# "Dunkirk" WW2 movie directed by Chris Nolan coming out in July 2017



## CougarKing

I wonder what they will use to simulate Panzer I and Panzer II tanks? Just more CGI?

Guardian



> *
> Christopher Nolan set to direct Dunkirk evacuation drama*
> Catherine Shoard
> @catherineshoard
> 
> Monday 28 December 2015 09.16 GMT
> Last modified on Monday 28 December 2015 10.29 GMT
> 
> The director Christopher Nolan has been linked to a new movie about the 1940 operation to rescue hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beaches around Dunkirk.
> 
> French newspaper La Voix Du Nord has said that it was Nolan of whom Patrice Vergriete, the mayor of Dunkirk, was speaking earlier in the year, when he announced “the filming of an American blockbuster” in June 2016 by a “world-famous director”.
> 
> Meanwhile film website The Playlist claims Nolan and his screenwriter brother Jonathan have been scouting locations in France.
> (...SNIPPED)


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## JackMerridrew

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> I wonder what they will use to simulate Panzer I and Panzer II tanks? Just more CGI?




Chris Nolan is a stickler for practical effects, CGI is his last resort. I am so very hyped for this.


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## vonGarvin

Don't forget the Pz 38 (t) hordes!


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## Colin Parkinson

Lot's of universal carriers around, there is is one operating Matilda I and I think 2-3 Matilda II's. Littlefields had a operating Vickers Mk VI and PzI (traded from the Canadian War Museum) and a non working Valentine. Not sure where they are now.


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## jollyjacktar

I imagine the little boats will be scarce too, along with the Stuka etc.


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## Loachman

Models were used to represent Stukas in The Battle of Britain. All of the other aircraft (except for the ones destroyed on the ground) were the real thing, although the He 111s and Bf 109s were ex-Spanish Air Force and had been re-engined with Rolls Royce Merlins. The models were obviously models.


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## jollyjacktar

True enough, I imagine that most of the "hardware" will have to be CGI as they're getting few and far between.


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## Blackadder1916

Variety


> Christopher Nolan to Direct Action Thriller ‘Dunkirk’ for Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)
> 
> December 28, 2015 | 10:56AM PT
> 
> Justin Kroll
> 
> Film Reporter
> 
> @krolljvar
> 
> 
> 
> Christopher Nolan looks to be headed to France during World War II for his next project.
> 
> Sources tell Variety that Nolan will direct “Dunkirk” from his own original screenplay as his next project. Insiders say the yet-to-be cast unknowns will lead the cast, but that Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hardy are in talks to join the ensemble.
> 
> Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner and wife, Emma Thomas. The story is set during the legendary evacuation of the northern French city during WWII. Nolan and his casting department recently began testing teenagers in London for lead roles, but the director also wanted to nail down some choices for the few adult roles in the film before the holiday.
> 
> “We are thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Christopher Nolan, a singular filmmaker who has created some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of all time,” said Greg Silverman, president, Creative Development and Worldwide Production. “‘Dunkirk’ is a gripping and powerful story and we are excited to see Chris, Emma and their cast realize it on the big screen.”
> 
> Warner Bros. has dated the film for July 21, 2017. The large-scale production will be shot on a combination of Imax 65mm and 65mm large format film for maximum image quality and high-impact immersion. Shooting will begin in May using many of the real locations of the true-life events, which form the background for the story.
> 
> Rylance, who received a Golden Globe nomination for “Bridge of Spies,” will next rejoin Steven Spielberg in “The BFG,” slated for 2017. He is repped by Hamilton Hodell.
> 
> Hardy, who is repped by CAA, can be seen in Fox and New Regency’s “The Revenant” while Branagh most recently helmed “Cinderella” for Disney.



It is unlikely to be a "docu-drama" so the availability of hardware for battle scenes may be an non-issue.  Possibly less "A Bridge Too Far" and more "Passchendaele".


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## jollyjacktar

I think I'll stick with the original film.  Just the "P" word kills it for me.


