Imagine being that French soldier, knowing that Englishman gets a chance to go home, but you are stuck, holding the line so he has a chance to get home, thank God for the heroics of the French, they always are the butt of many jokes, especially regarding warfare, however Dunkirk proved their tenacity.
Those french soldiers got on boats too, it wasn’t only a british evacuation. The germans were not that close to dunkirk’s beaches when the evacuation ships arrived. The only real enemy interception was luftwaffe, the french soldiers went with them
@@keychain___8836 They were being hold at Roubaix close to Dunkerque. Without Roubaix impressive fight ( Gen Molinier division vs 7 divisions, 150k germans, acknowledged by Churchill ) Dunkerque would have been destroyed quicker. Last boats to leave were under direct fire, 35k prisoners of war at Dunkerque. Don't rewrite history please.
Dunkirk, Verdun, La Marne, and a lot of other battles. If you have learned History, you should know that in matter of war, France has nothing to proove to anyone else on this planet.
I heard this movie go a lot of flak for not showing the French effort during the Battle of Dunkirk. Personally I don't see it. This movie is about the evacuation, not the battle, and in this one scene Nolan shows us everything we need to know about the French at Dunkirk. The British are fleeing, the French are holding the line, making it possible, and they are quite bitter over it. And it took less then a minute of footage to get that.
Andreas Widham I honestly feel bad for the French they were sacrificed by the British in order for the brits to escape very few French troops managed to escape
I don't know about that, 100 000 French troops were evacuated while 40 000 remained to be captured at the end. Churchill made very clear that the French would be evacuated on equal terms as the British, and a the RAF spent a great deal more of it's strength defending Dunkirk then they could actually afford, to honor the alliance. Still it's true that most of the fighting on the ground was done by the French. The Battle of Dunkirk has long received negative connotations, both for British and French, for what happened later, when France surrendered and what followed.
In addition to what Andreas said: The idea that the French were sacrificed so the British could evacuate is really false. The French commander, General Fagalde, didn't want to evacuate at all. He had wanted everyone in the Dunkirk pocket to fight on and be supplied from the sea. British commanders knew that wasn't possible, and Fagalde wasn't going to change his mind, so they began the evacuation without his consent (which obviously pissed him off a great deal). The French formed the Western part of the Dunkirk perimeter, while British units formed the southern and eastern sectors. There was heavy fighting along the whole perimeter (which was miles away from the town and beaches for most of the evacuation), so the British weren't really being covered by the French while they retreated. There was a gradual fighting withdrawl on all sides. By the latter stages of the evacuation, the threat from the Luftwaffe was such that the ships would only come in at night. When it was the French troop's turn to be evacuated, Fagalde wasted the entire night of the 2-3 June by ordering a futile counter-attack. This meant that by the time French troops were permitted to make their way to the Mole, the British ships had sailed away, mostly empty. It's reckoned an extra 10,000 sodiers could have been evacuated that night if not for Fagalde's pointless refusal to let his men get away in time.
dont forget though that the French (including Fagalde) were much more effected by the loss of Dunkirk and wanted to stay and fight because they were losing their homes and country to the war. for them the war was on the homefront and that may have meant they couldnt accept defeat as quickly as the British did, who had homes to return to at least for a while longer.
Indeed. I also realise that very few people thought it was actually possible to evacuate as many soldiers as they did, so from the French perspective it probably made more sense to try and hold out at first. I can understand why there would have been biterness there. At the end of the day, the relationship between both allies had mostly broken down, and the commanders were acting in what they thought was the best interest of their respective forces given that they no longer trusted each other. However, I still believe Fagalde let his pride get the better of him by making his troops fight on even after it became clear that it was actually possible to get most of them out of there to fight another day. In the bigger scheme of things, losing Dunkirk wasn't a mortal blow to France, but losing 40,000 men when their army was rapidly becoming outnumbered was a big deal.
@@82dorrin ofc what do you think??? He is literally defending his ally who is about to hop on a ship, sail back to his country and leave France to the occupying Germans. I wouldn't be too happy about that either
Aquila d'oro their was a time period where the British pulled out of one of the flanks of the Dunkirk defense pocket and the commander’s reason was “My men are tired.” And before the Germans realized a big whole in the Dunkirk defense,the French has to mobilize enough men to hold that sector.
10,347 subs with 1 video their island is protected by the sea and her navy. The entire British empire is protected by the navy. But for the British who’ve put majority of their army in France and their best troops there, were meant to help the French against the Germans if they were to invade/ fight France again. Don’t you think it’s a sorry excuse of the British to pull out their troops from a sector without telling their allies?
@@laststandinstalingrad5162 The line were completely collapsing, if they stayed, that's it, they've lost a large amount of their best army. They wanted to consider the long run for the best defense of Britain, yes they have the Navy and RAF. But if that failed they needed their best ground troops as a back up at least, and also to continue fighting the war. Without their army how could they hold their positions in other areas like Egypt, or go on any future offenses while being that badly crippled. They did what they had to do.
The Frenchmen stayed behind, knowing it meant death or capture and the occupation of their country, because Churchill promised that the evacuation would be a hand-in-hand endeavour. The hope was that, through their own loss, they were allowing their countrymen and these English to buy time for a later victory. But they had no idea of it would actually work. They were risking their lives and falling on that grenade for the *the chance* that someone else could win the war. That's not just courage. That's a kind of quiet strength of character that you can't help but mourn.
I like how they choose a normal lad like Fionn as the lead and not some Dwayne Johnson lookalike. Most of the soldiers werent physically the fittest. They were at war for god sake. And war means hunger and not enough food.
Back then they didn’t put much emphasis on physical attributes-granted yes, his character was probably a volunteer in one of the various territorial regiments-if you were ‘good enough’ and could follow orders, that was enough.
Thats right & quite alot of soldiers like my dads, dad, were underage, volunteers, (like some of these boys were) who lied about their age, to fight for Britain.
Physical fitness doesn´t always mean huge muscles. A soldier would be expected to march 30..50 km with all his gear and still be combat effective at the end of the march. Stamina is the most important quality. In that context I´m sure that men fighting in France 1940 where mostly in very good physical fitness. Considering that this was also the very first year of active war ( for the Brits) then I´m sure they where well fed.
Without a doubt the most impressive film opening of 2017!!! Felt like I was a soldier the whole time! Not seeing who's firing at you in the heat of battle is a terrifying experience
wrong. you can see the germans in the end, where they capture the pilot. and you can see them rather clearly - as it is supposed to be. War for Farrier ended - he became a POW. thus no "unknown enemy"
Even if the battle of Dunkerque is a failure for the Franco-British armies, it is important to specify the heroism of the French soldiers who allowed the English to evacuate their troops. We can quote from German generals: "Despite our overwhelming numerical superiority, the French counterattack in several points. I can not understand how these soldiers, sometimes fighting 1 in 20, find the strength to storm. It's amazing. I find in these soldiers the same ardor that those of Verdun in 1916. We do not pierce anywhere and we suffer terrifying losses. Dunkirk gives me proof that the French soldier is one of the best in the world. The French artillery, so much dreaded already in 14-18, demonstrates once more its formidable efficiency. Our losses are terrifying: many battalions have lost 60% of their strength, sometimes even more! General von Küchler, commander of the 18th Wehrmacht Army (campaign diary). So, where we are ? Only that ?
You're right, but the battle of Dunkerque wasn't a failure for the French army, it was a strategic victory. The English didn't fight it, or only in the sky with the help of the French air force. And it was a strategic defeat for the nazis, they couldn't prevent the escape of the english army, and a part of the 1st french army.
