Dunkirk (1958)

Two stories in one - an easygoing British Corporal in France finds himself responsible for the lives of his men when their officer is killed. He has to get them back to Britain somehow. ... See full summary »

Director:

Leslie Norman

Writers:

Trevor Dudley Smith (novel), Ewan Butler (book),

Stars:

John Mills, Robert Urquhart, Ray Jackson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Mills	...	Binns
Robert Urquhart	...	Mike
Ray Jackson	...	Barlow
Meredith Edwards	...	Dave Bellman
Anthony Nicholls	...	Military Spokesman
Bernard Lee	...	Charles
Michael Shillo	...	Jouvet
Richard Attenborough	...	Holden
Sean Barrett	...	Frankie
Victor Maddern	...	Merchant Seaman
Maxine Audley	...	Diana
Flanagan and Allen	...	Themselves
Kenneth Cope	...	Lieutenant Lumpkin
Denys Graham	...	Fraser
Barry Foster	...	Don R

Storyline

Two stories in one - an easygoing British Corporal in France finds himself responsible for the lives of his men when their officer is killed. He has to get them back to Britain somehow. Meanwhile, British civilians are being dragged into the war with Operation Dynamo, the scheme to get the French and British forces back from the Dunkirk beaches. Some come forward to help, others are less willing.

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | ealing | based on novel | based on play

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Taglines:

Days That Shook the World! Victory Snatched From Disaster!

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dunkerque

Filming Locations:

Camber Sands, Camber, East Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Hawkins was asked to play Charles Foreman

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Goofs

In the shot when the small boats leave the boatyard, they are actually heading away from London and towards Teddington Weir.

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Quotes

Soldier on beach:: I don't want to die.
Another soldier on beach: You might have to.
Soldier on beach:: I don't want to die.
Another soldier on beach: Shut up! You might bloody have to.

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Connections

Featured in Forever Ealing (2002)

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Soundtracks

"We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line"
*uncredited)
Written by Jimmy Kennedy
Performed by Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen

User Reviews

Concise account of the real thing.

This presents a concise account of the Dunkirk operation. It avoids the "stuff upper lip" mentality that was present in a great deal of British War films of this time (with some exceptions). The film presents two separate stories around the Dunkirk operation: the lost soldiers (led by the NCO John Mills) and the cynical civilian reporter (Bernard Lee). They finally meet up on the beach at Dunkirk. A very well directed Ealing Film.