Passchendaele Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
in love, there is only one rule... don't die.
Sergeant Michael Dunne fights in the 10th Battalion, AKA The "Fighting Tenth" with the 1st Canadian Division and participated in all major Canadian battles of the war, and set the record for highest number of individual bravery awards for a single battle.
| Alex Arsenault | Cahill |
| Gil Bellows | Royster |
| Don Bland | RSM Watchman |
| David Brown | Dr. Nigel Bernard |
| Tom Carey | Witchell |
| Jason Cermak | Lewis Gunner |
| Ryan Cowie | Horne |
| Ross Crockett | German Sargeant |
| Joe Dinicol | David Mann |
| Jesse Frechette | Peters |
| Michael Greyeyes | Highway |
| Paul Gross | Michael Dunne |
| Adam Harrington | Colonel Ormand |
| David Haysom | Officer |
| Chris Ippolito | Miles |
| Paul Gross |
7.30 out of 10 (1315 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Finally a decent WWI movie
posted on 10 Aug 2009Saw it last night and i was quite impressed. People who made this movie actually did a very good job. The sets were magnificent and they take at least 70% of my 7 out of 10. Very immersive atmosphere, and very good special effects. The story that had to fill a big part of the movie started well but then went to classic pathetic war hero love story. When our protagonist was dying I couldn't stop laughing. All went well before he returned to the front. From then on there are some pathetic romance drama scenes that couldn't be of interest even to my grandmother. Of course there are some patriotic remarks, but I don't mind those because even the other side was treated fairly. The worst thing is that they had to make the hero scene where an almost dead man manages to pull 100kg across the battlefield. I remember saying, before he did it, that he will roar, then pull his strength from somewhere and accomplish what has to be accomplished for the sake of all movie war heroes. Until then the story was going fine and, without those typical Hollywood scenes, I would have rated it higher. But nevertheless this movie is worth a go because it depicts one of the greatest battles in WWI with an amazing accuracy. By that I don't mean historical accuracy, but the atmosphere of the battle, and WWI in general, which was recreated to perfection.
Terrific Movie!
posted on 04 Aug 2009How many movies do you go to see only to remember little about them a day or two later? I saw "Passchendaele" over four weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. This is an epic story of Canada's coming of age in World War I through the eyes of one soldier. By telling one man's story (both his story at home and at the war), Paul Gross reminds us that all of the men who fought at Passchendaele once lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved.A lot has been said about the references to the crucified soldier. For me the important part of this subplot was that in the first instance the story of the crucified soldier (whether true or not) was used to inspire men to hate and fight; in the second instance on the battlefield the vision of the crucified soldier inspired men on both sides to stop fighting and aid their fellow man. The scene is visually stunning and brave. So is the decision to film the battlefield from the soldier's point of view.No, this is not a history lesson about troop movements. It's a visceral experience. And it's unforgettable.
Beneath the surface
posted on 29 Jul 2009Passchendaele is part unabashed romance and part horrific and quite graphic war story.In film World War One has been a neglected war compared to the more morally unambiguous Second World War and the more recent Vietnam War. And films that aren't about American participation are just as neglected. Passchendaele fills that void.The movie moves quickly and switches between home life and battlefield with surprising ease and effect. I was not bored for a moment of this movie. The movie will make you care about these people when they are at home living their lives and then fear for them at war. While the battle scenes are quite brutal, they are not sensational or exploitive, since to have made them sensational or exploitive would defeat the great effort this movie takes in showing how men had to cope with life after the war and the memories of what they lived through.Undoubtedly there will be cynics who will decry some moments as contrived or melodramatic, but these are the small-minded who have missed the real emotion of this film. The movie is great entertainment, but there is something going on beneath the surface. This is the first time I can recall a film where the main character is someone who has been both emotionally damaged by the war, but does not succumb to it. I suspect there must be many men coming out of the war who were damaged, but quietly lived with that damage their entire lives. For that depiction alone, this is a great movie.The movie is not without humour and it has one of the funniest seduction lines I've ever heard uttered by a woman in a movie.The movie is entertaining, but there's a lot going on and much I haven't mentioned as I don't want to click the spoiler warning. There are scenes I'm still thinking about, which doesn't happen with every movie I see.
