Dunkirk On-Screen

Okay, first things first. Hands up who’s seen Christopher Nolan’s epic WWII box office hit Dunkirk? If you have thought about it but are still on the fence, I recommend you see it in the theatre. Dunkirk is the sort of film that is sure to lose much of its visceral and emotional impact if you don’t experience it on the big screen. And you know you want to be imagining yourself snuggled up in the cockpit next to Tom Hardy, right?

The evacuation operation of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France in May and June of 1940 has been referenced on film many times before this treatment, however, and with good reason. It was a daunting and inspiring undertaking in which civilians joined with military personnel in courage and solidarity to rescue over 330,000 British and French soldiers. It was a great morale boost for the British by turning a military disaster into a heroic narrative.

In fact, even before the war was over, the Miracle of Dunkirk had made its way onto the big screen. In a memorable scene from 1942’s Mrs. Miniver, Clem Miniver (Walter Pidgeon) and his neighbors from the local river patrol are summoned from their beds by the Ministry of Shipping to take part in the evacuation with their small boats venturing forty miles across the dangerous open sea.

Other theatrical depictions include director Joe Wright’s haunting and powerful scene in 2007’s Oscar-nominated film Atonement. If you’ve seen it, you will no doubt remember the extraordinary five-minute tracking shot that follows Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) as he and his comrades come upon the chaotic scene on the Dunkirk coast.