mathew Broderick star…( Washington won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role.)
The first 1 of 2 black regiments. The 55th Massachusetts was a colored regiment raised at the same time.
Powerful film and extremely well made, written and acted!
Hell of a good movie
@@dirus3142 *54th
“They went into a war to pick up their boys” aw Cassie, excuse me while I have a quiet little cry 😭
The Evacuation at Dunkirk was simultaneously an unmitigated disaster and one of our greatest triumphs of the War.
The fact that so many soldiers were rescued is nothing short of miraculous.
The French rear guard action to keep the beach from being overwhelmed does not get the respect from enough people here in the states.
@@GodEmperorOfShorts Or the RN battle, they lost many ships and soles, but mainly smaller ones, not big recognisable ones.
GodEmperorOfShorts
Over forty thousand British troops were left in France to defend the beacheswith the french, over 338,000 troops were rescued, 150,000 were from different countries, with 120,000 of these being French.
The Home scene really got me when I saw it in Theaters. It still gets me but the first time was rough. 🥺 Christopher Nolan did a wonderful job on this movie.
If you want to see a more "lighthearted" WW2 movie, I suggest Kelly's Heroes. It has an all time cast of characters too.
A War Comedy if you will
Probably a bit of a “boy movie” for Cassie’s tastes, but would be interesting to see her reaction.
Or "The Great Escape"
War film, but not so heavy? Try: Stalin 13, South Pacific, Francis the Talking Mule, Mr. Roberts, Operation Petticoat; or the TV comedy shows: Hogan’s Heroes, McHale’s Navy.
Stalag 17 is a great one! Mostly implied violence but it rivals Shawshank and 12 Angry Men for the dichotomy of the human condition!
A recent movie with "Tom Hanks" is "Greyhound" convoy duty in the North Atlantic to supply England also Russia. Also an OLD movie is " Action in the North Atlantic" with Humphrey Bogart
Another oldie but Goldie is Cruel Sea and the Dambusters
Greyhound, which features a Canadian ship in one part!
my grandfather was at dunkirk, and above my fireplace in a frame is the bullet the medics pulled out of his lung, he kept it because the nurse that pulled it out he later married, and as a kid he would say to me "i wish i could thank the german who shot me in the chest, because of him i met my lovely wife"
The thing I love about this film is it didn't try to remake Saving Private Ryan like so many other films. There are heroes that come in all shapes and sizes, there is tragedy for those who's lives get cut short who don't get a chance to be a hero and there are cowards as well, probably an accurate depiction of war. There is no time to reminisce and talk about home to develop characters for the viewers, it's about surviving and the characters are defined by their actions. The last shot when he looks up after reading Churchill's speech, I always found quite poignant. As rousing and powerful as the speech was, the soldier just lived it and the romanticism is lost on him, it's war and it was a horrible experience.
@@robinhooduk8255 20 minutes not 10 and saving private Ryan is anything but bland and overrated
I liked Dunkirk for all the reasons you said. But I never understood why he went with the stripped back production design. I understand it's Nolan's visual style but you don't make a factual movie where you put your style of film making over facts. There weren't nearly enough men on the beach, shooting in a completely rebuilt Dunkirk.And his refusal to use any CG to augment his scenes is just stupid arrogance, seeing as digital mattes never look bad. Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers looked far more authentic.
@@robinhooduk8255 I think most people would agree that Band of Brothers and the Pacific are the ones to watch over SPR. But Dunkirk isn't without it's problems.
Cassie... I stumbled upon your channel several months ago, and have now seen every one of your reactions. Just wanted to express how very much I've enjoyed your authenticity as well as your kind spirit. (By the way, I think my favorite was the reaction you and your sister had to Jaws...probably because I actually saw that movie for the first time on its opening night. Can't even begin to describe the horror of THAT experience...lol.) Anyway, thank you for what you're doing, and who you are. Stay real. You're a refreshing breath of honesty in an otherwise crazy world.