And that's why Germany stole your territory in a matter of a couple years. The only reason France is still standing is due to the British and the US having a half decent army.
+Fin W Lol no USA was useless in WW1, and in WW2 in Europe their involvment would have not changed the fact the nazis were steamrolled by the Soviets. In France cities like Strasbourg or Colmar or Paris were freed by the French. "The only reason France is still standing is due to the British" Sorry but they're rather one of the reasons why France lost the battle of France, since they fled and left the French alone against the germans, the autrians and the italians. But the French is the reason why the British managed to win the battle of Britain. Since the French destroyed half of the Luftwaffe during the battle of France, and since the French saved the BEF (the whole British professional army) at Dunkerque. "The only reason France is still standing", how can you write such nonsense, France occupied Germany more than 60 years in the 20th century while the Germans occupied France only 8 years. When you talk about USA in WW2, you are not credible if you don't mention Russia. When you talk about USA in WW1, you are not credible if you don't mention France.
yes the French Reserves even but a better fight than the entire BEF.They the Germans went through the Arden forest,avoiding the elite French troops stationed in Belgium and the Magniot Line.The French reserves were always told to counter attack and support the retreating the elite forces if they were to fall back.And the French reserves did that but since Blitzkrieg was used by the Germans and had better technological advantage and better logistical support,they were able to defeat the French military.The BEF were to support the French military from any German attacks but would leave a flank open allowing French and Belgium forces to be surrounded and face ultimate doom.Keep in mind without the French and Belgium sacrifice,the Battle of Britain would’ve fell into Germans hands since the British had majority of its military personnel in France
It’s not ironic. Helmets were designed for defending explosions and a head shot wasn’t highly likely in that scenario, plus those helmets were mostly useful when prone.... they didn’t cover the back of the head well.
This really puts into perspective the fact that the status of "allies" does not mean that you're friends. France and Britain have had a lot of bad blood between them since the olden days, and seeing that deep-rooted animosity in just a single stare is so interesting. And the Frenchman in the film who never spoke a word among the English because he knew they'd treat him harshly if they knew who he was....it's such a neat layer added to the film that just adds to the tension that already there.
@@xergiok2322 Well I'm wondering where he reached his conclusion given that France and the UK had a solid alliance since the early 20th century, and the brits event went back to try and help remaining french forces
1:22- 1:28 If you look very carefully, this soldier was the first to get shot, but ended up being the 4th to go down. You'd have to have lots of adrenaline through your veins to not notice you've been shot in the back.
@@Tipperitoeh, some US soldier talked about the M1 carbine being weak and him hitting some guy 5 times who kept running....but tbh I think the dude just didn't fall on cue imo
@@jacobpeters5458 well a squid went off right before he fell down. I dont think he was actually hit until then tho because the only puff of smoke came from the first guy to fall
Actually British units were being sacrificed too. Read up on the defence of Calais before spouting shit off. When you get all your history off of a Hollywood film it just shows you to be a fucking idiot
I think what made this film so fucking unsettling is that you never directly see “the enemy.” Honestly, the film almost seems to portray this whole event as almost a kind of allegory for purgatory. An endless beach overlooked by an endless city. Everything is almost dreamlike. Truly incredible film work.
We can quote from German generals: "Despite our overwhelming numerical superiority, the French counterattack in several points. I can not understand how these soldiers, sometimes fighting 1 in 20, find the strength to storm. It's amazing. I find in these soldiers the same ardor that those of Verdun in 1916. We do not pierce anywhere and we suffer terrifying losses. Dunkirk gives me proof that the French soldier is one of the best in the world. The French artillery, so much dreaded already in 14-18, demonstrates once more its formidable efficiency. Our losses are terrifying: many battalions have lost 60% of their strength, sometimes even more! General von Küchler, commander of the 18th Wehrmacht Army (campaign diary).
@@timovangalen1589 They hadn't, they expected the main force to attack through Belgium and not through the Ardennes. There were 4 plans of attack on France and the French had the first and the second plan (I am not sure) through the crash of the BF109 fighter in Belgium The first one presented by OKH was literally a repetition of WW1 or positional warfare, Hitler rejected this idea. The second plan slightly modified said to use tanks through Belgium and encircle them in Calais area. Hitler also rejected this plan under pressure from the generals because of the lack of equipment (France was to be attacked still in 1939) The third plan was the Manstein plan. Very risky and rejected by almost everyone including Hitler at the very end. He said that Army A (North) would not be the main assault and it would be Army B (Middle) and the attack would go through Luxembourg and just the Ardennes where no one expected tanks and a quick encirclement near Abbeville. The plan was rejected The final plan is actually the first plan only with amendments with the addition of an armored attack through the Ardennes.
@@timovangalen1589 Yeah, if they hadn’t surrendered and fought to the bitter end, Paris would most likely have been destroyed and thousands if not millions of French men and women would have died for nothing
"Those Frenchmen, under the gallant leadership of General Molinié, had for four critical days contained no less than seven German divisions which otherwise could have joined in the assaults on the Dunkirk perimeter. This was a splendid contribution to the escape of their more fortunate comrades and of the British Expeditionary Force". Winston Churchill, "The Second World War", volume 2 ("Their finest hour"), pg. 86.
Those French soldiers are most likely the last few surviving units of the French 12th Motorized Infantry Division as spotted a french bike among the soldiers
God, those bullet cracking sounds are fucking terrifyingly realistic. Whitehead's acting is great here. Without saying a single fucking word the myriad of intense emotion that reverberates across his face.
fluffynoses not really due to the fact the director emphasized on realism.The city of Dunkirk was leveled (in this case it wasn’t) and it doesn’t show how French troops were fiercely fighting against the Germans.At the end it shows a RAF pilot burning his plane and waited capture by the Germans but this didn’t happen because that would’ve meant that no French soldiers left the beaches to Britain but were encircled
My ancestor was a Captain in the French Army during the battle of france. He fight with his regiment till the end. The German even congrats them on the principal square of Dunkirk for the incredible fight they have. After that they put them (my ancestor and a big part of the French Army) in a work camp.
@@baldrickization The massive public flotilla included French, Belgian and Netherland ships, the French lost the most ships in the operation. So it wasn't a British only effort. The RAF was involved as much as the Armée de l'Air. The Royal Navy was involved as much as the Marine Nationale. The Tommies were given perimeters to defend, they massively left their positions, the French were obliged to fill the gaps. The tommies were threatened at bayonet point by Coldstream guards, until the Coldstream guards replaced them, but they eventually left too, leaving the French alone with a few Belgians. The evacuation of the French started only when all the British were evacuated. The British sabotaged the communication, the bridges, the roads, the harbors and trapped thousands of French soldiers who helped them escape the pocket in the North at Dunkerque, Boulogne, Lille and the area.
@@BruneSixtine im not disputing that, however i am disputing you saying that ONLY the sacrifice of the French soldiers made operation dynamo possible. I have nothing but respect for the French, they are remarkable fighters and were massively let down by their leaders and government but please don't point your bitterness and blame at the British. You had a much more massive land army, the campaign was under the command of Petain and the French were fighting on and for their home ground. Your guys were running the show when it comes down to it. Another unfortunate case of lions lead by sheep.
I remember when I was eating my popcorn and then the shots went off, my jaw dropped and remained opened for the rest of the scene…I knew exactly the tone this movie was going to set and forgot about my theater snacks. No movie has ever done so well at making you feel at the verge of death
What I absolutely adore about this scene is that at this point any of theese guys could be the protagonist, and when they die off one by one you´re not sure who is going to be left...if anyone at all.
