Dunkirk (Veteran's Day slate) (Exclusive Series)

Initial release date: July 21, 2017

Studios: Warner Bros/Syncopy

Tagline: At the point of crisis, the point of annihilation, survival is victory.

Plot: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated.

Cast

Fionn Whitehead - Tommy

Aneuriri Barnard - Gibson

Lee Armstrong - Grenadier

Barry Keoghan - George

Mark Rylance - Mr. Dawson

Tom Glynn-Carney - Peter

Tom Hardy - Farrier

Jack Lowden - Collins

Kenneth Branaugh - Commander Bolton

James D'Arcy - Col. Winnant

Harry Styles - Alex

Writer/director: Christopher Nolan (Tenet)

Rated PG-13 for intense war experience and some language (106 minutes)

There have been several compelling World War II films released over the years. And, 'Dunkirk' is, without a doubt, one of the best WWII films ever released - even on par with 1998s 'Saving Private Ryan' (which I checked out for last year's Veteran's Day slate).

This harrowing war epic is one of the best films from director Christopher Nolan. The compelling film is told from different points of view throughout the film and there are several emotionally powerful moments scattered throughout.

'Dunkirk' isnt a graphic war film so don't expect a lot of typically bloody war moments. The film's story is very gripping and the evacuation sequences can be emotional at times. Before seeing the film, I didn't know that much about the Dunkirk evacuation, so I did a little research before seeing the film.

So, if you are a history buff and enjoy historical films, I highly suggest you check out 'Dunkirk.' The film is only available on HBO Max until the end of the day (Nov. 11). After that, it's available to be rented via Apple TV, Vudu and Google Play.

Here are several interesting tidbits for 'Dunkirk':

• According to Branaugh, roughly thirty Dunkirk survivors, who were in their mid 90s, attended the London premiere. When asked about the movie, they felt that it accurately captured the event, but that the soundtrack was louder than the actual bombardment, a comment that greatly amused Nolan.

• After first-hand accounts of the Dunkirk evacuation revealed to Nolan how young and inexperienced the soldiers were, he decided to cast young and unknown actors for the beach setting.

• Nolan and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, and a friend, made the crossing from England to Dunkirk on a boat, the way the civilians would've done during the original evacuation. Nolan said it took 19 hours because of sea conditions.

• This movie was shot on the actual beach at Dunkirk where the evacuation took place. When scouting for the movie, Nolan found a button from an English soldier's uniform in the sand.

• American billionaire Dan Friedkin, an avid vintage military aviation collector, allowed the production to use two MKI Spitfires from his collection for this movie. The planes were valued at $5 million each, and his collection is so large, that the only person who owned more Spitfires than him was the Queen.

• It is the first Nolan movie to be based on historical events. All of his other movies have either been original scripts, remakes, novel/short story adaptations, or comic book adaptations.

• Actual Battle of Dunkirk vets Robert Halliday (spent six days on the beach, saved many lives), Arthur Taylor (survived Dunkirk and ended up storming Normandy Beach on D-Day) and Vic Viner (spent six days on a Naval vessel, evacuating soldiers) were consulted during the writing and production of the movie.

• Until the Fall of Singapore in 1942, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk was widely regarded as the worst defeat in British history.

• The production used twenty ships that were used in the actual evacuation.

• This movie is similar in style to war dramas of the silent era, such as 'The Big Parade' (1925), as it's told largely in visual terms with only the sparest use of dialogue.

• Most unusual for a WWII story, this movie deals with civilians rescuing military personnel, instead of vice versa.

• 'Dunkirk' grossed $188 million domestically, and $337 million in outer countries for a worldwide total of $525 million, against a production budget of $100-150 million. Globally, it's the highest-grossing WWII film (not adjusted for inflation), surpassing the $482 million worldwide total of 'Saving Private Ryan.'

• The film was noted for its generally realistic representation of the historical evacuation.

• It accurately depicts a few Royal Air Force aeroplanes dog-fighting the Luftwaffe over the sea, limited to one hour of operation by their fuel capacity. The combat however is portrayed at much lower altitude than the reality.

• In 1940, destroyers and fighter aircraft were indeed held back from battle, as the Royal Navy and Air Force would've been the sole defenders against invasion. There was indeed a temporary withdrawal of destroyers during the early stages after considerable losses; however, an appeal to the Admiralty by Admiral Ramsay reversed that decision.

• Also noted were the accurate depictions of how a small boat attempted to evade aerial attack, and of how soldiers returning to England saw a civilian population largely unaware of or unaffected by the war.

https://youtu.be/F-eMt3SrfFU