Jaws was and always will be a powerful film. Pretty jealous I wasn’t around at the time of theatrical release 😑
This is one of the best movies I've ever watched on the big screen. It was shot so well and has some of the best sound you'll ever hear in a movie. When the pilots were flying it felt like you were in the cockpit too. It was amazing. But damn this is one emotional movie. Even though there's no blood or gore I was on the edge of my seat because it made me so anxious. I love how little dialogue there was in this because what is there to really say? The soldiers on the beaches were desperate and getting picked off. They had nowhere to go and many were just waiting until they would die. I can't even begin to imagine being in a scenario where all hope is lost and I was just waiting until that moment came. Talk about heartbreaking. And George. I loved George! He wasn't hoping to be some war hero who shot down 10 planes or anything like that. All he did was want to help out in some way. That is what made him a hero. He went into danger simply to help (or help those he was with so they could help). He didn't have any grand dreams except being in the LOCAL paper. That's it. The local paper. That part where his story runs in the paper always gets me. This movie hits some harder than others. I'm American, but absolutely love the history of this, the soldiers who managed to survive, and the civilians who risked their safety to bring their heroes home.
A good choice for this time of year; thank you.
Some figures, for those who are interested in such things:
BEF personnel in France: 420k (including 25k brought in after the invasion began on 10 May)
BEF personnel evacuated through Dunkirk: 218k (plus 120k French troops, most of whom returned to France & were captured later)
Total BEF casualties in France: 68k (a majority of these were prisoners, including nearly the entire 51st Highland Division, captured in NE France)
There was one Victoria Cross awarded for actions at the Dunkirk beaches: Capt Marcus Ervine-Andrews of the 1st East Lancs (who fortunately survived); six others were awarded for earlier in the French campaign, four of them posthumously (F/O Garland, Sgt Gray, 2/Lt Annand, L/Cpl Nicholls, CSM Gristock & Lt Furness)
RAF losses (10 May-24 Jun): 934 aircraft, 1004 men
RAF losses (10 May-24 Jun) (fighters only): 155 men
I saw this in the theater and it was such a thrilling experience. Just 100 minutes of pure, relentless tension and suspense. I don't always need character arcs, I don't always need complex stories. Sometimes I just want to watch fine craftsmanship unfold before my eyes. This movie was it.
"This is horrifying" I'm sorry sweet lady - that is what war IS.
There is NO good thing in war. Win or lose - - - everybody, but everybody! loses.
And it seems to be the thing humans are good at doing over and over and over again. We are a savage animal. Love scenes in movie are looked down on more than violence.
History Buffs YT channel did a good episode on this movie. They do a good job at letting you know what’s fact and what’s fiction.
Hey, a fellow History Buffs fan, awesome.
@@gregorybertrand645 Hell yeah. I just watched their latest episode on "Last of the Mohicans"
Many of the civilian boats that arrived are actual boats who went to dunkirk in WWII who were well taken care of by their owners, about 88 are still around including the Sundowner that the films boat is based of. I read about every year the owners get together and perform a parade taking the same route the little ships took.
The thing that got me the most in this film was the musical score. Through the score Hans Zimmer nailed the intensity of what it must have felt like waiting on those beaches.
"It sounds like that plane is falling apart....."
That's just good ol' fashioned British fighter plane engineering before they could isolate the engine vibrations from the cockpit.
Contrary to how it looks and sounds that plane probably is harder wearing than most modern planes which rely on a lot of computers and sensors to work properly.
People that wanted an action movie I am sure were sorely disappointed, but how well they told this story of very little time passing and how things went was so masterful that those looking for a drama/historical recount of it were left speechless with how good it was done.
My Great Uncle, who passed two years ago, was on two ships that were sunk on the same day...
You have to watch "Darkest hour" next!!! It fits right into this film. A MUST, MUST, MUST!!! Gary Oldman won an Academy Award for his lead role in this film.
Watch it now before you forget a lot of this movie you just watched. You will see how the decision to use civilian boats was made. And you will see the very speech Cillian Murphy was reading in the newspaper when they got back to England. It is so flippin' powerful!!!
If you ever listen to anything I say listen to this one suggestion please 🙏. 🙂
absolutely !! a great movie please watch it
Churchill's final speech in that film brought both me and my girlfriend to tears. It still does whenever I watch it again. 😢
Churchill in the Tube asking the commoners how to conduct his foreign policy was pretty funny.
One of the greatest war films ever made. Nolan has you gripped from the first to the last and everything in between. Beautifully shot and with an incredible score and sound design.
The thing about the points of view in this Dunkirk film is that it's based on real stories of people really involved, each of whom had very different perspectives on what happened.
The soldier who escaped two sunken ships is real, the officer of the Rifle Brigade rescued from the sunken ship was real, he was defending the port of Calais and was overrun, helped rescue people from a sunken ship, then was sunk himself and survived up on the stern of the sunken ship, then was taken back to the beach and later made it home.