I am proud of having seen this in theatres. I remember having my heart running since the very first gunshot for the entire length of the movie, and in synced the background music every time. I love this movie, and I think that if some film can feel this immersive, it sure deserves compliments
I wish this movie showed a bit more ground combat, because they really nailed the sounds of incoming rounds in this scene. Saving Private Ryan had the best visuals, but Dunkirk had the best sounds.
Nolan could not have shown more ground combat. It is a British movie and the public at home would have never accepted seeing 15,000 French soldiers getting killed whilst the British were withdrawing as it goes against what every average Brit has been told for the last 80 years ie 'the French surrendered, we stood, the French did not fight hard in WWII etc...)
@@tonyz7216 Apart from the right wing media no one would have been offended or disputed the fact that the French paid a lot in blood . He would hav been praised more than likley for being realistic.
I do wish the French could have made up their minds then because earlier in the campaign entire divisions, without being told and led by their own Officers, threw down their arms and simply walked towards the German lines. And please don't try and come back with some sort of counter argument - it's FACT...
@@paulharrison7450 I'm learning a lot about this period and I've never seen anything like that... the french forces where pushed to dunkirk, a part surrendered at the end of the battle but that's all... The entiry french army surrendered after the armistice but thats logical. The french army lost 55k men and 123k wounded in 20 days... we don't have the same defintion of divisions surrendering
The rearguard effort was amazing, Dunkirk was defended viciously and fanatically. 18,000 Frenchmen were killed. 3,500 British men were killed. I believe there were some Dutch and Belgians there, not sure about the Luxembourgish. (I doubt it). But still, it was a great defence, especially considered the fact that the allies were holding in many places against the SS. Holding a line against stormtroopers is obviously hard, that’s why they’re called stormtroopers after all. Good job lads, Rest In Peace, all of you.
The gunshot in this entire scene probably scared 90% of the crowd at the IMAX theater showing. (I am so glad where I live, we have a true IMAX theater that supports 70mm footage)
My Great-Uncle was a medic with a rifle company of the British Army that missed the Dunkirk evacuation by minutes. They spent months maneuvering behind German lines until they were eventually extracted by French Resistance far south down near Marseille. Uncle Bill never spoke aboutwhat happened during those months behind German lines and nobody ever pushed. He was a grand old chap and worked for Great Western Railroad as a signalman for some years before he opened up his own very successful dog kennel and breedery. Even had a retriever that would come to the pub with him and lap up what was in the drip trays below the tape. Uncle Bill was a Grand Old Gent if ever there was.
That’s how you start a film. I watched it 3 times in Theaters. The runtime was shorter which made it easier to see over and over again. It was brilliant each time. Bought it in 4K that Christmas
people often berate neville chamberlain for appeasing hitler, but if you look at how badly they got floored by the wehrmact in 1940, it would have been even worse earlier
@@tguard113 I really think that if a man like Churchill had been there before , as soon as Poland would have been invaded , he would have sent the BEF in full assault into Germany
@@tguard113 Don't forget the Germans were also in the middle of increasing military production, and were practically given all of the Czech arms industry for free by Chamberlain, not to mention neutralized Czechoslovakia as an enemy...
I usually don't care much for war movies, but I went and saw this in theaters and really enjoyed it. I added it to the short list of war movies I thoroughly enjoyed, it was very well done.
At the beginning of the scene, the soldiers are crouching and with their hands on their helmets. Just a small detail representing the ongoing possibility of bombing.
It always bothered me how this was set in world war 2 yet the houses and buildings are all intact without any sort of bomb damage. You wouldn’t think a war had been raging looking at the set design.
The first gunshot hits the guy with the trench coat and he doesnt fall until he gets shot again! He didnt notice!!! (trenchcoat and helmet not the main character)
"a war that the British didn’t need to get involved in" 😂 it is neither the English nor the French who decide who is involved in this war but rather the German. Do you seriously think Churchill had the choice to fight or not?
1:17 Let's all jog in the middle of the street while being shot at. Let's also jump the blue gate that we never discussed doing but somehow came to a mutual agreement on
Damn! EVERYTHING IS WRONG in that scene! 1: More than 300000 soldiers are waiting for rescue on several kilometers of beaches,so what the hell these 6 Brits are doing in the middle of the street. Tourism?shopping? 2: The Germans were surrounding the city,a few kilometers away,they were not IN the city. So how can they shoot these soldiers? 3: The French barricades were at the gates of the city,not 100 meters of the beach! 4:Everything is soooo quite,and yet there was heavy fighting on the outskirts of the town 5: Where are the French peoples??? Citizens where trapped in Dunkirk as well as soldiers. My grand mother was 6: I don't think you can die of thirst in one of the rainiest cities in France... so this scene where he tries to drink a few drops from the hose 😂 7: And the faucet he turns on is hooked up to a gutter downspout... so if it's not raining,what do you expect? 🤣🤣🤣 8:why does he stays behind this wooden partal when it is bursting under the German bullets? and why the Germans do not shoot the entire surface of this portal??? And why the hell does he take the time to reload his gun when he can't see anyone to shoot. You are out of view... Run,you fool!!! (as would say Gandalf) 9: Thanks to the Germans who give time to Tomy to run through the street and start firing (from nobody knows where) only once he's safe behind the barricade. He should be dead at 2:03 right after jumping the wall, killed either by french bullets or germans bullets. 10: Oops,i forgot: At the very first image of the movie,the German propaganda leaflets that fall from the sky are not written in English but in French since it is addressed to the French and not to the English. And it is not written "We surround you" but "Les anglais se battront jusqu'au dernier français" (English will fight until the last French) .....and everyone raves about the incredible realism of this film! 😲😲😲
1:30: Why are we always stuck and running from the bullets? The bullets? ~'Sign of the times' by Harry Styles Sorry but I had to, that song fits 'Dunkirk' really well.
Seeing this on IMAX film the way it was meant to be seen was chilling. AND THE SOUND. I could feel it rattling my bones and in my eyeballs. I went back 6 more times to see it lmao.
Talk about a film that grabbed my attention. I remember seeing this in the theater and I was expecting to be eased in slowly during this opening. That opening gun shot was a shot of an adrenaline that didn't let up. This film still has the best sound mix I have ever heard. Nolan is criticized for the sound mixing of his film, but this film earned its Oscars for sound.
I remember the first thing I thought when seeing this scene in theaters was “wow I’m glad I wasn’t late” and then being pissed off over the fact that if I was late I would’ve missed a good scene
They British Rear-Guarded half of the Action at Dunkirk as they covered the eastern sector of Dunkirk, around 150 thousand French Soldier were evacuated and yet after France Surrendered only 4 thousand stayed in the British Army as they were given the Choice to go home.
@@spitfire8790 Operation Alphabet, you cowards evacuated Norway and allowed Germany to conquer Norway once the Luftwaffe started bombing your troops. You sent British troops to Greece after Italy invaded and was destroyed by the Greeks alone, but once the Germans invaded Greece, British troops immediately evacuated Greece and left Greece to fall to the Germans in just 24 days. In Belgium, you had the French do ALL OF THE FIGHTING for you, while you guys evacuated and ran off to your Island with your cowardly tails tucked between your legs.
