Eugene
May 4, 20202 min
60 people came to view this film through a path strewn with 'you are surrounded' leafelts dropped by the set dressers' aircraft earlier in the afternoon. Priase is due to the half dozen prople who duilligently picked up what they thought was merely litter, only to be asked to relay it !
Some were kind enought to say they enjoyed the shorts more than the feature film. After the usual trailer for the next will we saw
A Message For All Of Humanity - Charlie Chaplin
V-Day - Col Tim Collins' inspirational speech - Kenneth Branagh
'In Flanders Fields' Poetry in British Sign Language
Churchill's antidote to war
Eugene.
This is not a documentary film but a fictional story set in the framework of that one week in 1940 we know and remember as the Miracle of Dunkirk. The film principally follows three men and their involvement in the evacuation of Allied troops; a Spitfire pilot, a civilian skipper of one of the little ships, and a soldier. Although the stories are interwoven as if taking place simultaneously, different time scales are employed; an hour in the air, two days in the little boat and a week on the beaches, which is perhaps too ambitious and studied. The film is compelling with an exceptionally stunning soundtrack.
The evening began with four thought provoking short films. Charlie Chaplin extolled us to stop warring and promoted people power. In similar vein Churchill put forward the idea of a union with all the European countries so that war between us would never happen again. Colonel Tim Collins, played by Kenneth Branagh, lectured his troups on arrival in Iraq on how to behave in that country and to always remember to treat the people, alive or dead, with respect. Finally a very moving poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, written in 1915 entitled "In Flanders Field" was delivered in sign language by a little girl.
Disappointingly the discussion group this time was particularly poorly attended so I resorted to telephoning friends who were present on Saturday, asking for their opinions on the film. Their replies varied so widely and covered the whole range from dislike to delight.
Sonia