I saw this film at the cinema in 1963 - it was still doing the rounds since it was first released in 1957. Many young people, at the time, had an abiding interest in films about the Second World War.
What struck me most about the film was its realism, and how well acted it was - Leo Genn has always been a fine actor, especially when playing Military Officers. He, himself, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War and was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
The realism came in the form of the worthy absence of propaganda and social comment, and there were no staged heroics, nor poignant moments, that are sometimes designed the make the actors look good.
I think the film was shown as a second feature and had a 'A' certificate - which would have been equivalent to a 'PG' today.
The British Film Industry is always something I have been interested in, and I like to watch some films two or three times, but I have never seen this film again since I first saw it at the cinema. It has never been released on DVD, and I am surprised that it has never become a classic and that I have never seen it shown on television.
What struck me most about the film was its realism, and how well acted it was - Leo Genn has always been a fine actor, especially when playing Military Officers. He, himself, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War and was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
The realism came in the form of the worthy absence of propaganda and social comment, and there were no staged heroics, nor poignant moments, that are sometimes designed the make the actors look good.
I think the film was shown as a second feature and had a 'A' certificate - which would have been equivalent to a 'PG' today.
The British Film Industry is always something I have been interested in, and I like to watch some films two or three times, but I have never seen this film again since I first saw it at the cinema. It has never been released on DVD, and I am surprised that it has never become a classic and that I have never seen it shown on television.