@@anassakadik4247 Lol maybe BECAUSE the British were outnumbered on Norway and there was no way to achieve victory hence why they evacuated, the same goes for Greece the British held the Italians and when the German came the British were fighting the Italians and Germany at once and these are Colonials troops mind you not troops of the BEF hence why they were defeated so quickly, and the BRITISH ALSO held Crete which costed the German a lot of deaths to capture, and then Belgium. The British WANTED to place troops in Belgium but Belgium Did not allow this and when Belgium was finally invaded a stream of refugee blocked the roads and the Belgian was pushed back so quickly many of the defensive position the BEF wanted to hold was already taken. And wanna know who's fault all of this is? France, their shitty Military couldn't even fight the Germans in the Ardennes when the German tanks and trucks were all stuck in a traffic in a small narrow road the French could've swooped in and destroy the Germans and yet they didn't. And then the Counter-Attack at Arras, the Battle that made it Possible the British were promised by the French that they would receive help from the other side of Arras so the British Launched the Attack with 2 Tank Regiment and the damage was devastating the German was thrown into a panic and all German advances were halted especially Guderian's push to the coast Rommel had reported that he had been attacked by 5 armored division when it wasn't even a full division and yet the French didn't arrive, cowardly hiding in their Maginot Line now willing to help the British at Arras and if the French had arrived at Arras it's possible that the French wouldn't have to surrender as 90% of Germany's armored force would've been cut off. And did all the fighting for the British? Oh yeah? what about the 51st Highlanders or the 150 thousand French soldier evacuated? The British did half of the Rear-Guarding half of the Action and out of the 150 thousand French Men evacuated only 4 thousand remained to fight for the UK the rest chose to cowardly go home instead of fighting the Vichy French Regime. And the French Resistance was as good as useless until the British Organized it. Jesus, you're fucking Braindead.
@@anassakadik4247 and before you say "Oh why wasn't the British are the Ardennes?" dumbfuck maybe it's because the BEF was fully professional volunteer force hence why it only numbered 300 thousand and was tasked with Belgium, the Ardennes and Maginot was the French side. And the FRENCH outright cowardly surrendered at Ardennes, Virtually all of the French 9th army just gave up when the Germans appeared like literal cowards.
That opening gunshot scared the shit out of me in the theater
same here. they turn the speakers up LOUD at the theater here.
those first gunshots and the shots of the mp40 just made me jump
i know it can be scary
Spilled my popcorn. And I was watching it for a second time but in IMAX.
*loud speakers*
I was a extra French soldier I don't if I was on screen but it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Vive la France!
Onyx1916 Okay, no one cares lmao
@@a.90129 You cared enough to respond.
considering your grammar and spelling, I don't really think you were...
How old r you?
Imagine being that French soldier, knowing that Englishman gets a chance to go home, but you are stuck, holding the line so he has a chance to get home, thank God for the heroics of the French, they always are the butt of many jokes, especially regarding warfare, however Dunkirk proved their tenacity.
Those french soldiers got on boats too, it wasn’t only a british evacuation. The germans were not that close to dunkirk’s beaches when the evacuation ships arrived. The only real enemy interception was luftwaffe, the french soldiers went with them
@@keychain___8836 They were being hold at Roubaix close to Dunkerque. Without Roubaix impressive fight ( Gen Molinier division vs 7 divisions, 150k germans, acknowledged by Churchill ) Dunkerque would have been destroyed quicker. Last boats to leave were under direct fire, 35k prisoners of war at Dunkerque. Don't rewrite history please.
Vive le France
"Allez, l,Anglais! Bon voyage!"
Dunkirk, Verdun, La Marne, and a lot of other battles. If you have learned History, you should know that in matter of war, France has nothing to proove to anyone else on this planet.
I heard this movie go a lot of flak for not showing the French effort during the Battle of Dunkirk. Personally I don't see it. This movie is about the evacuation, not the battle, and in this one scene Nolan shows us everything we need to know about the French at Dunkirk. The British are fleeing, the French are holding the line, making it possible, and they are quite bitter over it. And it took less then a minute of footage to get that.
Andreas Widham I honestly feel bad for the French they were sacrificed by the British in order for the brits to escape very few French troops managed to escape
I don't know about that, 100 000 French troops were evacuated while 40 000 remained to be captured at the end. Churchill made very clear that the French would be evacuated on equal terms as the British, and a the RAF spent a great deal more of it's strength defending Dunkirk then they could actually afford, to honor the alliance. Still it's true that most of the fighting on the ground was done by the French. The Battle of Dunkirk has long received negative connotations, both for British and French, for what happened later, when France surrendered and what followed.
In addition to what Andreas said:
The idea that the French were sacrificed so the British could evacuate is really false. The French commander, General Fagalde, didn't want to evacuate at all. He had wanted everyone in the Dunkirk pocket to fight on and be supplied from the sea. British commanders knew that wasn't possible, and Fagalde wasn't going to change his mind, so they began the evacuation without his consent (which obviously pissed him off a great deal).
The French formed the Western part of the Dunkirk perimeter, while British units formed the southern and eastern sectors. There was heavy fighting along the whole perimeter (which was miles away from the town and beaches for most of the evacuation), so the British weren't really being covered by the French while they retreated. There was a gradual fighting withdrawl on all sides.
By the latter stages of the evacuation, the threat from the Luftwaffe was such that the ships would only come in at night. When it was the French troop's turn to be evacuated, Fagalde wasted the entire night of the 2-3 June by ordering a futile counter-attack. This meant that by the time French troops were permitted to make their way to the Mole, the British ships had sailed away, mostly empty. It's reckoned an extra 10,000 sodiers could have been evacuated that night if not for Fagalde's pointless refusal to let his men get away in time.
dont forget though that the French (including Fagalde) were much more effected by the loss of Dunkirk and wanted to stay and fight because they were losing their homes and country to the war. for them the war was on the homefront and that may have meant they couldnt accept defeat as quickly as the British did, who had homes to return to at least for a while longer.
Indeed. I also realise that very few people thought it was actually possible to evacuate as many soldiers as they did, so from the French perspective it probably made more sense to try and hold out at first. I can understand why there would have been biterness there. At the end of the day, the relationship between both allies had mostly broken down, and the commanders were acting in what they thought was the best interest of their respective forces given that they no longer trusted each other.
However, I still believe Fagalde let his pride get the better of him by making his troops fight on even after it became clear that it was actually possible to get most of them out of there to fight another day. In the bigger scheme of things, losing Dunkirk wasn't a mortal blow to France, but losing 40,000 men when their army was rapidly becoming outnumbered was a big deal.
I remember at the theater when that one soldier was drinking from a hose that had almost no water I drank my Pepsi at the same time and I felt bad
Did you feel bad you had pepsi instead of coke
@@lolforlife2487 Oh God lol
lolfor life Pepsi is better then coke 😌
@@loganrose968 no just no
Don’t drink Pepsi straight cancer
Nolan out did himself with this one.
My heart was racing throughout the entire film.
@Allan Reford how is that a reply to that comment?
@Allan Reford lol, interesting points though :o)
poor fionn...it's his reality show
2:23
Allez, Anglais! Bon voyage!
Come on, English! Have a nice trip!
In a a very angry/aggressive tone.
@@82dorrin ofc what do you think??? He is literally defending his ally who is about to hop on a ship, sail back to his country and leave France to the occupying Germans. I wouldn't be too happy about that either
Aquila d'oro their was a time period where the British pulled out of one of the flanks of the Dunkirk defense pocket and the commander’s reason was “My men are tired.” And before the Germans realized a big whole in the Dunkirk defense,the French has to mobilize enough men to hold that sector.
10,347 subs with 1 video their island is protected by the sea and her navy. The entire British empire is protected by the navy. But for the British who’ve put majority of their army in France and their best troops there, were meant to help the French against the Germans if they were to invade/ fight France again. Don’t you think it’s a sorry excuse of the British to pull out their troops from a sector without telling their allies?
