The Somme

Hounslow
1927
Silent
90m

Dramatic reconstruction of the Somme

This sophisticated retelling of the Battle of the Somme includes an outstanding montage 'over the top' sequence

This film about the events of the Somme, produced by New Era, continued in style of British Instructional's series of battle reconstruction films. It was principally the brainchild of Geoffrey Barkas and writer Boyd Cable (Ernest Ewart), both of whom were at the Somme. When Barkas fell ill, MA Wetherall took over the direction. The film follows the model of other battle films, incorporating some original footage and reconstructing episodes featuring heroic actions by Victoria Cross recipients.

Forgotten Features

A hand-picked assortment of hard-to-see British feature films, featuring mischievous mermaids, murderous minors and military mayhem.

Thanks to decades of DVD and online publishing, not to mention archive revivals and restorations, more of Britain’s screen heritage is available today than ever before. You might even be forgiven for imagining that the whole of British cinema is now just a click away.

But much of that history - from the silent era to the relatively recent past - remains out of reach. This selection from the vaults, hand-picked by the BFI's curators, goes some way to remedying that. These fresh rediscoveries offer something for all tastes: whether futuristic fantasy, battle-of-the-sexes comedy, subversive provocation or an Indian-British rarity.