The boy who died in a accident aboard one of the 'little ships' is real, the incident of his death being reported in the paper can be checked as it's in the paper's archives.
The soldiers who got aboard a ship that floated off at high tide are real, as is the business with the Germans taking target practise at the ship, and them capturing a civilian and how some of them died almost as they were rescued.
The quick incident of the soldier shooting up at the bombers, then being killed by a bomb is real; he was photographed by one of the few reporters with the British Army who made it back to Britain.
When he managed to get the wheels down I teared up, but then when he got captured 😭😭😭 And the boy in the paper with the speech 😭😭😭 A very slow-burn of a movie to start with, but man what an incredible second half.
A request to do “The Imitation Game” as well.
YES!!!!
Oh fuck. Great suggestion
i never cry at movies like I cry watching this one, I’ve seen it so many times
Popcorn in Bed is without doubt one of the more wholesome reaction channels out there. Her reactions are so genuine and wholesome it hurts my heart. I do not want her to become as jaded and calloused as me, I wish a better destiny for her.
My Irish Grandaunt was married to a Dunkirk veteran, used to visit us in Tipperary Ireland when on holidays. I remember him well, a very polite English gentleman. My grandfather was her brother and was a member of the British Homeguard in London during the blitz, their other brother was in the RAF. All came from Tipperary Ireland. About 50,000 Irish men fought for Britain during WW2.
The civilian boats that took part in this evacuation (around 850 of them) were honoured with their own flag dubbed the 'Dunkirk Jack'. To this day only those boats that are still around can display this flag.
One of my cousins did some digging on our great grandparents and found a news clipping for one of my Great Grandads, Private Henry Rathmill. He enlisted at 36 years old in 1915 WW1 and died on the frontlines 6 months later at 37. I remember him every year on Remembrance Day. He was a brush maker who became a bomb thrower. Something about the news clipping put a poem verse in my head which i will never forget:
From brushes to bombs,
And bombs to dust,
Sweep sweep away,
The toil and rust.
I have much respect for him and all who served.
I hate shifting timelines, I hate when I don't have central characters to emotionally care about. But this film is so good that it doesn't matter. Actually the central characters were the whole British Army and the citizens who came in to save them. The fact that Nolan did this without relying on CGI is amazing.
I admire Nolan's use of practical effects, but he could have used a bit of CGI, because Dunkirk totally failed to capture the scale of the battle and the rescue effort.
I agree with J LAL. While I commend Nolan for what he accomplished, and I really do like this movie, there were like 400,000 soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk in real life. That opening shot when you first see the beach, and it's like empty... maybe 1,000 extras spread out across a few hundred yards on this massive beach... it really ruins the authenticity, strangely enough. People think that CGI will ruin authenticity, but limited use of it would have done wonders for this movie, and would have taken it from very good to great IMO.
@@jonttul yeah, the dogfights in this movie while 100% practical, somehow really didn’t excite me because I know how much Nolan failed to capture the scale of just how much air combat went on that day. Even with the limited amount of planes the RAF sent to France.
My mother's uncle died at Dunkirk. Which I actually only found out about a couple of weeks ago (I'm surprised she never mentioned it. It happened long before she was born, so she never met him). One thing the movie doesn't mention (and the English sure as heck don't talk about it) is the Royal Scots Brigade was left behind to cover the evacuation. 400 Scottish soldiers who were commanded to "Stand your ground until the last man" so that the evacuation would be successful. They fought for three days before ultimately being overwhelmed.
They bought precious time for the evacuation to be carried out. But of course, nobody talks about them. Because, after all, they're "only Jocks".
The film itself is generally accurate in terms of how it portrays the evacuation; although it omits some of the efforts of French, Indian and African soldiers in helping the evacuation. The dog fighting is also portrayed at much lower altitude. The characters themselves also fictional, but not unrealistic (borrowing some inspiration from real people).
There's a reason if you look at WW2 torpedoed boats losing almost all their crew and only having a few surviving. If you are 3 or 4 decks under the ship you aren't going to be able to fight against the water pouring in and make it out. Also when the torpedo hits the explosion sends a shockwave through the floor and hull and breaks ankles and legs, so with several swimming pools of water rushing in a second and with broken limbs you don't make it out. The HMS hood was Britain's flagship of a battle cruiser. When she engaged the German battleship Bismarck, Bismarck hit her and she sank very quickly. Only 3 sailors made it out of a crew of 1,000 or so.
