AllMovie

Legendary theatrical producer Gordon E. Craig was the creative force behind this 8-reel British WWI documentary. Drawing heavily from footage preserved in the Imperial War Museum, the film reconstructs the crucial battle of the Somme, with certain scenes restaged for dramatic effect. It was quite difficult for audiences in 1927 to differentiate between the "real" newsreel footage and the fabrications. Later historians didn't have this problem, pointing out that certain scenes could not have been filmed during the actual battle, else the cameraman would have been the first to die. Wisely, the producers chose not to "hoke up" the picture with a phony love story or extraneous comedy relief.