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## CougarKing

Some film stills of the movie, reposted courtesy of the ModelWarships forum:



> DUNKIRK---film set photos released from the Christopher Nolan/Warner Bros. World War II movie about the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk during the Nazi conquest of France. The movie is being filmed on location in Dunkirk. Jack Lowden, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy star.


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## Oldgateboatdriver

That's one hell of a modern looking radar antenna they left on that Ton class minesweeper disguised as a circa 1939 whatever warship it's supposed to be.  :-[


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## AJFitzpatrick

I expect the digital airbrush will take care of that.


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## CougarKing

More pics, courtesy of the Model Warships forum:



> DUNKIRK---new photos released from the Christopher Nolan World War II movie set filming on location at Dunkirk which involves over 5,000 extras.


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## larry Strong

An update:

http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nord-pas-de-calais/nord/dunkerque/tournage-de-dunkirk-les-grandes-manoeuvres-sur-la-plage-1007093.html


Cheers
Larry


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## CougarKing

First official trailer out:

Dunkirk Trailer 1


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## CougarKing

More pics, courtesy of the ModelWarships forum:



> DUNKIRK---photos released from the Christopher Nolan World War II movie shows Tom Hardy in the cockpit of a Spitfire replica while filming in California.


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## vonGarvin

*Bump*
I just saw this movie yesterday at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in an exclusive preview.  Fantastic film.  Not heavy on dialogue, and the music is perfect.  Go see this and get used to the subtle sound of a ticking clock.  The manner in which the film is presented is quite clever.  You *will* enjoy this film.


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## Old Sweat

And if you want to scare yourself, imagine the course of the war if the evacuation had failed. Not only would the bulk of the British Army have been killed or captured, but the officers taken out of the war would have included Alan Brooke, Alexander and Montgomery, and also most of their 1944-1945 army and corps commanders. They could not have been replaced.

There also was a strong faction in the cabinet and the senior ranks of the civil service who were in favour of a negotiated peace with Hitler. With the army saved, Churchill was able to put an end to their scheming; with the BEF in the bag, the "peace party" surely would have prevailed.

Maybe it was a miracle after all.


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## Rifleman62

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/force-strong-director-christopher-nolan-48639705

*Tick-Tock: Christopher Nolan on the rhythm of 'Dunkirk'*



No IMAX in Kelowna unfortunately.

https://moviepilot.com/p/dunkirk-which-resolution-is-best/4314342

*70mm? Digital? IMAX? A Guide To Watching 'Dunkirk' In Cinemas*


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## MarkOttawa

Nice to see this review mention "Mrs Miniver"--“the best piece of wartime propaganda ever made":



> Why Dunkirk is a source of inspiration for Brits — and filmmakers
> http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-dunkirk-history-20170714-story.html



"Mrs Miniver":
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/66969%7C0/Mrs-Miniver.html
http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/329/Mrs-Miniver/

Mark
Ottawa


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## dimsum

It appears one of the War is Boring contributors didn't like Dunkirk as much as the other critics.  I find it slightly ironic that he complains about the boredom on a site literally called "War is Boring".



> ‘Dunkirk’ Is a Booming, Bloodless Bore
> 
> War has never been this dull
> 
> This article contains spoilers for Dunkirk.
> 
> When I walked out of the theater after watching Dunkirk, I realized I couldn’t recall any of the characters’ names. Well, that’s not entirely fair. I did remember the name of the boy on the boat, but only because his name appeared in a newspaper just before the credits rolled. That paper tells its readers the boy — George — died a hero. He did not.
> 
> The critics are raving about Dunkirk, telling their readers that writer-director Christopher Nolan’s latest film is a masterpiece. It’s not. They’re wrong. I know I’m on the wrong side of the argument here, that most of War Is Boring’s readers will see Dunkirk and most will love it, but I’m prepared to die on this hill.
> 
> Dunkirk isn’t good. It’s a boring experiment in bombastic sound and hallucinogenic cinematography. It’s a movie people are destined to praise and then never watch again.
> 
> (More on link)



http://warisboring.com/dunkirk-is-a-booming-bloodless-bore/


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## jollyjacktar

Just finished seeing the movie.  It's very well done and not like your usual war movie.  Of course, I had to (try and) stop myself from picking mistakes out (as the Naval night scenes needed light for the audience to see what was happening,  etc).  The average person won't notice them, so no harm done.  The style of the film quickly cuts back and forth between characters and times,  which forces you to pay attention or you're able to lose direction.  This is no Hollywood over the top big explosions BS that they're fond of doing.  I agree with Technoviking, go see it and on the big screen too.  This film deserves it.