@@laststandinstalingrad5162 The line were completely collapsing, if they stayed, that's it, they've lost a large amount of their best army. They wanted to consider the long run for the best defense of Britain, yes they have the Navy and RAF. But if that failed they needed their best ground troops as a back up at least, and also to continue fighting the war. Without their army how could they hold their positions in other areas like Egypt, or go on any future offenses while being that badly crippled. They did what they had to do.
In 11 seconds that man lost 5 of his buddies. Welcome to war.
The whole of Battle Of France was a continuation of World War 1's western front since both sides were fighting against eachother again 20 years later.
@@Voucher765 except there's blitzkrieg
Yet here you are, romanticizing it by saying corny shit like "welcome to war"
@@Andrew-fv4sj Romanticizing it? Lmao
@@Andrew-fv4sj wtf do you mean? Lmao
The Frenchmen stayed behind, knowing it meant death or capture and the occupation of their country, because Churchill promised that the evacuation would be a hand-in-hand endeavour. The hope was that, through their own loss, they were allowing their countrymen and these English to buy time for a later victory. But they had no idea of it would actually work. They were risking their lives and falling on that grenade for the *the chance* that someone else could win the war. That's not just courage. That's a kind of quiet strength of character that you can't help but mourn.
German loss in dunkirk battle is big (20 000) although they are 30 vs 1. Defense was good and strong.
Fighting is always that. Betting your life on promises
That is not at all what they thought
I like how they choose a normal lad like Fionn as the lead and not some Dwayne Johnson lookalike. Most of the soldiers werent physically the fittest. They were at war for god sake. And war means hunger and not enough food.
But the boy is handsome
He is
Back then they didn’t put much emphasis on physical attributes-granted yes, his character was probably a volunteer in one of the various territorial regiments-if you were ‘good enough’ and could follow orders, that was enough.
Thats right & quite alot of soldiers like my dads, dad, were underage, volunteers, (like some of these boys were) who lied about their age, to fight for Britain.
Physical fitness doesn´t always mean huge muscles. A soldier would be expected to march 30..50 km with all his gear and still be combat effective at the end of the march. Stamina is the most important quality. In that context I´m sure that men fighting in France 1940 where mostly in very good physical fitness. Considering that this was also the very first year of active war ( for the Brits) then I´m sure they where well fed.
Without a doubt the most impressive film opening of 2017!!!
Felt like I was a soldier the whole time! Not seeing who's firing at you in the heat of battle is a terrifying experience
RedBaronAce Agreed! Nolan created a virtual reality war movie without the glasses
Fun fact: you never see the enemy in the whole movie... Not even a single German
wrong. you can see the germans in the end, where they capture the pilot. and you can see them rather clearly - as it is supposed to be. War for Farrier ended - he became a POW. thus no "unknown enemy"
@@NotSaddamHussein
Yeah... But you never see their faces... It's blurred
I like how he left the Germans practically unseen for most of the movie.
Even if the battle of Dunkerque is a failure for the Franco-British armies, it is important to specify the heroism of the French soldiers who allowed the English to evacuate their troops. We can quote from German generals: "Despite our overwhelming numerical superiority, the French counterattack in several points. I can not understand how these soldiers, sometimes fighting 1 in 20, find the strength to storm. It's amazing. I find in these soldiers the same ardor that those of Verdun in 1916. We do not pierce anywhere and we suffer terrifying losses. Dunkirk gives me proof that the French soldier is one of the best in the world. The French artillery, so much dreaded already in 14-18, demonstrates once more its formidable efficiency. Our losses are terrifying: many battalions have lost 60% of their strength, sometimes even more! General von Küchler, commander of the 18th Wehrmacht Army (campaign diary).
So, where we are ? Only that ?
Tu est le plus brave des Bernabé
You're right, but the battle of Dunkerque wasn't a failure for the French army, it was a strategic victory. The English didn't fight it, or only in the sky with the help of the French air force. And it was a strategic defeat for the nazis, they couldn't prevent the escape of the english army, and a part of the 1st french army.
And that's why Germany stole your territory in a matter of a couple years. The only reason France is still standing is due to the British and the US having a half decent army.
+Fin W
Lol no
USA was useless in WW1, and in WW2 in Europe their involvment would have not changed the fact the nazis were steamrolled by the Soviets. In France cities like Strasbourg or Colmar or Paris were freed by the French.
"The only reason France is still standing is due to the British" Sorry but they're rather one of the reasons why France lost the battle of France, since they fled and left the French alone against the germans, the autrians and the italians. But the French is the reason why the British managed to win the battle of Britain. Since the French destroyed half of the Luftwaffe during the battle of France, and since the French saved the BEF (the whole British professional army) at Dunkerque.
"The only reason France is still standing", how can you write such nonsense, France occupied Germany more than 60 years in the 20th century while the Germans occupied France only 8 years.
When you talk about USA in WW2, you are not credible if you don't mention Russia. When you talk about USA in WW1, you are not credible if you don't mention France.
yes the French Reserves even but a better fight than the entire BEF.They the Germans went through the Arden forest,avoiding the elite French troops stationed in Belgium and the Magniot Line.The French reserves were always told to counter attack and support the retreating the elite forces if they were to fall back.And the French reserves did that but since Blitzkrieg was used by the Germans and had better technological advantage and better logistical support,they were able to defeat the French military.The BEF were to support the French military from any German attacks but would leave a flank open allowing French and Belgium forces to be surrounded and face ultimate doom.Keep in mind without the French and Belgium sacrifice,the Battle of Britain would’ve fell into Germans hands since the British had majority of its military personnel in France
thanks i missed the very beginning because my gf made me get popcorn.
moon god xD
You mean your ex?
moon god Dump that inconsiderate bitch 😤
moon god 😂😂
Dump her
Am I the only one who finds it ironic that the one soldier who survived wasn't wearing a helmet?
Not like the helmets back then did much
They pretty much only protected against shrapnel back then or if you had a British one kept the rain out
That's so you could keep track of him. Much how Finn's helmet was marked with blood in TFA.
1:24 the first guy who fell wasnt wearing a helmet either
It’s not ironic. Helmets were designed for defending explosions and a head shot wasn’t highly likely in that scenario, plus those helmets were mostly useful when prone.... they didn’t cover the back of the head well.
Normal headphones/speakers just don't do this film justice. This film was made for IMAX.
Thexxan YESSIR
That opening shot made the entire bloody theater jump. Jesus christ that came out of nowhere.
CapitalTeeth shit bro I remember that I got scared to shit and almost drop my popcorn
@@KeysAndDoorss Me too xD
I walked out of the cinema, it was that loud 😂
The cinematography, the editing, the sound mixing, everything is so damn great.
Chris Nolan and Hollywood magic of IMAX.. thanks America...
In my opinion, the best starting of a war film: An escape from the death.
Damiano CineMatto saving private Ryan?
This movie was afraid to show one nazi soldier lol
Not even close to saving private ryan's normandy
@@theinternet206 that’s the point of the movie tho
*All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) has entered the chat*
This really puts into perspective the fact that the status of "allies" does not mean that you're friends. France and Britain have had a lot of bad blood between them since the olden days, and seeing that deep-rooted animosity in just a single stare is so interesting. And the Frenchman in the film who never spoke a word among the English because he knew they'd treat him harshly if they knew who he was....it's such a neat layer added to the film that just adds to the tension that already there.
yeah, specially when they talk about what to do with the french with orders coming from churchill saying to pick up the french last
I don't think it was Animosity. Everyone knew how bad the situation was, it was a "get the f out of here kid" look he game him
@@diverman1023 Indeed. OP is reading too much into things. It's the desperation of the situation, not historical animosity.
