The Trench (film)

Last updated

The Trench
The Trench (film) 1999.jpg
Directed by William Boyd
Written byWilliam Boyd
Produced bySteve Clark-Hall
Starring Paul Nicholls
Daniel Craig
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Danny Dyer
James D'Arcy
Edited by Jim Clark
Distributed by Arts Council of England
Entertainment Film Distributors [1]
Release date
  • 17 September 1999 (1999-09-17)(UK)
Running time
98 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
France [2]
LanguageEnglish

The Trench is a 1999 war film written and directed by William Boyd and starring Paul Nicholls and Daniel Craig. It depicts the experiences of a group of young British soldiers in the 48 hours leading up to the Battle of the Somme in 1916. [3]

Contents

James D'Arcy, Cillian Murphy and Ben Whishaw also appear.

Synopsis

In the days leading up to the Battle of the Somme, lance corporal Dell shows the platoon his collection of softcore pornography. Private Billy MacFarlane remarks to his brother Eddie that one of the girls looks familiar to him. Their fun is broken up by Sergeant Winter, who then meets with their commander, Lieutenant Harte. Harte informs him that the platoon will be "going over" in the third wave of the anticipated battle, carrying supplies in relative safety. That night while on watch, Eddie is reprimanded by Sergeant Winter for trying to look through a hole in the trench. When he gets off watch, Billy annoys him with questions about the girl from the photo he recognizes; Billy convinces himself it was a young woman named Maria who worked at the Post Office.

In the morning, the platoon are summoned to the ready in anticipation of an attack. After a stand down, the platoon members again egg Eddie on to look through the hole. Relenting, he sees and describes a scene of relative peace and beauty before being shot in the jaw and neck. Billy looks on traumatized as Eddie is taken away on a stretcher. Later, Private Deamis (Ben Whishaw) tries to console him, but is rebuffed.

A Colonel and Public Affairs division arrive and stage a motivational scene with the men, wherein the Colonel tells them that the forthcoming battle will be easy because the German army has been relentlessly bombarded by the British. After an awkward, forced speech, the men are told to cheer. As the Colonel leaves wishing them luck, Private Daventry remarks that he will not be with them. Winter takes him aside and harshly admonishes him for his disrespect. Later, after a pair of privates is sent on an errand, Billy comes upon their fragmented remains, having been hit by a shell. He returns to Winter and Harte, further traumatized.

During a meal, Harte informs Winter that their captain has ordered them to issue a night patrol to bomb the German trench and review the status of their defenses. Winter chooses Private Beckwith, and the two successfully bomb the trench and capture a German soldier fleeing their attack. Beckwith remarks that the Germans appeared to be singing in their trench. Though Lance Corporal Dell harasses the German, Daventry speaks to him briefly in German and tells the others that the German is the lucky one - clearly the Germans have not been wiped out as the Colonel said, and they are in good spirits.

On the morning of the attack, Lieutenant Harte informs Winter that another platoon has gotten lost during the night and that they will be going over in the first wave. Winter sends Dell to retrieve the platoon's rum ration, but Dell drops it in shock after seeing a wounded man being carried past and realizes its contents. He drinks a large amount before a shell knocks him down and breaks the bottle; he returns to Winter drunk. Winter requests Harte relinquish his personal whisky for the men, but he refuses. However, as the men line up, the Lieutenant relents and serves them all a share. MacFarlane, apparently in good spirits, tells Winter he is afraid to go over the top. Winters tells him that he can tell he is the type who will make it, and MacFarlane looks at the stolen picture of the girl he believes he has met from the Post Office.

When the men finally do go over the top, Winter is immediately shot in the leg but tries to hide it as he helps MacFarlane out of the trench. He is shot several more times and eventually falls back onto MacFarlane, who struggles out of the trench. As the men advance across no man's land, they gradually begin to fall, ending with MacFarlane being shot himself.

Cast

Critical reception

The film appears to have been praised by critics for its personal take on the experience of the soldier as opposed to a more traditional action-oriented war film. Variety described the emotional buildup to the final scene as having a "devastatingly hollow note", [4] while the New York Times appreciated its subtle characterization of the platoon as "naive" in the face of a "demonized" enemy. [5] The film holds a 58 score on Metacritic.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Battleground</i> (film) 1949 film

Battleground is a 1949 American war film that follows a company in the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division as they cope with the siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, in World War II. It stars Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalbán, and George Murphy, features James Whitmore, and was directed by William A. Wellman from a script by Robert Pirosh.