So truly upset by this movie
posted on 21 Jul 2009Six was generous. It's a 6 simply because it was a hugely ambitious project from a country, my country, that usually considers a movie investment to be flying in Americans. Paul Gross has always struck me as somewhat of a walking contradiction. I recall an interview with him once discussing why he left Hollywood, because he hated the way things were done there. Instead, he works in his home country where he seems--from the outside at least--to operate as if he were the Hollywood studio. Does he have an ego problem? I'm not sure because I don't know him. BUT, most everything he's touched seems to reek of ego. This film takes it to the extreme. Instead of creating a film about a historic event, a battle that Canada won against odds, he created an extremely cliché love story. He made a movie about how his character fell in love and eventually won a battle--not how the army won, but how his character kept his cool and stayed the voice of reason. The plot is driven by a protagonist who is so two dimensional you can practically hear him say "I don't like you, because otherwise there wouldn't be a plot." As for my Hollywood reference, it's painted over this film. It's the epic war story with the epic love in between. Only, they forgot the war was the story. In turn, what they wound up with was Pearl Harbor--the film, not the event. As for his ego, everything about the project displays one--real or not. The ambition behind it (not that I'd complain about that), the writing (predictable plot points, obvious motivation) the lead character, a man who's only visible, overt sign of having a flaw, of ever making a bad decision, came when he killed an enemy two minutes into the film (given the context, wrong as it truly would have been, I'd hardly call it a flaw), and to top it off, this is the kicker, the film ends with Paul Gross as Jesus. I don't want to throw in spoilers here, in case you decide to suffer through this, but really, his self love, or inability to flaw his own characters, got so big that it really and truly ends with his character portraying a scene that FEELS like it came straight out of the bible, complete with sunlight beaming down through the once rainy clouds. If you are Canadian, and you are interested in film, this is no worse than Hollywood garbage--again, Pearl Harbor--and it probably won't kill you to watch. And as such, it may even be worth while to witness Canada's first attempt at grandiose cinema. But, while I HATE when the media and critics attack these kinds of projects due to their nature (Canada's first big film = let's rip it to shreds) I'm actually upset that they didn't actually do it with this one. Not that they should have done it unfairly, but most critics seemed to have given it far too much credit. Show ambition again Canada, but give it to Cronenberg, Egoyan, or anyone else with a track record for interpreting and projecting a good story.
Passchendaele of the Christ.
posted on 17 Jul 2009I am passionate about PASSCHENDAELE. In complete antithesis to another reviewer, I feel this film has succeeded on so many levels. I went in to the theatre out of pride for Canada but went out of the theatre with the joy of seeing a contemporary classic, worthy of many Genies and even Oscars. It reminded me of THE English PATIENT which was also based on a Canadian story and did win Best Picture. The things I found lacking in this Minghella film seemed to be more satisfying in Paul Gross's film. This is the man who directed MEN WITH BROOMS not long ago. What an incredible leap of skill. PASSCHENDAELE has award worthy cinematography, music, acting, writing, direction, costume, and nearly every other category. I can't think of any other film that captures the life and times of World War I. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT comes to mind (this also won the Best Picture Oscar) and the two films due share similar sensitivity and symbolism. With ALL QUIET, we have the butterfly as the Peace symbol. In PASSCHENDAELE, we have the dove (and, in contrast, the kestrel). In the climax, Michael Dunne, the Christ figure, is "carrying his cross" and his strength fails him. Then, he looks up and sees the dove, not the kestrel which symbolizes his love of woman (Sarah) but the dove which symbolizes his love of man. The dove in Christian symbolism represents the Holy Spirit which, like it did for Michael Dunne, gives us the strength to carry our cross. Earlier in the film, Michael Dunne says that "Jesus did not die for our sins but he laid down the template". Gross's soldier is the perfect template of this agape love, that there is "no greater love than to lay down ones' life for ones' brother". Many might have been disappointed in the film's ending but in the context of this Christian sacrifice, one can see the film's ending as a great victory and the spirit of Michael Dunne lives on. PASSCHENDAELE is a story of redemption so it is appropriate to have allusions to the Redeemer.
