Dunkirk

Dunkirk, the latest Film Club event on 15th June, tells the story of Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, and France surrounded by the German Army, and their evacuation during a fierce battle in World War II.  It follows three distinct storylines from differing perspectives.

Taking place in the Orpen Hall, doors will open at 7 pm for showtime at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be available.

Rating & Tickets

The film is rated 12A because of intense war experience and some language.  Those aged 12 & over and under 16, should be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are £5, available in advance from Scissorhands, with proceeds going towards a new playground at Orpen field.  Refreshments will be available on the night.  Enjoy the trailer and a fuller synopsis of the show below as well as a more local perspective.

Trailer

Local Angle

Although the small boat focussed on in this story was from Weymouth, nearly one-fifth of all the small boats that made that dangerous crossing to Dunkirk were from Essex!  One eye-witness a local reporter spoke to back in 1990 said:

It wasn’t until they all came together that you realised just how many ruddy boats there were in Essex waters.

You can read more of this local story at the Echo newspaper website.

Synopsis

It’s May/June 1940 and 400,000 British and French soldiers have found their way to the French port town of Dunkirk. The only way out is via sea, and the Germans have air superiority, bombing the British soldiers and ships without much opposition. The situation looks dire and, in desperation, Britain sends civilian boats in addition to its hard-pressed Navy to try to evacuate the beleaguered forces.

This is that story, seen through the eyes of a soldier amongst those trapped forces, two Royal Air Force fighter pilots, and a group of civilians on their boat, part of the evacuation fleet.

[Source: IMDB]