<i>A Walk in the Sun</i> (1945 film) 1945 film by Lewis Milestone

A Walk in the Sun is a 1945 American war film based on the novel by Harry Brown, who was a writer for Yank, the Army Weekly based in England. The book was serialized in Liberty Magazine in October 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Melvin</span>

Charles Melvin VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<i>Dunkirk</i> (1958 film) 1958 war film by Leslie Norman

Dunkirk is a 1958 British war film directed by Leslie Norman that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II, and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, and Bernard Lee. The film is based on the novels The Big Pick-Up by Elleston Trevor and Dunkirk co-authored by Lt Col Ewan Butler and Major J. S. Bradford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brécourt Manor Assault</span> U.S. parachute assault of the Normandy Invasion

The Brécourt Manor Assault during the U.S. parachute assault of the Normandy Invasion of World War II is often cited as a classic example of small-unit tactics and leadership in overcoming a larger enemy force.

<i>The Thin Red Line</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Andrew Marton

The Thin Red Line is a 1964 American war film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Keir Dullea, Jack Warden, James Philbrook, and Kieron Moore. Based on James Jones's 1962 novel of the same name, the film follows the lives of a number of American soldiers during the battle of Guadalcanal.

<i>Pack Up Your Troubles</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Pack Up Your Troubles is a 1932 pre-Code Laurel and Hardy film directed by George Marshall and Raymond McCarey, named after the World War I song "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and Smile, Smile, Smile". It is the team's second feature-length film.

Charley's War was a British comic strip about the First World War, written by Pat Mills and drawn by Joe Colquhoun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring Dem Bells</span> 1st episode of the 8th series of Dads Army

"Ring Dem Bells" is the first episode of the eighth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 5 September 1975.

<i>Platoon Leader</i> (film) 1988 film directed by Aaron Norris

Platoon Leader is a 1988 war film set in the Vietnam War and directed by Aaron Norris; it stars Michael Dudikoff and Michael DeLorenzo and was filmed in South Africa. It is loosely based on James R. McDonough's memoir of the same name. It is the only movie directed by Aaron Norris not to star his brother Chuck Norris.

"If the Cap Fits..." is the sixth episode of the fifth series of the British television sitcom Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 10 November 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division

E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is a company in the United States Army. The company was referred to as "Easy" after the radio call for "E" in the phonetic alphabet used during World War II. The experiences of its members during that war are the subject of the 1992 book Band of Brothers by historian Stephen Ambrose and the 2001 HBO miniseries of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">87th Battalion (Canadian Grenadier Guards), CEF</span>

The 87th Battalion, CEF was a Household Foot Guards infantry unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

<i>The Winter War</i> (film) 1989 Finnish film by Pekka Parikka

The Winter War is a 1989 Finnish war film directed by Pekka Parikka, and based on the novel Talvisota by Antti Tuuri. It is set in the Winter War and tells the story of a Finnish infantry regiment from Southern Ostrobothnia fighting on the Karelian Isthmus, focusing mainly on a platoon of reservists from Kauhava. The film was released in Finland and Sweden on 30 November 1989, the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Winter War, and in the United States in December 1989.

<i>Attack</i> (1956 film) 1956 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich

Attack, also known as Attack!, is a 1956 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin, William Smithers, Robert Strauss, Richard Jaeckel, Buddy Ebsen and Peter van Eyck. The cinematographer was Joseph Biroc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tel Faher</span> Former Syrian outpost in the Golan Heights

Tel Faher is a former Syrian outpost in the Golan Heights that has been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967.

<i>The General Danced at Dawn</i> 4th episode of the 12th season of Comedy Playhouse

The General Danced at Dawn is a collection of short stories by George MacDonald Fraser, narrated by Lieutenant Dand MacNeill, a young officer in a fictional Scottish battalion of the British Army, part of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division. It is a generally fond depiction of army life in the period just after World War II. It was published first during 1970. The stories were based on Fraser's own time as an officer of the Gordon Highlanders in Libya at that time.

<i>Men in War</i> 1957 film by Anthony Mann

Men in War is a 1957 black and white American war film about the Korean War directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as the leaders of a small detachment of American soldiers cut off and desperately trying to rejoin their division. The events of the film take place on one day; 6 September 1950. The picture was based on a 1949 World War II novel of the Normandy campaign Day Without End by Van Van Praag that was retitled Combat in 1951. Made soon after the end of the Korean War it was still very much in the minds of the American public.

<i>McAuslan in the Rough</i>

McAuslan in the Rough is the second collection of short stories by George MacDonald Fraser featuring a young Scottish officer named Dand MacNeill. It is a sequel to The General Danced at Dawn and concerns life in a Highland regiment after the end of World War II.

<i>El Alamein: The Line of Fire</i> Italian film

El Alamein - The Line of Fire is a 2002 Italian war-drama film written and directed by Enzo Monteleone. The film won three David di Donatello awards, a Nastro d'Argento for best sound and a Globo d'oro for best new actor. The film is set during the Second battle of El Alamein, which is seen from the Italian perspective.

References

  1. "The Trench (1999)". BBFC . Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  2. BFI
  3. "The Trench".
  4. "The Trench". 10 June 1999.
  5. Holden, Stephen (22 November 2000). "FILM REVIEW; Idealism Is a Casualty In War Zone". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 20 January 2023.