Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23112 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-21
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• 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

One of the best war films I've ever seen
I thought I knew the titles of just about all British war films (and had seen most of them), but for some reason I had never even heard of this one. This made me suspect that it wasn't very good, when I saw it advertised on Amazon, but I decided to buy it anyway, on the strength of the good reviews it seemed to be getting. How glad I am that I did! It is absolutely superb! It is brilliantly directed, so that it is gripping from first moment to last, and so utterly realistic and consistently interesting (it reminded me a little in that respect of the best parts of the recent "Band of Brothers"). I only ever bother to write reveiews of products that I think have been somewhat overlooked or under-appreciated, or which are surprisingly good, and "Dunkirk" falls into all those categories. It is, also, incidentally, educative, in that it deals with that part of World War II which has probably had least attention from film-makers, namely the early days leading up to the fall of France. What, precisely, was the British Expeditionary Force trying to do, and where did they get to before they were beaten back? You will get some idea of the answers to these questions from this film. You will, also, I think, get a pretty good idea of what it was like to be an infantryman at the time.
I must also mention the special effects. For a modern film they would be very good indeed, for a film made in the 1950s they are simply amazing - gunfire, bombs, explosions, ships sinking - all horribly realistic and terrifying. For anyone wondering whether or not to buy this film, hesitate no longer: it is simply one of the best war films ever made!

A really moving film
I saw this on TV years ago and have always wanted a copy on DVD. And, finally, it's here. The film in in excellent condition, in crisp clean B&W (don't be misled by the colour picture of John Mills).

They've handled the Dunkirk story from both the view of the troops trying to get home, and the small boats that went out to ferry them home and done a rather good job of it. The cast all act their pants off, and while some of the scenes do look a little artificial, others have a real air of 'being there'. The only major clunk is the mysterious transformation of a Blenheim into a Ju88 back to a Blenheim then, finally back to a Ju88...

My only disappointment is the complete absence of extra features on the DVD. Given the importance of the Dunkirk evacuation, a small documentary and some historical photographs would have been nice.

It's a wonderful film.

About Time
This is one of the great UK produced WW11 films made. Why it has taken the studio so long to release the DVD version beggars belief. The acting is perfect for the time being captured, the action probably more real than most modern films and the story line a triumph of picturing the mood in 1940. A film not only to be enjoyed but watched also with care and study, John Mills is as excellent as ever, Bernard Lee hard nosed with a great love for country and Richard Attenborough the capitalist who learns what being a true patriot means. Remembering always that the story of the little boats, the miracle of Dunkirk was real and defeat in war was staring Britain in the face. Enjoy it is a classic.