• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Passchendaele movie

The "Whole Jesus thing " you refer to is a referance to this ....."Canada's Golgotha" created by Francis Derwent Wood in 1918. It depicts the image of a Canadian soldier crucified with bayonets and a group of German soldiers standing around and jeering. Wood's sculpture was on display until 1920 when the post-war German government demanded proof of the crucifixion. The Canadian Government couldn't provide any proof, so the statue was removed from public display. "(Courtesy of a poster on Great War Forum)
 
Some reviews from the papers...

Passchendaele

http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/10/15/film-reviews-w-passchendaele-battle-in-seattle-and-happy-go-lucky/

I got a bit of shock when I saw myself prominently quoted in a newspaper ad for Passchendaele with a one-line blurb: “Astonishing.” I didn’t remember being quite that keen on the film. But after looking up my advance piece on it in the magazine before its TIFF premiere, I located the quote: “. . . the graphic images of horror and futility on the battlefield are astonishing.” I stand by that. But battle scenes make up less than half the movie, and I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the rest of it. In what amounts to a big-screen war memorial, Paul Gross—Passchendaele’s writer, director, producer and star—has done an admirable job of drawing attention to an under-heralded chapter of Canadian military history in a war that is sadly fading from the national heritage. He conveys the nightmare of that battle with real eloquence.

As docudrama, in other words, the film has power. But in trying to forge a Canadian alternative to gung-ho stereotype of Hollywood heroism, Gross has forged a construct that’s equally far-fetched. His character is no Rambo; his glory does not come from the barrel of a gun. But he turns out to be a kind of Captain Canuck Christ figure, dedicated to the salvation of a weaker comrade and performing a stunt of magic-realist peace-keeping in the thick of battle.

The problem is, the film begins with him stabbing a helpless young German soldier for no good reason, suggesting his character, Michael Dunne, has a dark side. But aside from a stray reference to him once robbing a bank, that darkness is never sustained or explored. Between tours of duty, as Dunne falls in love on the Albertan home front, he’s too good to be true. Gross is most appealing when he gives free reign to his sly wit and rogue malevolence—the subversive Gross we saw in Slings and Arrows. But between the telegraphic script and the gleaming performance, his character in Passchendaele feels too carefully honed. At times I felt he was running for office in some imaginary election.


Passchendaele: Testament to Canada's sacrifices

Paul Gross's tale of love and war a realistic depiction of the battle fought in the hell of the Belgian plains

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/518973

Unabashedly romantic while also unyielding in its horrific images of World War I, Passchendaele succeeds on two fronts.
As both romantic drama and vivid testament to history, the film is designed to appeal to a wide audience while providing a needed reminder of Canada's sacrifices during "the Great War."

Paul Gross acquits himself well in the ambitious triple tasks of writer, director and lead actor.

He's made a major step up from his 2002 directing debut Men With Brooms, shifting gracefully from a small comedy to the big-budget drama that is Passchendaele.
The Alberta shoot involved upwards of 200 actors and the logistical nightmare of recreating the muddy hell of the Belgian plains where both battle and film draw their name.
Passchendaele was one of the signal conflicts of the First World War, causing 16,000 Canadian casualties (with 5,000 dead) amongst the 310,000 Allied casualties (with 140,000 deaths) during the fall of 1917.

The event defined a still-young Canadian Confederation, uniting people from sea to shining sea in common cause, yet it's barely known or understood by many people today.
Gross hopes to rectify this situation with Passchendaele. The film realistically depicts the savagery of a trench battle in which combatants often resorted to hand-to-hand combat, after their tanks and other machines became mired in the mud.

While honouring the sacrifice of Canada's troops, Gross is careful not to impart a pro-war message. Indeed, his heroic character, Sgt. Michael Dunne, is conflicted by the need to use violence to achieve peace: "It's something we do all the time because we're good at it." (Dunne is named for Gross's maternal grandfather, who fought in the First World War and inspired his grandson to make Passchendaele.)