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## MarkOttawa

Old Sweat--indeed:



> And if you want to scare yourself, imagine the course of the war if the evacuation had failed...



Very good account of how Churchill managed to subdue peace negotiation leaners in UK cabinet--before Dunkirk evacuation succeeded (with those Ulstermen generals!):

_Five Days in London, May 1940_
by John Lukacs 






https://www.amazon.ca/Five-Days-London-May-1940/dp/0300084668

Mark
Ottawa


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## brihard

I just got home from seeing it. Absolutely incredible. The one thing I wish a I had understood going in: the story of the soldiers takes place over a week; the story of the boat crew takes place over a day, and; the story of the pilots takes place over an hour. All three overlap more and more up til they come together at the conclusion. The sequencing threw me a bit til I figured it out. The story will jump forward and backward in time a bit. It doesn't damage the movie, it's just a bit tricky at first.

Interestingly- after the movie, my spouse (coincidentally, French born) was very quiet and clearly a bit rocked by it. It took a while for her to explain her feelings, but eventually what she explained was that she had never really been able to grasp what so many people had sacrificed for freedom until this movie somehow hit it home for her. It was a continuation in a way of her growing thinking on this when we visited the cemeteries and memorial at Vimy last summer. She was saying she was increasingly realizing the stakes in some of the conflicts going on around the world now as she got better understanding of the scale and horror of the wars of previous generations, and how it's some of the same things being fought for. I was impressed that this movie was able to both humanize and to convey the significance of what the individual service members gave of themselves.


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## Rifleman62

The Brit 1958 movie is excellent. An Inf Sect fights it's way to the beaches. Could not find it on the internet without a requirement to sign up. The sound of the soldiers wearing hobnailed boots and the rattle of the 39 pattern webbing and the helmet is what I remember from when I joined in 1962. Even the wpns were the same in the Milita.

After seeing the new Dunkirk you may be interested in these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcX8NvJPOFc

*The Other Side of Dunkirk* - Published on Jan 11, 2014

This film from 2004 presents the unusual view of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation from the position of the French and Germans. In particular, it explores the various myths which arose on all sides after the event. It will be useful for students of the early years of the Second World War in Europe. Uploaded for educational purposes only.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdAaZFpxdLM

*Battle of Dunkirk*  Pathe war achieves 4.49 minutes


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNMsOm-yZ54

*The battle of Dunkirk: German footage, 1940*


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## BeyondTheNow

'Just finished seeing it. It was awful and beautiful at the same time. 

If you are an individual who questions how a bloodless war movie can be made, well, this will answer your question.

If you are an individual who is unmoved by a film's score and seek to be stimulated only by high-action fight/battle sequences at all times then you will find small portions of this movie dull. Hans Zimmer's suspenseful accompaniment to every scene as it escalates in incredible. (I'm a little biased though, as I'm already a fan of his.)

I thoroughly enjoyed how Army, Navy & Air Force were showcased and there were a few memorable digs/quotes between characters of different elements that some will really appreciate. 

The cinematography is outstanding. I loved it.


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## dimsum

I'll echo the comments from the others here.  Very well made, and if it doesn't win some award this year, it'll be a shame.  I actually liked the lack of unnecessary dialogue, no "fluff" storylines (random love story) and the lack of overt flag waving.  