The main reason that so many were saved was because of the small boats. The operation was named Dynamo and controlled from over. Another reason that so many were saved is Hitler. He hoped for a negotiated peace still with Britain so halted his panzers armies and ordered Goering to have his planes bomb the beaches. The only problem with this is that the beach is sand and the planes flying low some just buried themselves without detonating. One more reason which is not highlighted is the rearguard action of the french troop who delayed the German ground forces. When you ask where were the planes the battles were fought inland mostly so the soldiers on the beach never saw them. Also, the British military recognised France was going to be lost and had to hold back a lot of planes for the defence of Britain. Churchill had to reluctantly agree with his military leaders as he had promised the French the squadrons. Great reaction and sorry it caused you distress but its what makes your reactions genuine and sincere thank for viewing this film and sharing.
The RAF was pretty dominate iirc as well during Dunkirk.
Dunkirk is a major point in British military history, so much so we're taught it in school in both a way of "this is how grim and horrible the war was" but also in a "this shows the classic British spirit of turning a huge negative into a positive and the power of community and love of country and kinship when we all pull together"
The story of the Moonstone boat is based upon that of Sundowner, captained and owned by Charles Lightoller. Both were accompanied by their son and one other young man, both men had lost another son earlier in the war, and both evaded fire from a German aircraft using a technique taught to them by their deceased son. Charles Lightoller was the most senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic; in the 1997 film, he was portrayed by Jonathan Phillips.
Nolan And Hans Zimmer are an incredible duo... Such an unsettling soundtrack
Awesome 80's style shirt during the advertisement in the beginning. We all need to collectively bring this back.
And if you want to know what happened next, watch the film "Battle of Britain" (1969) - tells the story very well with spectacular flying scenes and an awesome cast.
Big time.
Spot on there mate, watch the battle of Britain to see what happened next.
Fishing boats, pleasure craft, whatever could float, and carry people, was put into the Channel (that lifesaving aquatic barrier which no enemy has successfully breached since A.D. 1066).
I studied military history. It's really hard to overstate how important this was to the survival of the allied forces in WWII. It was a retreat, not necessarily a victory. However, if not for this heroism, we'd all be speaking German.
no we wouldn't. I mean on multiple levels that is just wrong. first the idea that Germany could not only successfully launch a cross channel invasion but continue to supply the army in England long enough to win the war is almost laughable. The British navy would all have pulled back to protect the homeland if an invasion was launched and they RAF was always strong enough to at least compete with the Lufwaffe. After D day the allied forces struggled to establish supply lines across the channels and they had absolute control of the sea and of the air. Germany would have had neither.
Lets say they either force a surrender or successfully invade though, even then soon hitler would attack Russia and while the war might take longer eventually Russia would beat Germany. If England is out and the US never enters this would probably mean all of Europe would speak Russian not German. Though I doubt the US or England would allow the USSR to have control of all of Russia and Europe so they might end up rejoining the war on the German side once it because clear Germany is losing.
Either way the idea that Germany could ever held on to all of Europe and England is almost laughable.
Unless of course the national socialist party would've won the election in USA, than the war would've been very different.
And besides, what's the point of invading England? It's just a waist of time.
Than again, what was the point of heading into stalingrad...
@@lalangner2253 well I think the idea with Stalingrad was cutting off the river crossing so that the USSR couldn't reinforce the south allowing Germany to access the oil fields and solve their oil shortage issues plus stopping tank production in the city. Still the generals and hitler definitely underestimated how hard that would be. Either way they were already running on fumes. If they weren't turned back in Stalingrad they would have been in the caucuses or around Moscow or somewhere. Russia is just way to big for a country with limit oil supplies and not fully motorized to ever conquer.
Really they should have negotiated a way for Japan to invade the east of Russia. If Russia had to fight in the east too they might have had a chance and America might have not entered the war for another year or so. Too bad for them they were too racist to work closely with Japan.
@@lalangner2253 actually its conceivable if they focus more on North Africa and on close ties to Japan that turkey and Japan both join attack Russia too Japan from east turkey from south and Germany from west. Solves the oil problem for both Japan and Germany and probably wins them the war. Just needed to conquer Egypt.
