Remembrance

(Colin Gregg/1982/UK)

Notable for early appearances of John Altman, Timothy Spall and the film debut of Gary Oldman Remembrance follows a group of naval cadets impacted by a tragic event before they ship out for a six month NATO training exercise. Based in Plymouth and opening with some seriously dodgy drunken acting the story evolves at a measured pace, layering the narrative of each cadet over the other and building to a quite impressive emotional resonance in the closing scenes. It fits snugly into a lineage of British working class drama, looking into a singular facet of the population and bringing us closer through universal concerns and situations. Each story finds a cadet striving for identity, running from the past or struggling with their present situation and whilst there is no direct reference to it the shadow of the Falklands War hangs over things. The search for the identity of Oldman’s character and its link to Remembrance Day ceremonies honouring the dead of past wars is the overriding context. The Navy itself is presented as a mirror of the class based society in Britain with upper class naval officers being interviewed on the TV as the working class cadets watch in their quarters.

Gregg would go on to make the even more affecting Lamb but you can see him already wielding his craft with confidence here. There is an exquisite cut away of the Luis Brunel Royal Albert railway bridge which then pans to the modern day Tamar Bridge filled with traffic which for me encapsulates the move from public to private and an increasingly market driven society. It is the subtlest of hints at Thatcher’s Britain which is reflected again in the party scene where a teacher reveals her bias towards one of the young sailors, Steve, who responds in angry pride, evoking the image of the navy defending the nation whilst its people go about their lives. Another shot of Vincent strolling down a laneway looking at the dawn over Plymouth port with the sun glinting off the docked warships implies the adventure of the upcoming exercise and the opportunity the Navy presents to these young men who might otherwise be overwhelmed or alienated by their various situations.

In some ways the film is an attempt at explaining why young men sign up for a military life at sea given the disaster of the Falklands War the year before. But it is a barbed comment on conflicts driven by those with power and fuelled by young and sometimes idealistic men with little or no opportunity otherwise. Remembrance has been underappreciated since its original release but a reappraisal seems to have occurred with Film 4 screenings in lieu of Oldman’s Oscar win for Darkest Hour and rumours of a digital reprint.

(3/5)