ridiculous plot clichéd ridden film
posted on 13 Jul 2009On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this film a –9. The themes are trite, hackneyed, and, frankly, an insult to the memory of all those who served or died at Passchendaele. To begin with, the film has very little to do with that battle. So why call it Passchendaele? The director would have been more accurate to call the film Passion in Dale or Sex on the Battlefield or Something Silly in Passchendaele. If the battle is only a backdrop to the plot, then don't mislead by calling it by the name that immediately invokes the battle. At least the English Patient had the good sense not to be titled El Alamein! I mention the English Patient, which I also disliked, but it is quantum leaps better than this film, which seems a very weak copy. Nurse meets soldier; nurse falls in love with soldier; soldier dies before nurse. Mr. Gross have you every heard of, read, or seen War and Peace? Perhaps the film should have been called Mr. Gross Goes to War since the director is front and center of this film. Of course sergeant Gross, a.k.a. Michael Dunne the protagonist is a hero, but not just any hero. Rather, he is a Canadian hero, heck no, not just Canadian, but an Albertan hero! You know what I mean, the silent cowboy type, man of action and integrity, but heck, no hick here, he can also wax poetic when talking about the land before his girl. And oh yes, you have to have horses here, even at the end, the riderless horse, no doubt about to carry our hero's soul to heaven. We see his noble side: helping his girl kick the drug habit, after all, got to make the film relevant you know, and it seems he does it all in one night, because if the scene was meant to portray several nights or weeks I sure didn't get it. Besides, since the evil English major already had his eye on the good sergeant, don't you think he would have known? Oh yes, clichés. The spit and polish bombastic English major, the pukka, pukka type who will be shown up as incompetent and a coward. He stands in total contrast to our down-to-earth Hoser true-man-of-action hero. We had the same representation in the film about the Canadian ascent of Everest: spit and polish but all hot air. Well, guys give it a break. When you repeat the same path in literature or film you become guilty of thinking in clichés! But let's get back to our hero, Mr. Gross, a.k.a. sergeant what's-his-name. He can't be perfect now, can he? He has to have a flaw. You know the old story about heroes having a fatal flaw. Well the good sergeant's flaw is that he shoved a bayonet through the head of a young German asking for mercy. Oops, you know he will have to pay for that. The clichés in this film are nothing compared to the idiocy of the plot. Boy meets girl. Girl says No. Then Maybe. Then Yes. But there is a hitch; she has a brother, who in his mixed up passion of lust-love, hatred and patriotism is tricked into signing up by his scheming future father-in-law. So off he goes and our good sergeant goes off to look after him as he had promised his girl. Well you know what is going to happen. He will save the boy's life and die. Yes die, because that is how that clichéd story goes. But wonder of wonders, it's not just the sergeant who turns up by the side of the boy; the baddie English major also turns up at the front in the same battalion because he wants to get back at the sergeant! At this point, ladies and gentlemen, we have flown the realm of common sense and entered the never-never coo-coo land! An over-aged major who served in the Boer War 18 years earlier, he decides to give up the comfort of his recruiting job to get back at our hero! But wait, it gets even better. The nurse also turns up at the battle. What incredible coincidence! Well, you know what's going to happen next. They just have to have sex, and of course, it's the nurse who initiates it because, after all, our upright, ethical, cowboy is above such things. Director Gross seems to like flying bodies, so the typical battle scene is one of bodies flying about like men on a trapeze. But that is nothing compared to the tour de force: the wounded brother hanging like a Christ on the cross on the German line, and, of course, our hero has to get to the boy to save him. But just to make sure that the audience understands the scale of justice and the stupidity of war, Director Gross has to hit us over the head with the symbol: shell shocked or wounded young Germans, kids in fact; remember, the good sergeant killed one in the heat of battle. So now we are primed for his death, but not before he heroically carries the boy back on his makeshift cross. Our hero is not only a man of integrity and tough, but he is super strong! He's been shot – serious enough to die from his wound but he still manages to carry the wounded boy back through the mud, the German officer in charge having given the nod – ah yes, we must also have nobility in the battle front. I forgot to add, my friend mentioned that in the midst of trench warfare, mud, rain and blood, Sergeant Gross had wonderfully white teeth! But then, he is an Albertan super hero.
Finally: a Canadian film about Canadian heroes: our soldiers !
posted on 03 Jul 2009Most of us have one or more great-grandfathers, other relatives or even friends ( I knew a WW1 Veteran as a small child, he was a pensioner with my great-grandmother) who fought with the Canadian Corps in Europe.It was a brutal & dirty war where our soldiers paid in blood for Canada to be recognized as a nation. Moreover, they got the job done, without fanfare or banners: farm boys and clerks from a colony became the elite fighting formation of the western front.The film depicts all of the above, the price each paid, in physical and emotional pain, in lives lost and friendships made.Paul Gross has dome it again. A beautiful movie, without fanfare or banners that says it all, in subtle moments and firm assertions.Thank you, Mr Gross.