@@mike-mz6yz It's the UK or Britain, not just England. And you have to remember that on that beach was practically the whole British army. If we had lost them it would have taken years to replace them. You could raise the men easily enough, but who is going to train them? You're probably right the Germans still couldn't invade, but losing the army would have have strengthened those like Halifax who wanted peace, and weakened or even removed Churchill.
Hitler offered the British generous terms, they could keep their empire as long as Germany had a free hand in Europe. The Germans would have still attacked the Soviet Union, but strengthened by the 2600 aircraft and crews they now didn't lose in the Battle of Britain, added to the fact that they would not have to keep half a million men to protect Europe from the British of dedicate increasing resources to fend of British air raids. Even without these advantages the Germans got within five miles of Moscow, with them Stalin was a dead man.
The timeline thing was very interesting. Brilliantly done. This was the end of May 1940 through the start of June. We would not be in the war for nearly another year and a half. Despite the huge numbers of troops evacuated, the British lost all the heavy equipment of the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force), 240 vessels of all types, 6 of their destroyers along with three French, and 26 others damaged. Both sides lost significant numbers of aircraft.
You should watch The World At War, it’s a 26 part documentary made in the 1970s and narrated by Lawrence Olivier. It is regarded as the best documentary of the Second World War ever made. If you’re interested in learning what really happened from beginning to end it’s a must see.it shows all actual footage and has veterans from all sides talking about the war. It is a masterpiece.
Superb documentary. We were lucky in Britain to see in a few short years three of the greatest, most epic docs ever made - WaW, Civilisation and The Ascent of Man.
I bought the Blu-ray. A bit frustrating how zoomed and cropped it is to get it in a widescreen format.
Cassieeeeeeee.... 1 episode a week for 6 months 🙏🤞🤭
@@whisperproof7332 omg yes, it could even be called World At War Wednesday.
Pretty please Mrs Pops
What really lets this film down is the final scene on the train. They used 1970s train carriages, which really kills the vibe. But now you need to watch the same event as portrayed in the movie, Atonement.
18:35 "Okay, we're Lord of the Fly-ing on eachother" is now my new favorite line.
British realism… no ridiculous unnecessary love story
It evokes such stoicism and emotion of pride to be British, against unenviable odds we stood tall!
Great war movies you should see "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now" from the Vietnam war. And "Black Book" (2006), a very underrated WW2 spy thriller, with a love story, and tons of plot twists. By same director as Robocop (Paul Verhoeven), a true masterpiece really. It's less known because he didn't make it in Hollywood, but his home country Netherlands.
You really do need to watch Platoon. It so awful, yet so well done and so good.
Don't forget David Lean films like Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. The Longest Day, The Pianist, Judgement at Nuremberg, Das Boot.
Apocalypse Now is the worst pile of dog feces to ever try to be called a "war movie"...and a complete affront to everyone who has ever served. Bullshit liberal revisionism at its worst.
@@mikeb4595 Won 2 Oscars and 20+ other awards, IMDb score 8.4 ranking it #53 top rated movie of all time. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's "liberal revisionism". It's not as realistic as Platoon, doesn't try to be, it's more of a symbolic, philosophical and artistic movie. But where the hell you get this "liberal revisionism" nonsense I have no idea. Platoon doesn't paint a pretty picture about "everyone who has ever served" either (the village massacre is inspired by My Lai, and the IRL person Sgt. Elias is based on, a real person, was killed in a friendly fire incident IRL), I guess you call it liberal revisionism too? Vietnam war was a nasty, chaotic and futile war, that US should have never interfered with. Both movies show it as that, just in different styles
Can't forget We Were Soldiers.
The Battle of Britain was probably one of the most iconic battles in British history- even though it was all air, and we still came out on top!
Interesting bit of trivia: the screaming sound the German dive bombers (the Stukas) made was the inspiration for the sound the TIE Fighters make in Star Wars.
Great movie telling a meaningful story and great reaction as always!
The "Jericho Trumpets" implemented solely for the purpose of terrifying people on the ground.
I rather like that this film is more about what you see and hear over the dialogue between the characters; this was a film about the Dunkirk and the events that happened there, not about one particular or group of soldiers. I'm also a WWII aviation enthusiast and on seeing the JU-87 'Stuka' show up I had a bit of a smile; it vanished as soon as that siren started sounding; Nolan did a magnificent job making a viewer feel as if they were a boot on the ground, a sailor on one of the small boats, and a pilot in a Spitfire.
