Dunkirk

(Leslie Norman/1958/UK) 

Recounting both a British army units retreat through German occupied France towards Dunkirk for evacuation and a civilian war effort in Britain which sees commercial ships take part in the evacuation operation, Dunkirk very effectively represents the dread and chaos of World War II’s Operation Dynamo. The early parts of the film build the characters and the sense of camaraderie to the extent that their experience of the evacuation becomes visceral. It’s a very good portrayal of a singular event in the war. A couple of interesting facts around the film for music fans are the cover of The Smiths single How Soon Is Now? is a still of Sean Barrett as the character Frankie and also the beach scenes were shot at Camber Sands not far from the All Tomorrow’s Parties site.

(2.5/5)