SHOOTING THE SOMME How an Icon Film was Made

“Shooting the Somme” tells the tale of how the famous Great War film ‘The Battle of the Somme’ was made. It was the first war film and purportedly, captured the British attack on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It was released in the UK and, later, around the rest of the world, even as the battle raged on – 20 million people watched it in the UK alone. Even today, it remains the biggest box office draw in the history of cinema in the UK.
…except that some of it was faked. Carruthers traces through the film and identifies which elements were real and which weren’t. Some of the most iconic scenes, including those that most people even today associate with their perception of trench warfare, were allegedly filmed a few days after the event, away from the front line in order to add drama to the film.