That being said, I saw it with some work mates, and the big complaint was the ridiculous glide ratio of an engine-out Spitfire


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## jollyjacktar

Dimsum said:
			
		

> That being said, I saw it with some work mates, and the big complaint was the ridiculous glide ratio of an engine-out Spitfire



I'd read about a Spit gliding before I went to the movie and was laughing inside at that too.   Mine was the destroyer all lit up on the outside, no red lighting on the inside at night and the unrealistic torpedo blast reaction on the meat shields.


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## SeaKingTacco

I havent seen the movie yet, but a real torpedo hit has a particularly gruesome effect on the leg anatomy of a human. Read the book "Sharks and Little Fish" (a book about the Kreigsmarine in WW2) if you want the gory details.


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## Humphrey Bogart

Saw it last night, the movie is a cinematic masterpiece.  Regardless if Nolan got everything to do with the military right or not, it's a good film.  

The spitfire scene at the end was meant to be a piece of symbolism.

To echo Churchill:  "We shall never surrender!"


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## dimsum

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> I'd read about a Spit gliding before I went to the movie and was laughing inside at that too.   Mine was the destroyer all lit up on the outside, no red lighting on the inside at night and the unrealistic torpedo blast reaction on the meat shields.



I was willing to give the torpedo a pass.  It would have been a pretty short movie if it was realistic (well, to Harry Styles et al at least).


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## MarkOttawa

Apparently Bf 109 in movie is actually Spanish-made one with Merlin engine--type also used in "Battle of Britain" movie ;D:
https://www.flyinglegends.com/aircraft/bf109-buchon.html






Mark
Ottawa


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## jollyjacktar

Dimsum said:
			
		

> I was willing to give the torpedo a pass.  It would have been a pretty short movie if it was realistic (well, to Harry Styles et al at least).



Agreed.  Audiences also would have complained too if the lighting was realistically done.


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## jollyjacktar

Calgary veteran of Dunkirk gives his impression of the film.

https://youtu.be/QOgn7Grn2sg


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## Rifleman62

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-nolan-forgot-the-desis-at-dunkirk/articleshow/59719803.cms

*How Nolan forgot the desis at Dunkirk* - Manimugdha S Sharma | TNN | Updated: Jul 23, 2017

HIGHLIGHTS
Four Indian Animal Transport companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps were sent to aid the BEF
This group was designated as Force K-6 and reached France in December 1939
Three companies of Force K-6 were evacuated to safety during Operation Dynamo

"There were no Pakis at Dunkirk," the late Bernard Manning had once remarked on the Mrs Merton Show, a BBC TV show during the 1990s. The British comedian had continued with his verbal assault by claiming that there were "no Pakis" (read Indians) at Anzio, Arnhem or Monte Cassino - all famous World War II battles.

While many Britons wouldn't subscribe to Manning's view of the Indian role in WWII, it did reflect a general lack of awareness about their contribution. But that was 20 years ago. Today, a great amount of literature is available on the role of Britain's colonies in the Allied war effort.Oxford historian Yasmin Khan says succinctly in her book, The Raj At War: "Britain did not fight the Second World War, the British Empire did."

The British public is more well-informed today about the Indian role in the world wars. Indians were there at Monte Cassino. They were there at Bir Hachiem, Tobruk, El Alamein, Singapore, Hong Kong. And they were there from where it all began -Dunkirk.

At the start of the war in 1939, the British Army was said to have been the only fully mechanised army in the world (Soviet Union's Red Army was said to be the most technologically advanced). But when the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) went to France, the need for animal transport was felt.

Unlike the British, the Indian Army was still not mechanised. It had 96 infantry battalions and 18 cavalry regiments with only two being ordered to give up horses for tanks a little before the war. So the pack animals and their handlers had to come from India.

Four Indian Animal Transport companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps were sent to aid the BEF from Bombay. This group was designated as Force K-6 and reached France in December 1939. Most of the men were Punjabi Muslims with some Pathans, and primarily came from areas that today form part of Pakistan.

