it's hard to believe that this film was made in 1928. the photography is outstanding. the print was sharp. and the music (played by a live pianist in this case) is utterly sublime. the special effects are extremely well done, with a variety of explosions (ok, a huge variety of explosions), ghostly images, scenery (the french countryside as a moonscape of craters and splintered trees) and graphic maps that would work nicely in a film created today.
considering that this is essentially a documentary/re-enactment of the now nearly-forgotten world war one trench battle of verdun, it is surprisingly engrossing material. the presence of several fictionalized characters fighting through the battle helps hold interest as opposed to a dry, third-person telling. it has a pro-french slant (it is a french film, after all), but the Germans are presented sympathetically.
i understand that this film has been "lost" for years, with a print recently reconstructed from footage found in a moscow film archives (the Germans took the original during ww2 & the russians subsequently took it from them later in the war) and it has only been shown a handful of times, though a DVD is coming soon. if the opportunity presents, see this movie. the music alone is reason enough, but pair that with the images on screen and it's amazing.
considering that this is essentially a documentary/re-enactment of the now nearly-forgotten world war one trench battle of verdun, it is surprisingly engrossing material. the presence of several fictionalized characters fighting through the battle helps hold interest as opposed to a dry, third-person telling. it has a pro-french slant (it is a french film, after all), but the Germans are presented sympathetically.
i understand that this film has been "lost" for years, with a print recently reconstructed from footage found in a moscow film archives (the Germans took the original during ww2 & the russians subsequently took it from them later in the war) and it has only been shown a handful of times, though a DVD is coming soon. if the opportunity presents, see this movie. the music alone is reason enough, but pair that with the images on screen and it's amazing.