Putting the passion into Passchendaele

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/MOVIEREVIEWS.20081017.PASSCHENDAELE17/MovieStory/Entertainment/Movies

The multihyphenate Paul Gross gets lot of credits on his new film, Passchendaele: director, writer, star and composer, to which he could add: Seeker of the elusive grail of Canadian popular taste.

Budgeted at $20-million, Passchendaele is considered the most expensive home-financed Canadian film ever, but its ambitions are considerably grander than the movie's modest (by Hollywood standards) budget. Gross's model would seem to be no less than Titanic, combining historical disaster with a lush, romantic love story. The Passchendaele poster manages to combine Titanic and Band of Brothers. Events from the 1917 battle of the title, which saw 16,000 Canadians killed among more than a half-million dead in the quagmire of the Belgian countryside, are contrasted with a love story set against beautiful vistas of the Alberta foothills. Heroic deeds, doomed love and self-sacrifice are the ingredients of an old-fashioned weepie, mixed with a more modern depiction of the squalor and brutality of war.

Passchendaele opens with an attention-grabbing war scene in France, where Sergeant Michael Dunne (Gross) sees his platoon mates torn apart by machine-gun fire. He single-handedly takes out the German gun nest but finds one German youth alive and unarmed: In an angry impulse, he stabs the boy through the forehead with his bayonet. His own mindless brutality is as traumatic to Michael as the artillery shell that blows him into the air a moment later. He's sent home to recover from his wounds and shell shock.

The movie is a sincere but awkward patchwork of hits and misses as it tries to blend wide-canvas history with personal intimacy. The well-orchestrated battle scenes that bookend the film are much more interesting than the small-town tale of romance and community conflict that occupies its long middle. As the central couple, Gross, handsome and cocky, and Quebec-born actress Caroline Dhavernas, as the plucky and winsome Sarah, make a reasonably appealing pair but most of the people around them are one-dimensional, cut-out characters.

Even if it's not a particularly good movie, Passchendaele can't be dismissed as a cultural phenomenon. The film offers the kind of heart-on-sleeve inspiration that some contemporary politicians are calling for (the Alberta government coughed up more than a quarter of the budget, apparently on the film's heritage merits). Gross, who made his reputation as the star and co-writer of the nineties' hit television series Due South, and later created the film comedy Men with Brooms (2002), has become Canada's designated populist entertainer.


Passchendaele (2.5 stars)

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2008/09/03/passchendaele-2-5-stars.aspx

The opening-night film is epic and sweeping but a tad overwrought, spending its middle 70 minutes or so in Calgary, following the tentative romance between a First World War soldier, shellshocked and discharged, and a nurse nursing a secret (Caroline Dhavernas). The opening 15 minutes present the war Saving Private Ryan style, all blood and mud. The film’s final act features the battle of Passchendaele, when Canadians proved their mettle and earned the nickname “storm trooper” from the German soldiers. Cross-cutting between Calgary and the battle might have livened the film, which also labours under a leaden script; people don’t talk so much as lob speeches at one another.

 
Ok further thoughts. I still stand by the final scene, the CGI one not the Gross does Golgotha bit did get to me a bit, mind we are approaching November 11th.

For the rest, ok, not as good as I was expecting but ok. What we have is a 20 odd minute war movie followed by a 1 hour trailer for visit scenic Alberta with a bit of a love interest and a teenage comedy tacked on, followed by another 40 minute war movie.

Both battle sequences were fairly well done I though. Uniforms, mannerisms, tactics etc seem accurate, although contrary to popular belief I’m not old enough to know for sure.

I’d put this up there in the category of The English Patient, Legends of the Fall and maybe even Atonement, all slightly inferior clones of Doctor Zhivago, basically chick flicks with enough guns and violence to keep us from falling asleep in our seats.

That said with the lack of Canadian military and/or history films out there (aside from some CBC style politically correct hatchet jobs), I’ll take it. This may be the proverbial camels nose under the tent flap. It’s 4th in the Box office in Canada, so maybe we’ll see some more down the road. Films on Otona, Vimy, Hong Kong, Batoche, Quebec, Medak, Panjeway et cetera et cetera….. yes I know I’m dreaming.
 
