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Journey's End (2017 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Journey's End' is a 2017 British war film based on the 1928 play by R. C. Sherriff. Written by Simon Reade and directed by Saul Dibb, it was screened in the "Special Presentations" section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film is the fifth film adaptation of the play, following 'Journey's End' (1930), 'The Other Side' (1931), 'Aces High' (1976), and 'Journey's End' (1988 BBC TV film).
Plot
Young Second Lieutenant Raleigh is sent to the front lines of the war, the trenches in Northern France. He requests of General Raleigh, his uncle, that he be under the command of Captain Stanhope of C Company, a man whom he knew from school. Stanhope used to holiday with Raleigh and his sister Margaret. Stanhope has taken to heavy drinking to numb himself to the horrors of his war situation. Raleigh is greeted by a kindly older officer, Lieutenant Osborne, who asks to be called 'Uncle' by all fellow officers.
At any moment the Germans could launch an attack in what would come to be known as the German spring offensive. Information from a deserter reveals that the German assault is planned for Thursday 21 March 1918. To pre-empt the assault Stanhope is ordered to send two of his officers and ten men on a daytime raid across no man's land. The officers chosen are the trusted Lieutenant Osborne and Second Lieutenant Raleigh. Only four men and Raleigh return alive, with one German prisoner (captured by Raleigh as he had been ordered).
On 21 March all men are on duty, and the shelling and mortar fire begin. The British soldiers can barely see or hold on to their guns through all the dust and debris. Raleigh is severely wounded in the back. Stanhope takes him below ground and lays him on a bed. He comforts the dying man and covers him with a blanket just as Raleigh complains of being "too cold" and breathes his last. Stanhope emerges from the dugout in shock as the artillery explodes around him.
Much later the Germans, in gas masks, are seen surveying the captured trenches, with the bodies of the British strewn around dead and motionless. Meanwhile, back at home, Margaret finally receives a letter from her brother, sent just after his arrival at the front.
Cast
* Asa Butterfield Second Lieutenant Raleigh
* Sam Claflin Captain Stanhope
* Paul Bettany Lieutenant 'Uncle' Osborne
* Tom Sturridge Second Lieutenant Hibbert
* Toby Jones Private Mason (The Cook)
* Stephen Graham Second Lieutenant Trotter
* Robert Glenister The Colonel
* Andy Gathergood The Sergeant-Major of C-Company
* Miles Jupp Captain Hardy
* Jack Holden Bert Turner (Cook's helper)
* Eirik Bar Soldat Ernst Schfer (German prisoner)
Production
Development
The proposed film was first announced in 2014, with the intention that it would be part of the British commemoration of the First World War centenary. It was to be produced by Guy De Beaujeu, and was originally planned to be directed by David Grindley, who had previously directed a frequently revived stage production of the play.Writing
Although the screenplay is based on the play by R. C. Sherriff, a dozen new characters were introduced by writer Simon Reade for this screen adaptation.Casting
The film's producer confirmed that the ideal cast might include Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Eddie Redmayne, but that no actors had yet been approached. Further press information in December 2016 announced that the cast would include Paul Bettany, Tom Sturridge and Toby Jones, and that the film was due for release in 2017.Filming
The production was made at Pinewood Studios Wales, Cardiff in Wales and on location in Suffolk, England.Release
'Journey's End' was released on 8 September 2017. The film received a wider theatrical release in Spring 2018, the centenary of the German spring offensive, the events of the German attacks which it depicts.
Reception
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 91% based on 102 reviews. The website's 'critics consensus' reads, "'Journey's End' brings R.C. Sherriff's 90-year-old play to the screen with thrilling power, thanks to director Saul Dibb's hard-hitting urgency and brilliant work from a talented cast." On Metacritic the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Todd McCarthy of 'The Hollywood Reporter' commented that "the film serves to illuminate how very different the British army or any army was then, with its class distinctions and comparatively polite conversational modes, and how differently wars are now fought." Dennis Harvey of 'Variety' said, "The convincing physical production is shot in muddy earthtones by Laurie Rose and is well accentuated by an original score of urgent, mournful strings."
Simran Hans of 'The Observer' gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and writing, "Sam Claflin is particularly good as the boozy, brooding Captain Stanhope, whose intensity, belligerence and self-loathing flesh out what might in less capable hands have been a clichd, shell-shocked soldier." Peter Bradshaw of 'The Guardian' gave the film 4 stars out of 5, calling it "expertly cast and really well acted: forthright, powerful, heartfelt".
References
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