It was pretty good, but not related to the fight of Passchendaele
posted on 29 Jun 2009The movie in my opinion was actually pretty, there was great fighting scene at the end, and there is a love story in between. The only part of the movie that I didn't like was that it really wasn't based to Passchendaele, I mean it is a bit disrespectful to the 600,000 thousand people who when to war for Canada. I love the movie, the only down side is that it really isn't based to Passchendaele. The other thing is, is that the movie it self is very believe able, and that makes it all the better. It isn't a waste of time, but if you want to see something that is not disrespecting people that fought for our lifes in the war, then maybe this movie isn't for you. It really doesn't show you what actually happened at the battle, but it shows the connection that three people have when they end up meeting each in Canada then at France.
good movie bad promotion
posted on 23 Jun 2009Watched this movie last night and enjoyed it. I agree the ending with the boy on the cross was cheesy, and the death scene a bit trite, but it wasn't bad enough to completely spoil the movie for me.The problem is that this movie isn't so much about Passchendaele as it is about what the war did to individuals in Canadian Society at that time. It brought us together as a nation and gave us our first sense of identity independent of Britain, but it also did an awful lot of damage to individuals along the way. The movie does a good job of showing that.However, the movie was promoted as a docu drama about the battle, and the battle was just a part of the whole movie, so naturally people who thought they were going to a battle movie were disappointed.I was struck by how beautifully done the movie was. The production values were excellent. Sets, costumes...meticulously done. I was very impressed. The script was a bit unfocused at times, and could have benefited from some honest criticism and another re-write.The trouble is Canadian niceness...no-body that new him and liked him probably wanted to give Paul Grosse the tough criticism he needed, and nobody that didn't know and like him probably got to see the script.Anyway...I'm glad he made it and I'm glad I watched it. I hope he learns from this and makes another movie.
A film every Canadian should see
posted on 15 Jun 2009It's really kind of sad that on election night only mere days ago that many Canadian TV stations were glued to CNN to watch the American debate between two politicians that have nothing to do with our country. It is also sad that when I ask today's youth if they have ever heard of the B.N.A act, maybe 1 out of 10 know what it is and what it means to Canada. When I was in Grade 6, I had a teacher named Mr. Brett who was so unabashedly proud to be Canadian that it made us laugh at times. He knew the provinces, capitals, lakes, native history, wars, documents and anything else about Canada that was important. We need more teachers like him. Today, there is nothing funny about the patriotism he showed us 25 years ago. It is something that is severely lacking in our country today.Paul Gross has made a film that if nothing else, should get the youth of this country to appreciate what it meant and what it means to be Canadian and why it is paramount to remember where we came from before you can get to where you want to go. I have the life I do because of the men and women portrayed in this film. Both of my grandfathers served in WWII, and both of them have since passed. I wish they could of been around to see this film, they would of been proud of the job Paul Gross did.Passchendaele is the story of Canada's contribution to the Great War. It takes place after Vimy Ridge and begins with Michael Dunne in the middle of a firefight with the Germans. He manages to save some of his buddies by throwing a grenade into the Germans stronghold. As he enters the area he just bombed, there is one young boy left alive. Dunne puts his bayonet into his forehead.He is sent home as a war hero, but he also went AWOL, not being able to deal with his guilt of killing a young boy for no good reason. This is where he meets Sara, the nurse who helps bring him back to health. He falls in love with her and they begin a romance that she is fearful of. She tells him she could fall so hard for him and that the one rule she has is that he doesn't die. He gives her his word that he will live up to that promise. Eventually he is thrust back into the war when her brother enlists to win the hand of a young woman who's father is just a little duplicitous when he tells the young man that to prove his worth for his daughter's hand, he must go to war, even though he has asthma.Passchendaelle explores the proud moments in our countries young history, and it explores some of the not so cherished moments. While we were quick to lionize our soldiers when they were on the battle field, we were just as quick to harass some of them when they came home. Also, in the name of national security, Canadians born in this country were forced to leave their homes because their ancestors were German. This problem got worse as time went on culminating in WWII with the Japanese enslavement.The apex of this story is the battle scenes. They are raw, visceral and sometimes tough to watch. What is also incredible about the film is how cold it makes you feel. Many of the battle scenes are in torrential rainstorms, and they are to their chest in mud at times. You feel the frigid water against your skin and while watching the film you thank the heavens you aren't there. Paul Gross did a fantastic job filming this and he has gone that extra mile to make you feel what our ancestors felt while fighting this