@@xergiok2322 Well I'm wondering where he reached his conclusion given that France and the UK had a solid alliance since the early 20th century, and the brits event went back to try and help remaining french forces
@@xergiok2322 Especially how the individual soldier really probably doesn't give a shit at all about historical animosity.
1:22- 1:28
If you look very carefully, this soldier was the first to get shot, but ended up being the 4th to go down. You'd have to have lots of adrenaline through your veins to not notice you've been shot in the back.
probably never noticed until his body gave up on him, if he wasnt hit anywhere vital he probably wouldve kept on going
@@Tipperitoeh, some US soldier talked about the M1 carbine being weak and him hitting some guy 5 times who kept running....but tbh I think the dude just didn't fall on cue imo
@@jacobpeters5458 well a squid went off right before he fell down. I dont think he was actually hit until then tho because the only puff of smoke came from the first guy to fall
2:23
"Allez, Anglais! Bon voyage!"
You can see the a little bitterness because they were covering the Brits asses to the death while the Brits were retreating.
@@BhudhaLovesBudlight Yeah. The French were NOT happy with their ally at the time.
Actually British units were being sacrificed too. Read up on the defence of Calais before spouting shit off. When you get all your history off of a Hollywood film it just shows you to be a fucking idiot
Yes, one of the very strong scenes in this film. It says it all.
🤔 Brits and Frenchies fighting over who ran the fastest ?
I think what made this film so fucking unsettling is that you never directly see “the enemy.” Honestly, the film almost seems to portray this whole event as almost a kind of allegory for purgatory. An endless beach overlooked by an endless city. Everything is almost dreamlike. Truly incredible film work.
This is my favourite comment about dunkirk! I felt the same but couldn’t put it into words
“Purgatory” is a Catholic lie. Do not be deceived!
We can quote from German generals:
"Despite our overwhelming numerical superiority, the French counterattack in several points. I can not understand how these soldiers, sometimes fighting 1 in 20, find the strength to storm. It's amazing. I find in these soldiers the same ardor that those of Verdun in 1916. We do not pierce anywhere and we suffer terrifying losses.
Dunkirk gives me proof that the French soldier is one of the best in the world. The French artillery, so much dreaded already in 14-18, demonstrates once more its formidable efficiency. Our losses are terrifying: many battalions have lost 60% of their strength, sometimes even more! General von Küchler, commander of the 18th Wehrmacht Army (campaign diary).
And people still clown on the French for surrendering, as if they had a choice.
@@timovangalen1589
They hadn't, they expected the main force to attack through Belgium and not through the Ardennes. There were 4 plans of attack on France and the French had the first and the second plan (I am not sure) through the crash of the BF109 fighter in Belgium
The first one presented by OKH was literally a repetition of WW1 or positional warfare, Hitler rejected this idea.
The second plan slightly modified said to use tanks through Belgium and encircle them in Calais area. Hitler also rejected this plan under pressure from the generals because of the lack of equipment (France was to be attacked still in 1939)
The third plan was the Manstein plan. Very risky and rejected by almost everyone including Hitler at the very end. He said that Army A (North) would not be the main assault and it would be Army B (Middle) and the attack would go through Luxembourg and just the Ardennes where no one expected tanks and a quick encirclement near Abbeville. The plan was rejected
The final plan is actually the first plan only with amendments with the addition of an armored attack through the Ardennes.
@@timovangalen1589 Yeah, if they hadn’t surrendered and fought to the bitter end, Paris would most likely have been destroyed and thousands if not millions of French men and women would have died for nothing
Hitler let them go wdym lol
@@SSHANK213 Nope.
Hitler wanted to crush Britain. If they managed to crush them at Dunkirk. Britain would have collapsed or surrended.
"Those Frenchmen, under the gallant leadership of General Molinié, had for four critical days contained no less than seven German divisions which otherwise could have joined in the assaults on the Dunkirk perimeter. This was a splendid contribution to the escape of their more fortunate comrades and of the British Expeditionary Force". Winston Churchill, "The Second World War", volume 2 ("Their finest hour"), pg. 86.
Queuing up during a massive military breakout as the enemy bears down is the most British thing ever
1:20-2:23 When your playing breakthrough and your team has to retreat to get to the next objective
Those French soldiers are most likely the last few surviving units of the French 12th Motorized Infantry Division as spotted a french bike among the soldiers
Respect to them for holding the line for the Brits to strategically retreat.
God, those bullet cracking sounds are fucking terrifyingly realistic. Whitehead's acting is great here. Without saying a single fucking word the myriad of intense emotion that reverberates across his face.
5 year old comment yes but lol no there is no bullet crack in here anywhere. Not realistic but loud is loud I guess.
I hate that he threw his rifle, other than that was awesome to see him about to wipe his a** with the pamphlets lol
this movie was brilliantly filmed
fluffynoses not really due to the fact the director emphasized on realism.The city of Dunkirk was leveled (in this case it wasn’t) and it doesn’t show how French troops were fiercely fighting against the Germans.At the end it shows a RAF pilot burning his plane and waited capture by the Germans but this didn’t happen because that would’ve meant that no French soldiers left the beaches to Britain but were encircled
@@laststandinstalingrad5162 Cool and cinematography doe
Who needs Laxatives when you watch this film on IMAX
Brian u need something much stronger than laxatives while watching this movie
Hey look some bricks on the floor
@@comradekarlvonschnitzelste8218 bricks? Wait those are-
@@BehelitZero RIP
This was at the prime of the german military and the scene captures it well. Also, respect for the French who stayed and those who came back for D-Day
1:50 Me dealing with my own personal issues, and subsequently running away from them.
Establishes everything that needs to be established in 3 minutes. Nolan is truly a genius.
1:17 onwards was so intense on IMAX. War is brutal
sucks when you find out what happened
My ancestor was a Captain in the French Army during the battle of france.
He fight with his regiment till the end.
The German even congrats them on the principal square of Dunkirk for the incredible fight they have.
After that they put them (my ancestor and a big part of the French Army) in a work camp.
Such a brilliant film opening. Establishing the tone and theme of the rest of the film in such a suspenseful, visceral way. Love this film!
The openings from Christopher Nolan are always brilliant. Dark knight, Dunkirk, Dark knight rises, Tenet. Damnnn that man is on another level
Probably one of my favorite in theater movies of all time. I wish I could go see it again
If it’s a Christopher Nolan’s movie then it must be an extraordinary movie without a doubt
The were no miracles at Dunkirk, only the sacrifice of valiant French soldiers to make operation dynamo successful.
Yes the the the 51st highlanders, the massive volunteer public flotilla, Royal Navy and RAF never did anything did they 🙄
@@baldrickization
The massive public flotilla included French, Belgian and Netherland ships, the French lost the most ships in the operation. So it wasn't a British only effort.
The RAF was involved as much as the Armée de l'Air.
The Royal Navy was involved as much as the Marine Nationale.
The Tommies were given perimeters to defend, they massively left their positions, the French were obliged to fill the gaps. The tommies were threatened at bayonet point by Coldstream guards, until the Coldstream guards replaced them, but they eventually left too, leaving the French alone with a few Belgians.
The evacuation of the French started only when all the British were evacuated. The British sabotaged the communication, the bridges, the roads, the harbors and trapped thousands of French soldiers who helped them escape the pocket in the North at Dunkerque, Boulogne, Lille and the area.
