The Battle of the Somme (1916) was a documentary and propaganda film made by British official cinematographers Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell during World War I. Despite being intended as patriotic propaganda, the film was, for its time, a very graphic portrayal of trench warfare, showing dead and dying British and German soldiers.

The film was shot before and during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Some of the scenes of troops going "over the top" had been staged before the battle started, but Malins captured many of the most famous scenes on July 1, 1916, the first day of the battle, when he was near the front at Beaumont Hamel. From this position he filmed iconic image of the detonation of the massive mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt as well as the preparations and advance of the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers of the British 29th Division. This was the same battalion that won six VCs at W Beach during the landing at Cape Helles, Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

Malins and McDowell did not set out to make a feature film but once the volume and quality of their footage was seen in London, the British Topical Committee for War Films decided to compile a feature-length film. William F. Jury was the producer and the film was edited by Malins and Charles Urban.

The completed film spanned five reels and lasted 62 minutes and 50 seconds. It was first screened on 10 August, 1916, while the battle was still raging, to an invited audience at the Scala Theatre. On 21 August the film began showing simultaneously in 34 London cinemas, opening in provincial cities the following week. The Royal Family were given a private screening at Windsor Castle in September. It was eventually shown in 18 countries.

The film was even screened for British soldiers at rest in France where it provided new recruits with some idea of what they were about to face. The soldier's main complaint was the failure of the film to capture the sound of battle. However, as a silent film, the titles could be remarkably forthright, describing images of injury and death.

The film was shown to the British public as a morale booster and in general it was favourably received. Some considered it immoral to broadcast scenes of violence, the Dean of Durham protesting "against an entertainment which wounds the heart and violates the very sanctity of bereavement." Others complained that such a serious film shared the cinema programme with comedy films. The British public's response to the film was enormous with an estimated 20 million tickets being sold in two months. On this basis, The Battle of the Somme remains one of the most successful British films ever.

External links

• Authenticity of The Battle of the Somme