Behind the Lines (1997)

Based on Pat Barker's novel of the same name, 'Regeneration' tells the story of soldiers of World War One sent to an asylum for emotional troubles. Two of the soldiers meeting there are ... See full summary »

Director:

Gillies MacKinnon (as Gillies Mackinnon)

Writers:

Pat Barker (novel), Allan Scott (screenplay)

Stars:

Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, Jonny Lee Miller

17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Pryce	...	Capt. William Rivers
James Wilby	...	2nd Lt. Siegfried Sassoon
Jonny Lee Miller	...	2nd Lt. Billy Prior
Stuart Bunce	...	2nd Lt. Wilfred Owen
Tanya Allen	...	Sarah
David Hayman	...	Maj. Bryce
Dougray Scott	...	Capt. Robert Graves
John Neville	...	Dr. Yealland
Paul Young	...	Dr. Brock
Alastair Galbraith	...	Capt. Campbell
Eileen Nicholas	...	Miss Crowe
Julian Fellowes	...	Timmons
David Robb	...	Dr. McIntyre
Kevin McKidd	...	Callan
Rupert Procter	...	Capt. David Burns

Storyline

Based on Pat Barker's novel of the same name, 'Regeneration' tells the story of soldiers of World War One sent to an asylum for emotional troubles. Two of the soldiers meeting there are Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, two of England's most important WW1 poets.

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Plot Keywords:

post traumatic stress disorder | poet | world war one | one word title | gay interest | 

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Taglines:

Adventure

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war-related violent images, and some sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film used a lot of present and former Territorial Army soldiers as extras for larger scenes. This includes soldiers from 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, located in Hotspur street, Glasgow.

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Goofs

The camera and the crane on which it is suspended are reflected in several puddles during the very opening shot (of the battlefield).

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Quotes

Capt. William Rivers: I find it interesting that you don't stutter.
Billy Prior: I find it even more interesting that you do.

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Alternate Versions

Released in the USA in a 96 minute version under the title "Behind the Lines".

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Connections

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

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Soundtracks

The King And Country Want You
Performed by Helen Clarke and Chorus
Courtesy of Saydisc Records

User Reviews

Beautiful, wrenching picture of the effect of war on the human spirit.

For me, this film was, in a quiet, deeply felt way, much more powerful overall than "Saving Private Ryan," to which everyone seems to feel they must compare it (although regardless of one's opinion about their comparative merits, it is a false analogy in some ways because "Regeneration" is a WWI movie and addresses very different questions). While the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" are stunning and their impact incredible, after that it becomes a rather disappointingly conventional war movie.

"Regeneration" is different. It is not with graphically real blood spilled, but rather with powerfully wrenching emotion and with poetry that this film drives home what war does to the men (and women) caught up in its sweep. The film's use of the poems of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen is stunning, and while perhaps even more of their incredible poetry could have been employed in the film, the ones the filmmaker employs are carefully and perfectly chosen.

This is a war movie because its focus is on the war's destruction of men. But do not go into this film expecting the action of the battlefield to play out on the screen. There are a few scenes from the fields of France, powerful and well-placed in the film. And throughout the movie, you can just hear the dull thudding of shells, as if from a great distance - a striking reminder of how physical distance does not mean emotional distance. But if you are interested in the emotional impact those shells had, in an examination of the struggle to recover from that impact, (through poetry, through love, and through therapy), and in the moral questions raised by war, this is a stunning, deeply moving film you will not soon forget.

Details

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Behind the Lines

Filming Locations:

Overtoun House, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,593, 16 August 1998

Gross USA:

$33,131

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,131

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Famous Players, Norstar Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1