Dunkirk

The Dunkirk evacuation occurred at the beginning of World War II. The British expeditionary force was sent to France to help out both the French and Belgians. The British Arrived with outdated equipment and expecting a war similar to WWI. The Germans had other ideas. A heavily mechanized fast moving force with Aircraft support. The Germans swept across the Maginot line, entered France and pushed westward to the sea and northward to encircle the British, French and Belgian troops. This left the forces trapped against the sea at Dunkirk and the small boat flotilla has become legendary.

There were over 300,000 troops saved combined from all three armies. 40,000 British were left behind along with what remained of the French Army. Many of those left behind met with dire consequences, groups were rounded up, machine gunned, had forced marches, starved, mistreated, and some were herded into a barn while grenades were thrown in.

The troops evacuated came home to a heroes welcome, mainly because the nation needed an Army and in the face of what was to come, heroes.
 At least two movies were made of Dunkirk and the men saved. Those left behind to work the holding action while others left are mostly forgotten. 

Of the two movies made, the newest this year, I would have to say I liked the 1958 movie better. It followed a small group of British soldiers left behind while out on patrol on their journey across country and their time on the beach before leaving. That movie also showed more of the flotilla and the problems facing such an evacuation. 
The new movie uses quite of bit of time overlay. back and forth between spitfire pilots, men evacuating, and a small boat. At times you have to stop and figure out at which point you are at. Daytime in one scene, night in the next, except the night was a day before that scene yet after the next. One minute the small boat is taking on people from a sinking ship, the next you are on the ship as its hit, then switches to the group from the beach swimming towards the ship which hadn't been hit yet as their boat sinks, as the lone Spitfire pilot left decides to take on the bomber overhead which caused the ship to sink earlier, or later...it can get confusing. If you do watch it, see it twice, that way you can see why the little boat is sinking as the plane flies over but the private boat hasn't got there yet because the ship isn't hit yet...get it?

No?

The new movie also doesn't give the heartfelt dread of over 300,000 men being on the beach waiting to be rescued as they are strafed and bombed by aircraft. As a matter of fact there are scenes with a lot of empty beach and nobody on it.

The 1958 version was well made, used a lot of actual footage and follows a single time line. Sure the water line on the side of the tank  was filmed in is visible occasionally but it was 1958 and there was no digital process in those days.

Actual Dunkirk photos.

Dunkirk scenes 1958 movie:

2017 Movie:

 

Dunkirk today:

Like I said, I prefer the 1958 movie.