简介：TheBattleoftheSomme(1916)isoneofthemostsuccessfulBritishfilmsevermade.Itisestimatedthatmorethen20millionticketsweresoldinGreatBritaininthefirsttwomonthsofrelease,andthefilmwasdistributedworldwidetoproveBritain'scommitmenttotheFirstWorldWar.Itisthesourceofmanyoftheconflict'smosticonicimages. TheBattleoftheSommegaveits1916audienceanunprecedentedinsightontotherealitiesofthetrenchwarfare,controversiallyincludingthedepictionofdeadandwoundedsoldiers.Itshowscenesofthebuild-uptotheinfantryoffensive,includingmassivepreliminarybombardment,coverageofthefirstdayofthebattle-thebloodiestsingledayintheBritishArmy'shistory-anddepictionsofthesmallgainsandhugecostsoftheattack. Asapioneeringbattlefielddocumentary,theveryconceptofTheBattleOfTheSommeoutragedcommentatorsonitsrelease,inauguratingadebateabouttheon-screendepictionofcombatthatcontinuestothisday.Itsuseofastagedsequencetorepresenttheopeningoftheassaultalsosetthesceneforcontinuingcontroversyaboutthe'truth'ofthedocumentaryformat. Thefilm'simportancewasrecognisedin2005byitsformalinscriptionsintheUNESCO'MemoryoftheWorld'register-thefirstBritishdocumentofanykindtobeincluded. Thefilmhasbeendigitallyrestored,offeringastartlingimprovementonpreviouslyreleasedvideoversions. ThesewordsofwelcomearebyDavidLloydGeorge,SecretaryofStateforWarandwherereadatthefilm'sfirstscreeningon10August1916.Thiswasbarelyamonthaftertheeventsitshowed.Toitsoriginalaudiencethefilmwasnothistorybutadispatchfromthefront.Thisfilmwasshotbetween26Juneand7or9July1916attheSommefrontbyGeoffreyMalins(29thDivisionofVIIICorps)andJ.B.McDowell(7thDivisionofXVCorps)andhadit'spremièreattheScalaTheatreinClaphamon10August.GeoffreyMalinsfilmedtheoffensivefrompositionsnearBeaumontHamelinthenorthernpartsofthebattlefield,J.B.McDowellwasbasedfurthersouthnearFricourt.…