@@BruneSixtine im not disputing that, however i am disputing you saying that ONLY the sacrifice of the French soldiers made operation dynamo possible. I have nothing but respect for the French, they are remarkable fighters and were massively let down by their leaders and government but please don't point your bitterness and blame at the British. You had a much more massive land army, the campaign was under the command of Petain and the French were fighting on and for their home ground. Your guys were running the show when it comes down to it. Another unfortunate case of lions lead by sheep.
@@baldrickization Just like the british and the americans, are saying that France didn't do anything at all during WW2.
@@john.dough.9423 no, just uneducated and ignorant people make such sweeping generalisations about entire nations of people
I remember when I was eating my popcorn and then the shots went off, my jaw dropped and remained opened for the rest of the scene…I knew exactly the tone this movie was going to set and forgot about my theater snacks. No movie has ever done so well at making you feel at the verge of death
Nearly got a damn heart attack watching this.
What I absolutely adore about this scene is that at this point any of theese guys could be the protagonist, and when they die off one by one you´re not sure who is going to be left...if anyone at all.
Legitimately one of the best directed scenes I’ve ever seen in cinema.
in reality..it s just a hollywood film
@@pathebasse4052 ok lol
I am proud of having seen this in theatres. I remember having my heart running since the very first gunshot for the entire length of the movie, and in synced the background music every time. I love this movie, and I think that if some film can feel this immersive, it sure deserves compliments
I’ve only seen this film once, yet this opening is what has most stuck out to me. The most noteworthy aspect of this sequence: The sound.
One of the greatest openings in film history. This film is an work of art rather than a thriller.
I wish this movie showed a bit more ground combat, because they really nailed the sounds of incoming rounds in this scene. Saving Private Ryan had the best visuals, but Dunkirk had the best sounds.
Nolan could not have shown more ground combat. It is a British movie and the public at home would have never accepted seeing 15,000 French soldiers getting killed whilst the British were withdrawing as it goes against what every average Brit has been told for the last 80 years ie 'the French surrendered, we stood, the French did not fight hard in WWII etc...)
@@tonyz7216 Apart from the right wing media no one would have been offended or disputed the fact that the French paid a lot in blood . He would hav been praised more than likley for being realistic.
@@tonyz7216the british fought during the rearguard (so i’ve heard) as well. he could’ve shown that.
seeing this on the big screen is an experience i will never forget
And just like that, buddies you've known for years are gone.
The Germans were so impressed of the French soldiers' bravery that they even allowed them to march in a parade upon their surrender.
I do wish the French could have made up their minds then because earlier in the campaign entire divisions, without being told and led by their own Officers, threw down their arms and simply walked towards the German lines. And please don't try and come back with some sort of counter argument - it's FACT...
@@paulharrison7450 source? "Trust me bro"
@@paulharrison7450 I'm learning a lot about this period and I've never seen anything like that... the french forces where pushed to dunkirk, a part surrendered at the end of the battle but that's all... The entiry french army surrendered after the armistice but thats logical. The french army lost 55k men and 123k wounded in 20 days... we don't have the same defintion of divisions surrendering
@@paulharrison7450 Give us your sources please
I'm English, Engle!!!! Also, cool, those German Nazis sound like some stand up guys...
Seeing this in the cinemas, is an experience unlike any other
That one guy you know will survive the entire film bevause he survives something that should have killed him five times over in the opening scene.
Midgard Eagle Some guys just luck out
Yeah I honestly have no idea how he survived the opening scene. Plot armor is thick with this one
Yeah he was running pretty slow imo, didn’t seem to be in that much of a hurry lol.
Seeing this in IMAX was probably the highlight of my life
this whole movie was amazing, but very very sad. holy shit. i respect and salute the men and women who went through this.
This story is the reality of what happened there, it 's even more sad ...
ruclips.net/video/w6C5P-AYGdY/видео.html
1:15 These were perfect scenes
The perfect movie to watch at full volume when going to bed.
The rearguard effort was amazing, Dunkirk was defended viciously and fanatically.
18,000 Frenchmen were killed.
3,500 British men were killed.
I believe there were some Dutch and Belgians there, not sure about the Luxembourgish. (I doubt it).
But still, it was a great defence, especially considered the fact that the allies were holding in many places against the SS.
Holding a line against stormtroopers is obviously hard, that’s why they’re called stormtroopers after all.
Good job lads, Rest In Peace, all of you.
The way the gunfire in this scene rattled your chest in IMAX...it sounded way too real. Amazing
Fionn is so handsome.
The gunshot in this entire scene probably scared 90% of the crowd at the IMAX theater showing. (I am so glad where I live, we have a true IMAX theater that supports 70mm footage)
All he wanted to do, was #2.
ikr haha i was wondering if anyone else noticed that. at least he got to poo later on the beach
Surprised the Germans didn't scare the shit out of him
Omg i just realised that
The Germans didn’t want that shit lying around
1:36 they nailed it with that perfect sound!!!!!!
This movie really was made for IMAX and Dolby Atmos
Sound design in this movie was nuts
My Great-Uncle was a medic with a rifle company of the British Army that missed the Dunkirk evacuation by minutes. They spent months maneuvering behind German lines until they were eventually extracted by French Resistance far south down near Marseille. Uncle Bill never spoke aboutwhat happened during those months behind German lines and nobody ever pushed. He was a grand old chap and worked for Great Western Railroad as a signalman for some years before he opened up his own very successful dog kennel and breedery. Even had a retriever that would come to the pub with him and lap up what was in the drip trays below the tape. Uncle Bill was a Grand Old Gent if ever there was.
God bless those French soldiers who fought bravely to the end to make sure the British army could escape across the Channel...
That’s how you start a film. I watched it 3 times in Theaters. The runtime was shorter which made it easier to see over and over again. It was brilliant each time. Bought it in 4K that Christmas
My heart and mind could not rest until the end of the film. It was just too intense. Just goes to show you how good the Production Team was here.
Same. I felt the same watching Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
I watched Dunkirk in D-Box, and the second those first shots rung out half my popcorn went flying out of my bucket
Haha
The gun jamming also shows that how ill prepared was Britain for another conflict
people often berate neville chamberlain for appeasing hitler, but if you look at how badly they got floored by the wehrmact in 1940, it would have been even worse earlier
@@tguard113 I really think that if a man like Churchill had been there before , as soon as Poland would have been invaded , he would have sent the BEF in full assault into Germany
The British also had Tommy Guns that were supplied by US lend lease during Dunkirk but used them in somewhat small numbers.
@@tguard113
Don't forget the Germans were also in the middle of increasing military production, and were practically given all of the Czech arms industry for free by Chamberlain, not to mention neutralized Czechoslovakia as an enemy...
@@alskjlskaj correct although it mightve started earlier
This is one of the best pieces of cinema ever.
Theres something about this film that makes it so authentic
I usually don't care much for war movies, but I went and saw this in theaters and really enjoyed it. I added it to the short list of war movies I thoroughly enjoyed, it was very well done.
This scene scared the shit out of me in theatres. Really wish I had scene it in IMAX.
At the beginning of the scene, the soldiers are crouching and with their hands on their helmets. Just a small detail representing the ongoing possibility of bombing.
2:40 That motorcycle was hard at work bringing all those sandbags.
In actual 1940s era photos of France during this WW2 battle you will see many motorcycles put into use.
2:33
When the person I dislike at parties tries to be friendly with me.
This movie was really intense. I don’t think any scene in this movie was without tension
It always bothered me how this was set in world war 2 yet the houses and buildings are all intact without any sort of bomb damage. You wouldn’t think a war had been raging looking at the set design.
Poor guy gets to use his single shot rifle once and it gets jammed immediately :D
Las Armas y Fatman It was probably real, but loaded with blank ammo.