war.This is a fantastic film and it should clean up at the Genies this year. I want to thank Paul Gross for making such a stunning film and one that all Canadians should be proud of. It doesn't matter if you are a native of this great country, or if you immigrated here, it is because of the people this movie portrays that we have this country we do. Do our ancestors proud and see this film. You can watch W. or Max Payne on DVD. See this one at the theater.One final note is that although I saw this film with a small crowd, it was the middle of the afternoon, when the film ended, no one left. The credits rolled, and every single one of the 50 or so people in the theater just watched. There was real footage of Canadian soldiers during the Great War. Those images could of been of my grandfather. It might of been one of their grandfathers. It was all very moving and made me feel very proud of my ancesters. Thank you again Paul.9/10
Terrible terrible movie
posted on 07 Jun 2009I can understand the appreciation from Canadians for this movie- it is rare to see a wide release film that depicts their countrymen as the admittedly brilliant fighting force that they were in WWI. That does not excuse this movie, which falls victim to seemingly every war movie cliché in the book. The extensive use of glow effects in the early Calgary scenes, the change in lighting and weather prior to the return to the battlefield, the atrocious dialog- with such rich source material, its pathetic that the filmmakers had to draw on such a tired premise as this- as others have said, its more or less Saving Private Ryan in WWI, down to the over-saturated filter during the battle scenes. And don't even get me started on the heavy-handed symbolism of the climactic scene, which spells out "overdoing it" in so many different ways. Yes, we get it. War is hell, but a few good men can deliver us. Yes, I understand, its their cross to bear. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO LITERALLY SHOW THE MAIN CHARACTER BEARING A CROSS! There is a thing called subtlety, which Passchendaele sadly lacks. Instead, its an overblown farce of a movie, which succumbs to all the antiquated and outdated notions of the worst tradition of big-budget war epics. In a way, its like the war it purports to represent: meaningless, ineptly commanded, and ultimately irrelevant. Avoid at all costs unless you go for a laugh.
Great movie, if a little lacking in actual war scenes.
posted on 07 Jun 2009I loved this film but like many took issue with its heavy focus on the love story. As far as a Romance goes, this movie was pretty typical and didn't take the concept anywhere. At no point did my emotions get challenged by the love between Michael and Sarah. The fact that he takes such heavy handed steps to get her love makes this a very 20th century take.That said, I still love the movie because I am a Canadian Studies buff. A lot of people are criticizing the movie for its over use of Christ imagery and metaphors. However, it should be noted that this is more of a comment on the ideology surrounding the war in Canada at the time. This is supported by the continual presence of the recruitment officer (a burly representation of propaganda) and several important references to Christ and crucifixion during the movie (and how the Canadians attempted to use Christ imagery against the Germans). Canadian soldiers in WWI were perceived as heroes, if not Christ figures in their own design. Sacrifice was a major theme in propaganda during the war. Its use in the movie should be considered in its historical placement, and not our contemporary anxiety about putting Christ in blockbuster movies.Also, it is without a doubt the most disturbing and, from my seat, realistic battle portrayal in any movie. It is completely senseless and violent, without the ridiculous amounts of gore and explosions seen in American films. The fighting was extremely emotional and primitive and the scenery was a perfect match for the dreary reality of it all.
Most misleading title ever
posted on 05 Jun 2009Imagine how choked people who went to see "Mama Mia" would be if they got "Saving Private Ryan" instead. That's this movie.As a history enthusiast, I had high hopes for this film since Canada is hardly ever mentioned in any war movie. I was not impressed.. you can call Pearl Harbour a love story with a WWII backdrop, but at least you get some pretty good battle scenes. Passchendale had 90% love story with and about 10% combat. And the combat scene was done on a such a small scale it did not at all capture the slaughter and mayhem of WWI. I found the dialogue cheesy and there were some real eye-roller cornball moments in the film.Bottom line, as a love story it's not a total write off, but I left the theatre wondering why they even called it "Passchendaele" in the first place.
sad and offensive.
posted on 26 May 2009The writers, directors and producers of this film should be ashamed of themselves. This is an offensive take on an important moment in Canadian history. Not only does this film seem to glorify and further the career of Paul Gross at the cost of creating an important documentation of Canadian history that could have been shown with pride on the world stage, but it offends the viewer who cares about the history of this country. Why Canadian film making seems to be run by self aggrandizing and shameless scam artists out to make a buck at the cost of a countries integrity and the honor of the memory of all those men and women who died so long ago.I expect this kind of crap from paul gross, and am reminded why I should not have rented this film. A great disappointment to what what it could have been, and what it should have been. Bummer.
