How Reliable is the 1916 film of The Battle of the Somme?
Geoffrey Malins (1886-1940) was one of two official British photographers assigned to the Western Front during the First World War. He is chiefly remembered today for the film The Battle of the Somme shown to huge success in British cinemas in the late summer of 1916.Considered risky at the time, the decision to allow Geoffrey Malins to compile a film based upon the initial attacks on the Somme in July 1916 proved a massive success when put on general release in late August and September that year. The completed film spanned five reels and lasted 62 and 50 . Its first screening took place to an invited audience at the Theatre on the 10th of August , while the battle still raged. On 21st of August the film began showing simultaneously in 34 London , opening in provincial cities the following week. The Royal Family received a private screening at Windsor Castle in September. The film was eventually shown in 18 countries. Although it is estimated that some twenty million tickets were bought for the film it was considered overly graphic by some, sparking a correspondence on the matter in the Times newspaper. In my essay I will explain whether the film was a reliable source of information about The Battle of the Somme, or if people were correct in believing that it was not reliable.
The film’s main aim was too ensure the British back home that the British were doing well. If they did not achieve this aim the British public and many people throughout Europe would try to stop war and this is something the government did not want to happen. One of the main key messages in the film was that the British were the better side, this was shown by British helping injured German soldiers, giving German’s cigarettes and even when caught the German prisoners looked happy. Another key message in the film was how well equipped the British were and that the British could easily destroy the German defences, therefore win, this was shown my mountains of ammunition. In the film the trench conditions looked good, the film also implied that the soldiers didn’t spend much time in the trenches. The film shows that the soldiers were also well cared for too; the British if wounded were stretchered off rapidly, the wounds weren’t actually too bad anyway, and if someone did die: it wasn’t a painful death. The film concludes optimistically with a sequence of cheering British troops marching once more to the front – implying that the soldiers attitude was very positive and patriotic, it suggests that their were never any bad times. The film overall shows a very positive view to the Battle of the Somme, and mainly because the British were better.