Danjanou said:
Ok further thoughts. I still stand by the final scene, the CGI one not the Gross does Golgotha bit did get to me a bit, mind we are approaching November 11th.

For the rest, ok, not as good as I was expecting but ok. What we have is a 20 odd minute war movie followed by a 1 hour trailer for visit scenic Alberta with a bit of a love interest and a teenage comedy tacked on, followed by another 40 minute war movie.

Both battle sequences were fairly well done I though. Uniforms, mannerisms, tactics etc seem accurate, although contrary to popular belief I’m not old enough to know for sure.

I’d put this up there in the category of The English Patient, Legends of the Fall and maybe even Atonement, all slightly inferior clones of Doctor Zhivago, basically chick flicks with enough guns and violence to keep us from falling asleep in our seats.

That said with the lack of Canadian military and/or history films out there (aside from some CBC style politically correct hatchet jobs), I’ll take it. This may be the proverbial camels nose under the tent flap. It’s 4th in the Box office in Canada, so maybe we’ll see some more down the road. Films on Otona, Vimy, Hong Kong, Batoche, Quebec, Medak, Panjeway et cetera et cetera….. yes I know I’m dreaming.

This is by far the best review of the movie I've seen or read yet. 

I echo the point I've bolded;  there are many great movies out there about the Amercian, British forces, etc, while ones telling the story of Canadian troops in conflicts are lacking.  I read a book years ago about the 82nd Airborne called "Urgent Fury:  The History of the 82nd Airborne Divsion" or something like that followed by one about the Canadian para's in WWII (called Wings of the Wind IIRC) and it crossed my mind then that there aren't alot of movies on Canadian forces, compared to the American ones.

I also recall thinking this while watching the last DVD in the Band of Brothers set, "We Stand Alone Together" where the actual vet's of Easy Coy were on the camera.  The worst part is, once these gents are all gone, there will never be an ability to capture them like that again.  Hopefully some Canadian filmmakers will realize this and get something going.  I've seen a few such documentaries on The History Channel on Canadian troops, the one on Ortona being the best one I've seen to date, but there are many other untold stories from those days.
 
four of us went to see the movie last night.  We all agreed the special effects were awesome.  The love interest was a little much and improbable at times.  It was not the best movie we had ever seen but it was far from being the worst.  It was pretty good entertainment and the battle scenes brought to the forefront a very important part of our military history.  Paul Gross should be commended for his efforts to bring a slice of Canadian military history to the viewer.  For that reason alone, everyone should make sure they see it.  :salute: :cdn:
 
Danjanou said:
It’s 4th in the Box office in Canada

I tried to go and see it on Saturday night and it was sold out a full half an hour before the start time.  I didn't get there early enough...
 
I saw the movie with my parents on Sunday. Dad is a Korea veteran and was impressed by the realism of the battle scenes and sounds, and the fact they (mostly) got the uniforms right.

I agree the movie was a bit of a melodrama and dragged in the middle.  The one reaction that surprised me, though, was my mum's.  She's not a war movie fan by any means, but she cried through most of this one.  She told us after she was thinking of her uncle who served as a stretcher-bearer at Passchendaele with the Can Scots.  He never spoke much of what he and the others had gone through and she said the movie made her appreciate what they had to live through as young men.

For all its flaws (and what movie doesn't have them?) I think this movie achieved its goal.
 
I saw it Sunday with the girl and after seeing it, the title almost seems inappropriate, as I felt it didn't focus enough on the actual battle.
It was interesting to see what my hometown looked like back in 1917, and how different a time it was back then when men could be shamed into serving, mind you thousands volunteered on their own.

The love story dragged on a bit too much and seemed a little far fetched ( I didn't know you could make a girl fall in love by going for a horse ride and then describing a river and hills) and the flow of the movie seemed a little off at times. The battle scenes were very intense though and really captured the hell it must of been, the girl asked if the rain and mud were just for dramatic effect and I assured it was not from what I read about and saw on History television specials.

I was hoping for more Saving private Ryan and less Pearl Harbor.