The way the papers are flying, the way the soldiers are walking is pure art.
The first gunshot hits the guy with the trench coat and he doesnt fall until he gets shot again! He didnt notice!!!
(trenchcoat and helmet not the main character)
dunkirk in imax experience level 9000
dunkirk on youtube experience level 1... lmao
02:33:
The French soldiers are obviously tense, but this one's stare at his British colleague?
Is that tension? Resentment and contained anger?
Briseur De Lance probably just saying thank you for helping in a war that the British didn’t need to get involved in
@@scottwhitley3392 And i suppose you might tell the same thing for Norway?
"a war that the British didn’t need to get involved in" 😂
it is neither the English nor the French who decide who is involved in this war but rather the German. Do you seriously think Churchill had the choice to fight or not?
2:34
He's not looking at him like a allied,he's staring at him like a enemy,with hate bottom of heart.
1:17 Let's all jog in the middle of the street while being shot at. Let's also jump the blue gate that we never discussed doing but somehow came to a mutual agreement on
Running into the middle of the street is pretty much the LAST thing you should do in that situation.
Running down the middle of an open street, giving the enemy a clear field of fire at your backsides? Not a great plan.
That opening picture, the very first, is just overwhelming with its symmetry
We surround you
W e s u r r o u n d y o u
@@TheAuxmark3 All your base are belong to us!
This still goes down as one if not the loudest films ever made.
My chest was vibrating during the dog fights.
Damn! EVERYTHING IS WRONG in that scene!
1: More than 300000 soldiers are waiting for rescue on several kilometers of beaches,so what the hell these 6 Brits are doing in the middle of the street. Tourism?shopping?
2: The Germans were surrounding the city,a few kilometers away,they were not IN the city. So how can they shoot these soldiers?
3: The French barricades were at the gates of the city,not 100 meters of the beach!
4:Everything is soooo quite,and yet there was heavy fighting on the outskirts of the town
5: Where are the French peoples??? Citizens where trapped in Dunkirk as well as soldiers. My grand mother was
6: I don't think you can die of thirst in one of the rainiest cities in France... so this scene where he tries to drink a few drops from the hose 😂
7: And the faucet he turns on is hooked up to a gutter downspout... so if it's not raining,what do you expect? 🤣🤣🤣
8:why does he stays behind this wooden partal when it is bursting under the German bullets? and why the Germans do not shoot the entire surface of this portal??? And why the hell does he take the time to reload his gun when he can't see anyone to shoot. You are out of view... Run,you fool!!! (as would say Gandalf)
9: Thanks to the Germans who give time to Tomy to run through the street and start firing (from nobody knows where) only once he's safe behind the barricade. He should be dead at 2:03 right after jumping the wall, killed either by french bullets or germans bullets.
10: Oops,i forgot: At the very first image of the movie,the German propaganda leaflets that fall from the sky are not written in English but in French since it is addressed to the French and not to the English. And it is not written "We surround you" but "Les anglais se battront jusqu'au dernier français" (English will fight until the last French)
.....and everyone raves about the incredible realism of this film! 😲😲😲
You made my day 😂 !!!
Seeing this at IMAX release was an experience I hope to experience again with Oppenheimer
1:30: Why are we always stuck and running from the bullets? The bullets? ~'Sign of the times' by Harry Styles
Sorry but I had to, that song fits 'Dunkirk' really well.
I love how the opening act has an "Inception" vibe
They need to show this again
French translation: "Go away limey boy. Have a nice day."
Seeing this on IMAX film the way it was meant to be seen was chilling. AND THE SOUND. I could feel it rattling my bones and in my eyeballs. I went back 6 more times to see it lmao.
Talk about a film that grabbed my attention. I remember seeing this in the theater and I was expecting to be eased in slowly during this opening. That opening gun shot was a shot of an adrenaline that didn't let up. This film still has the best sound mix I have ever heard. Nolan is criticized for the sound mixing of his film, but this film earned its Oscars for sound.
The French saved a large part of the British army ..
And theirs, 1/3 of those rescued were from the French army.
@@TheBatmansbrother And those French returned to France to continued the fight .
@@jeffkodiac didn't they return after France surrendered?
@@TheBatmansbrother There were almost no French soldiers in Britain at this time .
@@jeffkodiac "about 123,000 French troops were evacuated from Dunkirk" about 1/3 of those rescued.
I remember the first thing I thought when seeing this scene in theaters was “wow I’m glad I wasn’t late” and then being pissed off over the fact that if I was late I would’ve missed a good scene
The British are truly masters at retreating and abandoning their allies. Just like they did in France, Belgium, Norway, Greece, Egypt etc.
They British Rear-Guarded half of the Action at Dunkirk as they covered the eastern sector of Dunkirk, around 150 thousand French Soldier were evacuated and yet after France Surrendered only 4 thousand stayed in the British Army as they were given the Choice to go home.
and How did the Abandon Belgium, norway, and Greece? are you braindead?
@@spitfire8790 Operation Alphabet, you cowards evacuated Norway and allowed Germany to conquer Norway once the Luftwaffe started bombing your troops. You sent British troops to Greece after Italy invaded and was destroyed by the Greeks alone, but once the Germans invaded Greece, British troops immediately evacuated Greece and left Greece to fall to the Germans in just 24 days. In Belgium, you had the French do ALL OF THE FIGHTING for you, while you guys evacuated and ran off to your Island with your cowardly tails tucked between your legs.
@@anassakadik4247 Lol maybe BECAUSE the British were outnumbered on Norway and there was no way to achieve victory hence why they evacuated, the same goes for Greece the British held the Italians and when the German came the British were fighting the Italians and Germany at once and these are Colonials troops mind you not troops of the BEF hence why they were defeated so quickly, and the BRITISH ALSO held Crete which costed the German a lot of deaths to capture, and then Belgium. The British WANTED to place troops in Belgium but Belgium Did not allow this and when Belgium was finally invaded a stream of refugee blocked the roads and the Belgian was pushed back so quickly many of the defensive position the BEF wanted to hold was already taken.
And wanna know who's fault all of this is? France, their shitty Military couldn't even fight the Germans in the Ardennes when the German tanks and trucks were all stuck in a traffic in a small narrow road the French could've swooped in and destroy the Germans and yet they didn't. And then the Counter-Attack at Arras, the Battle that made it Possible the British were promised by the French that they would receive help from the other side of Arras so the British Launched the Attack with 2 Tank Regiment and the damage was devastating the German was thrown into a panic and all German advances were halted especially Guderian's push to the coast Rommel had reported that he had been attacked by 5 armored division when it wasn't even a full division and yet the French didn't arrive, cowardly hiding in their Maginot Line now willing to help the British at Arras and if the French had arrived at Arras it's possible that the French wouldn't have to surrender as 90% of Germany's armored force would've been cut off.
And did all the fighting for the British? Oh yeah? what about the 51st Highlanders or the 150 thousand French soldier evacuated? The British did half of the Rear-Guarding half of the Action and out of the 150 thousand French Men evacuated only 4 thousand remained to fight for the UK the rest chose to cowardly go home instead of fighting the Vichy French Regime.
And the French Resistance was as good as useless until the British Organized it.
Jesus, you're fucking Braindead.
@@anassakadik4247 and before you say "Oh why wasn't the British are the Ardennes?" dumbfuck maybe it's because the BEF was fully professional volunteer force hence why it only numbered 300 thousand and was tasked with Belgium, the Ardennes and Maginot was the French side.
And the FRENCH outright cowardly surrendered at Ardennes, Virtually all of the French 9th army just gave up when the Germans appeared like literal cowards.