Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7149 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-08
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 130 minutes

Synopsis
1940 France. A British Corporal is forced to take responsibility for the lives of his men when their officer is killed in battle. The troops are boxed in and he has to get them back to Britain somehow. Meanwhile, British civilians are recruited into the British war effort with Operation Dynamo, the secretive mission to evacuate 338,226 French and British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. Leslie Norman skilfully directs this amazing true story of one of the most crucial events of World War II, perfectly capturing the Dunkirk Spirit.

Customer Reviews

Convincing
Wee Johnny Mills leads a good British cast in this solid recreation of the Dunkirk evacuation. The film follows two strands, the first concerns Mills and the remnants of his platoon as they struggle to escape the Germans and make it to the coast and, they hope, a boat back home to England. The second follows those people who rallied to the call for vessels to help save the thousands of stranded soldiers and airmen. Mills is his usual reliable self, playing a working class corporal who despite his doubts is determined to get his men safely home. He is ably supported by Robert Urquhart and a cast of minor British actors from the period. Bernard Lee as a middle class journalist leads the men who took to sea in their small boats, equally as determined to do their bit. Richard Attenborough plays a bespectacled and slightly spivvy garage owner who is reluctantly dragged in when his motor launch is dragooned, but who nevertheless distinguishes himself. It falls to Lee, a much underrated actor of the period, to provide the stirring moral message and the films genuinely moving moments.

At 2 hours and 10 minutes it was almost epic length for its time, although not in these days when even the tritest romcom can come in at over 2 hours. But there's always something happening and all the cast give generally good and convincing performances. The action sequences, particularly on the beaches and in the sea, are very good although not up to the standards of something like Saving Private Ryan. Nevertheless, this has stood the test of time well enough and is still probably the best film about Dunkirk even after 50 years. Recommended.

Great Film
I bought the DVD for my husband and he is delighted with it- it is a a great film with all the favourites John Mills, Richard Attenborough etc. A good production a must have for all second world war fans

a great film
I first watched this film back in around 1960 and still enjoy the film. Though my attitued has changed on war it is still a great story of human suffering and how we can all pull together in times of war.

As a WW2 film it is a great film.