My grandfather was flying British RAF Bristol Blenheim Light Bomber over Dunkirk to provide Aerial cover for Evacuation at Dunkirk as sean at 06:48.
I remember watching this in theaters and it was enormously difficult to watch. The tone is cold and brutal, and you feel unsafe in every way. It makes you appreciate that if you feel that way during a few hours watching a movie how it must have felt experiencing that feeling over the course of months and years.
Also the old man in the boat is based on Charles Lightoller...he was the Second Officer on the RMS Titanic, senior surviving officer, the only reason he survived was because he was sent out to direct the lifeboats early on. He was pretty old and retired...but he wasn't going to let a crew of Royal Navy (reservists and draftees mostly) take his boat over, so he did it himself. In a boat licensed to carry 21 he brought back 127 servicemen, his son having the men lay down below decks to help with stability. One description was that they were stacked 'like cordwood.' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lightoller
One of the interesting things about this film is that you don't actually see any German soldiers until the very end. And not very well then as they capture the pilot (Tom Hardy). I think this "unseen enemy" on the ground, in planes and submarines, added an additional level of stress. This rescue from Dunkirk saved Britain from being knocked out of the war very early on, in 1940, which would likely have had the outcome of Germany winning it. Hitler overruled his generals who wanted to take the town and beach with tanks standing by. He did it to show them who was in charge and this single act of hubris cost him the war.
It will be interesting to see how Cassie does with the sometimes confusing time structure of this movie. Even though the scenes are interspersed, the parts with the soldiers depicts 1 week, the parts with the Mr. Dawson and his son on their boat depicts 1 day, and the parts with the Spitfire fighter plane depicts about 1 hour.
'When they ask you, go back and tell them, for your tomorrow we gave our today."
John Maxwell Edmonds, 1916.
Lest we forget that for all our tomorrows they all gave their todays 🌷
A good follow up to this would be “Darkest Hour” starring Gary Oldman. It covers this same event during the same time only from the historical perspective of England’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. It truly was Britain’s “finest hour”. Cheers!
The fighter pilot on the beach that was captured was actually Canadian and for his action at Dunkirk he was awarded the Victoria Cross the highest medal Canada has.
Such a great rescue story, I was shocked to hear of the similar one during 9/11, in the midst of such evil, there are just so many good people
It's a shame you didn't get to experience this in IMAX - still an amazing movie on the small screen but Christopher Nolan filmed and directed sound mixing specifically for it to be shown in the 70mm IMAX format. Remembering back when I saw it you really did feel like you were in the war side by side with the soldiers - it was an experience more akin to a theme park ride than I think I've ever experienced watching a movie...
Two of my uncles were at Dunkirk. Both survived the war and died peacefully in their 80's.
This was a fantastic experience in an IMAX theater. The music/sound design alone made it worth the extra price.
Agree, I think this film had some of the most amazing use of music I've ever heard. The music in this film is like another character.
this movie in the theater was such an incredible experience. the background noise the entire movie just made it so tense!
I'm looking forward to it, i haven't seen it myself. Cassies reactions are the best! 👍
When the pilot in the sinking plane is trying to break the canopy glass to escape, you ask if there isn't some tool there for the job. Well, I don't know about WW2 English warplanes, but at least by Vietnam, our pilots had a specially-designed tool, looking like a cross between a hammer and a hatchet, which was kept inside planes for breaking glass and chopping through sheet-metal fuselages to escape. They weren't sharp, just sturdy. They're available for sale to collectors on some military surplus websites.
up until a few years ago, one of these little ships would give tours around Portsmouth Harbour, on the south coast of England, i did one of these tours, the boat had just started the tour when i found out that this was one of the little ships, from seeing a plaque next to the cabin door, i cried.
My father was at Dunkirk. Everyone involved in the rescue mission were all heroes
I took my mother to see this film - she's 91 not out as I type this. She was 9yo at the time this happened and living in northern Scotland. Her town was bombed 24 times by the Luftwaffe and she still remembers the 'crump' of bombs falling whilst they hid in shelters. She sat watching the film in absolute silence and commented afterwards that she remembers every moment of the evacuation of Dunkirk. The moment of the film that affected me emotionally was when one of the lads on the train read out loud Churchill's speech to the House of Commons. They thought they had failed but were greeted by people on the rail line handing them jam tins of tea and sandwiches in thanks. I'm crying as I type this.