Battle of the Ancre and Advance of the Tanks, The

Synopsis

Official World War 1 film of the Western Front. Actual shots of men in the trenches. No heroics, slow-moving, mundane in style and yet greatly interesting on account of the reality of the situations and the simplicity of the approach.

DVD/Blue-ray
THE BATTLE OF THE ANCRE AND ADVANCE OF THE TANKS (1917) is the official film of the British Army’s autumn campaign on the Somme, which ran from 15 September to 18 November 1916.
The sequel to THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME (1916), which covered the opening phase of the campaign (Battle of Albert) and the infantry offensive on 1 July 1916, Battle of the Ancre should not be dismissed as Somme II. Although less well known than Battle of the Somme, which did record business at the box office, Battle of the Ancre also drew big audiences and was a critical success. Many consider The Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks as the better film cinematically and it contains haunting images of trench warfare, notably of the mud that beset the battlefields, the waves of troops advancing into no man’s land, the use of horses and the first views of the ‘Tank’; the secret weapon which it was hoped would break the military deadlock on the Western Front.
Special features:
Fully digitally restored in 2012, now including missing sections discovered after an extensive search in film archives around the world. (67 minutes).
A choice of two musical accompaniments:
-An original score composed by Laura Rossi, commissioned by IWM, and recorded in 2012 by a 15-piece ensemble conducted by John Gibbons.
-The musical medley that was recommended to accompany the film when it was screened in 1917.
Bonus feature:
HOW DID THEY DO IT?(2012) A television documentary about IWM’s project to restore The Battle of the Ancre and Advance of the Tanks (23 minutes). Thanks to
Discovery Networks International. - A 40 page full-colour booklet about the original film, IWM’s work to restore it and the musical accompaniments.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Film. 16mm. st. b&w. 73 min.

Year of production

1916

Availability

Special loan only (film)

Subjects

History

Keywords

Ancre; newsreel films; World War 1; British army

Credits

Producer

Geoffrey H Malins

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 0 PAL, Blu-Ray DVD

Price

£9.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

67 minutes

Year

2017

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Distributor

Name

Imperial War Museum

Phone

020 7416 5291

Fax

020 7416 5299

Address

Department of Film
Lambeth Road
London
SE1 6HZ

Notes

Address for video sales: Duxford, Cambridgeshire CB2 4QR

 

Available from retail outlets