Still I feel Canadians should support it and overall I enjoyed it.
 
- My wife and I took our 14 year old son to see it on Tuesday. 

- Kudos to all who made it possible, especially Paul Gross, who - instead of griping about a lack of Canadian war movies - went out and actually made one. 

- My conclusion is: we have yet to see the Great Canadian War Movie, but we are now one step closer. We now have a marketable movie with some VERY good scenes.  Critics are panning it, but that can be helpful in the long run.  It might even make it's money back - it's about a quarter of the way their now, I would think.

- Methinks this was such a one-man passion, that perhaps he tried to do a little too much.  A good twenty minutes could have been cut out of Calgary and added to the trenches.  Another director may have lent a slightly more critical eye to the storyline, but it takes a robust personality to get a project like this made in Canada, and such a person - determined and driven to push the project on, knowing he has only one shot at it - may not always be receptive to the ideas of others.  Such is the movie business.

- Anyway, he did it his way, and he can now say to anyone who want's to make another Canadian war movie (I recommend "Generals Die In Bed", by the way*), "There, over to you, and let's see what YOU can do!"


*Those of you in The Royal Montreal Regiment may not agree with my recommendation.
 
I did not get a chance to see the movie until it came out on DVD yesterday.  It was not screened here locally in Quebec City in English.  Not a big seller either judging by the 4 copies of the film at the Future Shop and 0 at WalMart in St Foy.

Sappy at times, sure.  The best that could be done?  Seeing as we don`t do war films on the whole in Canada, Canadian War Films, better than nothing.  Maybe a step towards a Vimy film, but I won`t hold my breath.

For me what was an unexpected bonus was that my hometown was the location for "downtown Calgary".  To see mainstreet, the Empress and all the other familiar buildings was worth 100 times the cost of the DVD to me.  I have not been back for over 15 years and don`t expect to walk those streets again.  This will give me a piece of home that I can take and enjoy anytime I wish.  Priceless....

I did expect a little better, but honestly it was a good movie overall.  Made me think that in today's PC world, Paul`s character would have been the subject of a witchhunt, not the recipient of a DCM.  Look to Petawawa and the good Captain.  How times change.
 
I was reading some of your comments, and the ones asking about if the scene were the little black devils leaving the battle when Michael Dunne and his squad came was real,
yes it was real, the little black devils thought they were getting re leaved from the fighting. this actually happened just to let people know
 
I seen it on the *cough cough* computer.. and basically I"m glad I didn't waste any money into it. I only watch about half of it.. and then I hit the little "x" button.
 
Watched for the first time last night; I guess my reaction is "alright." The story is okay, as well as the action. I generally think that some things could have been done differently. The action scenes were good, but there were a lot of cliches ie. "the Germans call us Stormtroopers." All in all, it probably could have been a bit better, but conversely been a lot worse. So I guess I'm back to alright.
I wouldn't show the whole movie in my history class; I'd probably stick to the battle scene at then end of the movie (or I could show the bayonet scene from the beginning...the kids like that gore  ::)).
 
I thought the movie was incredibly well done on all counts. Yeah, there was the love story, however I like how it showed other sides that most war movies don't show. It showed the trauma that he lived through, the shaming of boys into the army, and the disgusting treatment German-Canadians suffered during the war. The battle scene was phenomenal, and the matter of fact responses that the Maj. had when those around were getting blowed up, it was something that takes timing and a good straight face. I for one love the movie, and look forward to actually buying the DVD.
 
Chapeski said:
however I like how it showed other sides that most war movies don't show. It showed the trauma that he lived through, the shaming of boys into the army, and the disgusting treatment German-Canadians suffered during the war.
Thanks for reminding me of this...sometimes the little details can get overshadowed. I might have to show a bit more than I thought.
I guess my "alright" comment stems from the cliches. The one that really got me was when Pte. Mann get blown up and hangs on the duckboard like it's a crucifix. A thought it was a little too much, but maybe that's just me.
 
