Dramatic reconstruction of two 1914 naval battles off Coronel and the Falkland Islands.The first a defeat of the British by Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee, the second a retaliation by the British under vice Admiral Sturdee.
It has enormous confidence and artistry, and the comparison with Sergei Eisenstein is justified.
This recently restored 1920s British war film is a revelation – a silent movie that, for all its jingoism, is shot and edited on a scale and with an ingenuity that invokes memories of the great Soviet silent movies.
Throughout, it captures the thrill and melodrama (“We’ll ’ave to change our name from ‘Good Hope’ to ‘What Hope’.” cries a smoke-damaged sailor), while making a fetish of guns, steam, fire and clank. Had Sergei Eisenstein been British, he might have made something that looked like this.
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow on Sunday October 19, 2014. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Tuesday October 28, 2014, until Thursday October 30, 2014. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
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