As history tells us, the Germans broke through the Ardennes and sprang a nasty surprise on the Allies. And the BEF had to retreat to Dunkirk from Belgium, with the sea at their back.The retreat was chaotic involving many losses. But amid the chaos, the Indian troops showed grit, determination and order. This is attested by the citation of Indian Distinguished Service Medal awarded to Jemadar Maula Dad Khan, a VCO (Viceroy's Commissioned Officer).

It read: "On 24 May 1940 when approaching Dunkerque, Jemadar Maula Dad Khan showed magnificent courage, coolness and decision. When his troop was shelled from the ground and bombed from the air by the enemy he promptly reorganised his men and animals, got them off the road and under cover under extremely difficult conditions.It was due to this initiative and the confidence he inspired that it was possible to extricate his troop without loss in men or animals."

Three companies of Force K-6 were evacuated to safety during Operation Dynamo - the British naval operation to extricate the BEF from Dunkirk - minus their pack animals, but one company was taken captive by the Germans. Most of these men died in German POW camps.

Force K-6 spent time on the British Isles until 1944 when they were sent back to India to join the Burma theatre of the war. By then, the Indian Army that had started the war with a little over 1,94,000 men had expanded to nearly 2.5 million men, becoming the largest volunteer army in history.

Yet this significant contribution is missing from Christopher Nolan's recent Hollywood film, Dunkirk. Lt Cdr Manish Tayal of the Royal Navy expressed regret at the "missed opportunity to also tell the story of the lascars", Indian sailors who operated the merchant ships and other non-military vessels that came to rescue the stranded warriors. Is that comedian Manning's spirit haunting Nolan's otherwise brilliant work?


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## a_majoor

While I know Noln loves practical effects, I didn't realize that there were any Bf-109's still in flying condition anywhere. I had thought the was either model work or very good CGI.


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## Rifleman62

http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/inspiration-for-summer-blockbuster-dunkirk-an-unsung-montreal-hero

*Inspiration for summer blockbuster Dunkirk an unsung Montreal hero* - René Bruemmer, Montreal Gazette -  Aug 2, 2017

The real-life hero of this summer’s blockbuster movie Dunkirk, which portrays the valiant effort of naval officers and civilians to evacuate more than 300,000 Allied soldiers trapped by the Germans during the Second World War, was a Canadian who grew up in Montreal and attended McGill University.

Yet the name of James Campbell Clouston, who is credited with saving close to 200,000 soldiers as German planes bombed and strafed the pier while he calmly ushered troops onto ships for five days, is never mentioned in the film and remains largely unknown in Canada.

“He’s one of those great unsung Canadians who, in a pivotal moment in time, does extraordinary things, dies, and then goes completely forgotten,” said University of Ottawa history professor Serge Durflinger.

Clouston’s son has protested the lack of acknowledgement, saying the character played by Kenneth Branagh should have had a Canadian accent, and that his father warranted at least a mention in the credits.

Now, a group of Canadians are rallying to promote his memory. Michael Zavacky, a former Montrealer living in Ottawa, has been lobbying the Canadian government for recognition and for Canada Post to issue a commemorative stamp. War historian Jeffrey Street, who wrote and co-produced the 1990 CBC documentary We Shall Fight on the Beaches! chronicling the Dunkirk evacuation, is writing a book about Clouston.

“This man is from Montreal, he is one of us,” Zavacky said. “I find it sad and kind of tragic that someone who performed this type of valour, who was brave and saved lives, for some reason has just slipped under the radar.”

Clouston grew up in Pointe-Claire across the street from the yacht club, an avid hockey player who attended Selwyn House and Lower Canada College before enrolling in engineering at McGill University. At the age of 17, he enlisted to join Britain’s Royal Navy in 1917, hoping to serve in the First World War. He spent the next 23 years with the navy, rising to the rank of commander.

In the last week of May 1940, the bulk of the British Expeditionary Force and their French and Belgian allies, 338,000 men, found themselves encircled by the German army, trapped at Dunkirk in northern France. Prime Minister Winston Churchill authorized Operation Dynamo to rescue them. Early estimates predicted only 50,000 men would be saved from death or capture.