20% War movie 80% mumbo jumbo. Horrible Movie overall. Typical Canadian movie trying to be different.
posted on 22 May 2009I had really high hopes for this movie. The trailers kind of sucked me in. To me it looked like a Canadian war movie, maybe like Saving Private Ryan in realism. There was a flash of love story in the preview. Would it be 80 percent war movie, and 20 percent Love story? Nope, completely opposite, and the love story is bogged down in a "Canadianized" slant, that ruined it for me. They couldn't just leave the nice guy to meet the nice girl. They have to make the nice girl a morphine addict. This is just an example of the rest of the story. Don't get me wrong, i love a good love story (The Notebook!) But not this one. And the whole crucifixion scene??? Unrealistic, out of context, over edited. On the plus side, the scenery around southern Alberta was spectacular.
Better than average war movie!
posted on 14 May 2009What did I like about Passchendaele. The movie had great character development. The viewer can relate to the pathos of the major characters. Passchendaele's story was easy to follow with the right mix of personal character development mixed in with the historical events of the film. What I did not like about the film is the downer ending. I will not spoil the story but my wife hated the ending. I also did not like the usual everyone get a girlfriend and make love to her story subplot. That plot device is overdone in war movies. Overall, I liked this movie. I found the movie entertaining. Worth watching I give the movie a seven out of ten.
Not bad, but falls a bit short
posted on 14 May 2009I quite enjoyed the battle scenes in this movie for the most part. It is from what I can tell an excellent depiction of World War I. It's refreshing to see a World War I movie and from a Canadian perspective to boot.However the surrounding story line was just full of cheese. The whole relationship was painful to watch, and for the most part uninteresting. It was just far too cliché too enjoy. The dialogue was just painful at parts.I found myself wanting to see more of the battle and a lot less of the love story.
Passchendaele
posted on 22 Apr 2009As a historian who's Grandfather fought in this momentous battle I was rather disappointed. The title promised a lot and delivered a little. The main problem was that it could have been really good, exceptional even but it wasn't. The battle sequences could also have been good, but they simply didn't hit the mark. No one should ever underestimate Canada's contribution to WWI and this particular battle but this hardly does those brave soldiers credit. And of course the Brit is the bad guy. Come on is that the best you can do Mr. Gross? You've had a blast and you've blown it bigger than any explosion in the film. The real pisser is that with a better script and more attention to detail this could have, but could have's don't win awards and this most definitely doesn't deserve any. I really wanted to like this film. Waste of money buying the DVD. There are about 7 minutes actually worth watching and somebody could have saved me the hassle and banged them on Youtube
The Horrible Truth about war
posted on 18 Apr 2009I saw this movie the other day and I was very pleased by its content. We too are studying world war one in our grade 10 history class and after seeing this movie you really understand trench warfare. Not only the bloody battles but also the fact that these young men had no idea what they were getting into when they signed up. Yes it was also a love story but it needed to have some kind of relief in the movie to make up from all the gory truth. War is horrible and ugly, but we wouldn't be standing here today with the freedom that we have if it weren't for it. I recommend seeing this movie because we have a lot to be thankful for.
Good until the massive Biblical Allusion
posted on 12 Aug 2009I recently took a large group of students (150) to go see this movie. While it was extremely well done, in terms of historical accuracy. I found the movie spent a little too much time in Calgary developing the story. This was actively promoted as a Canadian WWI movie - however, I felt there wasn't enough time spent focusing on the actual war.I did enjoy this movie and appreciate what Paul Gross has attempted to do. Canada's role in the world wars tends to be overshadowed and definitely deserves to be put into the light.My biggest problem with the film is the end. All the realism that had been built up was completely dashed away with the extremely overpowering Biblical allusion - I am Christian and I found it WAY to much to stomach. As I stated it completely took away from any realism the film had going (which was a lot).All and all educating people on Canadian's role in WWI is very much appreciated. Next time, leave religion out of it.