This week made me realise how little films about or set during World War I. I had to scrape together the films I have seen and they are all quite recent ones. I'm not a big watcher of war films in general and I never linger long at the War Film shelves in shops. There are a few films that might have to go on my Blind Spot list for next year maybe...
Don't forget to check out what Wandering Through the Shelves picked, the blog that started Thursday Movie Picks.
War Horse
I think everyone has seen this film or seen the famous stage show. I wasn't lucky enought to witness the brilliant puppetry in the West End and instead opted for the cinema where I could sit in the dark and hold back the emotions watching a tale of one horse and his strong bond with his first owner. The stories are beautifully told in each segment as the horse is birn on a farm in England, taken by the army, then sent into a death charge. From there he is taken to France then is worked hard in the German army and is finally returned to British where he is eventually reunited with his original owner. Not only does this film illustrate how terrible the war was but it shows different characters and ways of life.
Testament of Youth
This was a film I could never see again, mostly because it was just so sad. Based the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain who lost her brother, her fiancé and close friends all to the war. She volunteered as a nurse, tending to British and German soliders and later contiuned to campaign against war. It's beautifully shot but its too much for me.
Deathwatch
This was me, clutching at straws. First World War horror film about a squad of British soliders who find a German trench which seems to be takne by some demonic presence. Lots of Brits in this, names at the time were not well known, now, they are everywhere. It's horrible and I don't like it, I think I sat looking elsewhere during this film. I really can't take horror.