Clouston was among eight men chosen to oversee the evacuation. He was given the responsibility for a ramshackle pier extending one-kilometre out into the English Channel on which only four men could stand abreast, which would prove pivotal to the evacuation. He arrived to find hundreds of thousands of hungry, exhausted troops and only 50 men an hour being evacuated. Through organizational brilliance and force of will, Clouston was able to increase the rate to 2,000 an hour, shuttling the men along the 10-foot wide pier, mainly to naval vessel destroyers that would bring them across the channel to safety in Britain.

“Like clockwork, he would have 500 guys aboard in 45 minutes, and the vessel would take off,” Durflinger recounted. “He had six to seven vessels lined up doing this all at the same time.”

In his book The Miracle at Dunkirk, historian Walter Lord described Clouston as “a Canadian – big, tough, athletic, amusing.”

Veterans interviewed for the CBC documentary remembered him as a beacon of calm amid the terror, as German planes targeted the troops.

“He was like a policemen … on a busy intersection, just guiding people,” recalled one. “And all the time the Stuka bombers were going over and scaring everybody to death and then they would give you a couple bursts of gunfire, but he just never moved, he just stood there, and he was jollying everyone along.”

After five straight days on the pier, Clouston went to England for a planning meeting. He could have stayed, but chose to return because close to 100,000 French troops remained, and Clouston spoke French because of his Montreal upbringing. His 15-person motor launch was bombed on the way back, and he opted to stay with his crew instead of taking an early offer to be saved. He died along with 12 other crewmen of hypothermia, telling “white lies” to the end to keep up spirits, one survivor recounted. He left a wife and two infant sons.

Emma Thomas, one of the producers of Dunkirk and wife of director Nolan, responded in a letter to Clouston’s son, Dane, that they did not use historical names because the film is a fictionalized version, and Branagh’s character was inspired by the stories of several different men.

“I was very disappointed when the filmmakers were adamant that they were not going to mention his name, even in the credits,” Dane Clouston, 78, wrote in an email. As the only person who served as pier-master, his father’s role was clear, he said.

Zavacky’s request for a commemorative stamp was denied but he is determined to continue, especially after travelling to Dunkirk last summer and meeting Dane Clouston. He will be writing the Canadian government and Veterans Affairs to lobby for some form of commemoration or perhaps a posthumous medal.

“Almost all the veterans interviewed said this one figure played a key role, but none of them knew his name,” Zavacky said. “It was the pier-master who saved our lives’ they said. It’s like the curse of Clouston. It almost seems like history has treated him the same way, like he’s the unknown hero. And to me, that’s the fight we’re fighting.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if his son, before he passes away, could see the recognition his father is due?”