To be honest I felt it almost fitting that someone wound up in that state, not that I wanted that, however it seemed to tie in with Dunne's earlier comment about how an arty shell can launch a person into various positions. It seemed to dispel the rumor that was circulating in the field about that occurrence. That seen also allowed Mr. Gross to depict the Germans as humans, by allowing Dunne to retrieve his soldier. I felt that (and this is now personal opinion speaking) that this action would have better warranted a medal, rather than the blade through the melon of that poor kid. I will always say though, everyone is entitled to their opinion, that's what those men, and a great many of us here fight/fought for. I'm just glad I helped remind someone of this, lol. I hope your students are able to learn a little something from this film. I'm certain you are the type of teacher that student love to have in a subject such as history.
 
Chapeski said:
I thought the movie was incredibly well done on all counts. Yeah, there was the love story, however I like how it showed other sides that most war movies don't show. It showed the trauma that he lived through, the shaming of boys into the army, and the disgusting treatment German-Canadians suffered during the war. The battle scene was phenomenal, and the matter of fact responses that the Maj. had when those around were getting blowed up, it was something that takes timing and a good straight face. I for one love the movie, and look forward to actually buying the DVD.

Just bought it/watched it--stunning movie; stellar performances. It's a coming-of-age film for an industry that's lived so long in the shadow of that huge film industry to the south of us that we sometimes forget it's better to "just be who you are."  As Paul Gross has done.

It's style is not of the hard-hitting action-packed "Saving Private Ryan" variety but it has it's own understated and subtle beauty.This film stands on it's own. From the realism of the battle scenes where violence is acknowledged but never gratuitous to the brooding quiet heroes and their moving struggles for personal growth. They aren't larger-than-life-heroes because Gross makes sure the audience understands each of their inner struggles in a more personal way. They are quiet, obedient heroes struggling with authority figures, with identity, with the broken-ness that comes with war.

The orientation is panoramic and looks at war from all angles including the Canadian habit of consideration of the "other" as you noted Chapeski WRT the "disgusting" treatment of German Canadians. Concern for relationships, for different cultural and ethnic groups is an undercurrent in many Canadian movies.

Frankly, I can't wait to watch it again. There's a lot going on in this movie.

Canadian film has come a long way since the days of "the mountie and the moose" movies.

[edit: spelling]
 
Chapeski said:
To be honest I felt it almost fitting that someone wound up in that state, not that I wanted that, however it seemed to tie in with Dunne's earlier comment about how an arty shell can launch a person into various positions. It seemed to dispel the rumor that was circulating in the field about that occurrence.

Maybe the problem is everyone is looking at that scene from a 'military accuracy' part, and not the symbolic sense I think it was meant in.
 
Eye In The Sky said:
Maybe the problem is everyone is looking at that scene from a 'military accuracy' part, and not the symbolic sense I think it was meant in.
I guess there's a fine line sometimes between accuracy and symbolism. It just didn't work for me (maybe that the realist coming out). Everyone sees things differently right?
Chapeski said:
I hope your students are able to learn a little something from this film. I'm certain you are the type of teacher that student love to have in a subject such as history.
Thanks...I do my best.
I'm still thinking about when and how much to show. I normally show all of All Quiet on the Western Front (the 1979 version), which I think is really good at showing trench warfare and the loss of innocence. I also show the last bit of Gallipoli, which once again shows trench warfare but also the slaughter of WWI as well as the mistakes and miscalculations that can occur in war. I think it will replace the episode of Norm Christie's King and Empire on Passchendaele. We'll see how it works.
 
Eye In The Sky said:
Maybe the problem is everyone is looking at that scene from a 'military accuracy' part, and not the symbolic sense I think it was meant in.

I'll always say people can see something however they want, I personally dig a little deeper into movies/plays/art as in my previous life (Pre-Sept. 2007) I was a tech in theatre and had lots of experience deconstructing and reconstructing various pieces of movies/plays/art for work and school. On a side note, in November 2005 I almost had the luxury of delivering a desk from Soulpepper Theatre Company to Mr. Gross' Toronto home.


History has many sides to it, and I'm sure that there will never be a time when all sides are fully covered, because when that happens there will be no more conflict.
 
Back
Top