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## jollyjacktar

> http://nationalpost.com/news/dunkirk-is-racist-sexist-anti-french-propaganda-all-the-worst-dunkirk-takes-so-far/wcm/2337c5a6-cd57-4934-bcaa-f7b71a04cddd
> 
> Dunkirk is racist, sexist, anti-French propaganda: All the worst Dunkirk takes (so far)
> 
> Reviewers variously complained that the movie did not have enough women, Indians, French people or Nazis
> 
> Dunkirk, by director Christopher Nolan, has garnered near-universal acclaim: It’s earned a 93 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s dominating box offices from South Africa to India to South Korea and it even brought tears to the eyes of one of the world’s last surviving Dunkirk veterans.
> 
> Naturally, this kind of attention also means that the film has become a magnet for movie critics to project all their most treasured biases and insecurities. Below, a short list of the strangest Dunkirk takes.
> 
> Christopher Nolan hates freedom, history and the troops
> Writing for the conservative National Review, Armond White lambastes Dunkirk as nihilistic shock porn for “pampered boomers” and “Millennial pessimists.” White accuses Nolan of being a tool of a “godless” Hollywood who disrespects the working class, the war dead and even the basic principles of service and patriotism. “Duty is depicted as futile,” he wrote. He also criticizes Nolan’s decision to keep the Germans as a distant, faceless enemy, rather than specifying them as Nazis. “The film’s opening epigraph refers to ‘The Enemy’ instead of citing a nation, philosophy, or religion,” wrote White.
> 
> Too many white people
> USA Today reviewer Brian Truitt liked the film, deeming it a genre-defining war movie. But as an aside, he calls it potentially troubling for viewers because it’s mostly two hours of white men. “The fact that there are only a couple of women and no lead actors of color may rub some the wrong way,” he wrote.
> 
> Too many men
> It turns out USA Today was right to warn people about all the men in Dunkirk. Marie Claire writer Mehera Bonner took offence at Dunkirk as “an excuse for men to celebrate maleness” — and surmised that its fans were all condescending women-hating douchebags. “Why not make a movie about women in World War II? … how about any other marginalized group?” she concluded.
> 
> The women don’t talk enough
> In a movie famously short of dialogue, the lifestyle website Refinery 29 criticized the film for having only two speaking female characters: A nurse on a destroyer and a woman evacuating soldiers on a civilian pleasure craft. Writer Zoe Haylock acknowledges that 1940s-era British military operations usually had few women present. “Still, the movie could have added in a female character somewhere,” she wrote.
> 
> Where are the French?
> French troops are shown at the film’s outset holding the line around Dunkirk. One of the main characters is a sympathetic French soldier. And desperate French troops are even shown being turned away by the British. But France’s Le Monde accused the film of “scathing rudeness” in failing to show enough bravery by French troops, who continued fighting despite being “abandoned by their allies.” Of course, 1940 wasn’t a high point for Anglo-French relations. Within a month after Dunkirk, the Royal Navy would be attacking French warships after the Nazi-installed Vichy French regime refused to hand them over to Allied hands.
> 
> It’s a deliberate whitewash of history
> The Times of India liked the film, but accused it of omitting the “significant contribution” of Indian troops during the Second World War. And they’re somewhat right: The U.K. does indeed have a terrible habit of ignoring the massive and critical contribution of India’s 2.5 million troops during the war (the largest volunteer army in history). But the men evacuated at Dunkirk in 1940 included only a handful of colonial troops: No Canadian, Australian, New Zealand or South African units, and only four Indian Army animal transport companies. Among the 340,000 soldiers on the Dunkirk beach that week, the several hundred Indian troops — who indeed served bravely — could have been easily missed. While it would be very suspicious to cast an all-white history of the battle of Monte Cassino, it’s less unbelievable that a protagonist could wend his way through Operation Dynamo without seeing a turban.
> 
> It’s white supremacist propaganda
> After former UKIP leader Nigel Farage the Guardian, where columnist Sunny Singh seems to suggest that Dunkirk was intentionally trying to craft a white nationalist utopia to clandestinely appeal to racist Brexiteers fearful of continental Europe. “A vast, all-white production such as Nolan’s Dunkirk is not an accident,” she wrote, adding “the echoes of modern politics are easy to see in the British-first policy of the initial retreat that left French troops at the mercy of the Nazis.”
> 
> I urge every youngster to go out and watch #Dunkirk pic.twitter.com/wxqap6a2dP
> 
> — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) July 25, 2017
> 
> • Email: thopper@nationalpost.com | Twitter: TristinHopper


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## Rifleman62

The criticism list missed, from a Cdn viewpoint, Harjit Sajjan single handedly holding the Dunkirk defensive perimeter with the PM taking a selfie of his shirt sleeve persona welcoming the troops in England (too dangerous to take a photo in France).

I have not seen the movie yet. Does it menction the Siege of Calais?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Calais_(1940) 





> Churchill wrote in 1949, that the defence of Calais delayed the German attack on Dunkirk and helped to save the BEF. In 1950, Guderian denied this but in 1966, L. F. Ellis, the British official historian, wrote that three panzer divisions had been diverted by the defence of Boulogne and Calais, giving the Allies time to rush troops to the west of Dunkirk. In 2006, K-H. Frieser wrote that the halt order issued to the German unit commanders because of the Anglo-French attack at the Battle of Arras (21 May) had more effect than the siege. Hitler and the higher German commanders panicked, because of their fears of flank attacks, when the real danger was of the Allies retreating to the coast before they could be cut off. British reinforcements at Boulogne and Calais had arrived in time to forestall the Germans, when they advanced again on 22 May.



The Rifles, formerly The Royal Green Jackets, formally ........... celebrate the Siege of Calais.

 http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_calais_1940.html

http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/news/b.m.h._news/the_defence_of_calais_may_1940.html


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## jollyjacktar

One of the little ships that took part in the rescue is being restored by the son of a soldier who was taken back to England on it.  Full story and photos at link below.



> A little ship called Count Dracula is being resurrected in a £200,000 restoration thanks to the son of a soldier who was rescued by it.
> 
> Sgt William Wilson was one of 712 soldiers plucked from the beaches by the 50ft vessel during the Second World War evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.
> 
> Seventy-seven years later the decrepit timber craft turned up at Wilson's of Hayling boat yard in Hayling Island, which is owned by the soldier's son David Wilson, who's keen to share its history.
> 
> Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4760558/Dunkirk-rescue-ship-restored-son-rescued-soldier.html#ixzz4on3Uj8m4
> Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook


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## Pusser

Interesting that the Clouston family is criticizing Kenneth Branagh's character for not having a "Canadian" accent.  I'm not going to argue one way or the other whether the character should have had a real vice fictionalized name or whether he should have been identified as Canadian, but I can argue that the accent was most likely correct.  Keep in mind that Cdr Clouston, although Canadian, was serving in the Royal Navy, not the Royal Canadian Navy.  At that time in Britain (and to some extent this is true even today), accent meant everything and the "correct" accent would open or close doors.  Many people would change their accents accordingly in order to get ahead.  Furthermore, Clouston was well educated and most likely had a "mid-Atlantic" accent to begin with.  Check out some NFB documentaries from as late as the 1960s and you will hear an accent vaguely (but not quite) British.  In joining the RN at a young age, Clouston would most likely have adopted an English accent in order to fit in.  It is worth noting that officers adopting English accents was prevalent in the RCN well into the 1960s (the point at which Canada started to conduct more and more officer training at home).  Even into the 1980s, you could still hear a "wardroom" accent in Canada - spoken by officers who'd grown up in Saskatchewan...

What's more puzzling about accents in the movie was Harry Styles portraying a soldier in a highland regiment, with an English accent!

Another thing that struck me was the RN officers shown on the pier in Dorset wearing officer rank badges, but petty officer cap badges!


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## dimsum

Pusser said:
			
		

> Interesting that the Clouston family is criticizing Kenneth Branagh's character for not having a "Canadian" accent.  I'm not going to argue one way or the other whether the character should have had a real vice fictionalized name or whether he should have been identified as Canadian, but I can argue that the accent was most likely correct.  Keep in mind that Cdr Clouston, although Canadian, was serving in the Royal Navy, not the Royal Canadian Navy.  At that time in Britain (and to some extent this is true even today), accent meant everything and the "correct" accent would open or close doors.  Many people would change their accents accordingly in order to get ahead.  Furthermore, Clouston was well educated and most likely had a "mid-Atlantic" accent to begin with.  Check out some NFB documentaries from as late as the 1960s and you will hear an accent vaguely (but not quite) British.  In joining the RN at a young age, Clouston would most likely have adopted an English accent in order to fit in.  It is worth noting that officers adopting English accents was prevalent in the RCN well into the 1960s (the point at which Canada started to conduct more and more officer training at home).  Even into the 1980s, you could still hear a "wardroom" accent in Canada - spoken by officers who'd grown up in Saskatchewan...
> 
> What's more puzzling about accents in the movie was Harry Styles portraying a soldier in a highland regiment, with an English accent!
> 
> Another thing that struck me was the RN officers shown on the pier in Dorset wearing officer rank badges, but petty officer cap badges!



Interesting and thanks Pusser.  

I noticed the PO capbadges as well, but compared to some other inaccuracies I've seen in other Hollywood depictions of the military, I was willing to let it slide.


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