Just perfect...

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The night before I went to see the 2017 film of the events I watched this film again.It was everything that the new film is not.A faithful retelling of events told in an involving but not over emotional way.The scale of production may not have been as large as the new film,but you learned a lot more.Peopled with many fine actors including Mills,Attenborough and Lee.It captures the mood of the times which the new film does not.

Having watched the new, dreadful Dunkirk last night, I feel compelled to write a review for the "old" Dunkirk, which is one of my favourite war movies.I must admit though, having watched this film many times, I do feel compelled to fast forward through a lot of the civilian bits. These parts haven't aged well, and tend to drag on the overall story.However, the story of the army section, cut off from its main unit, and trying desperately to get to the coast, is thrilling and classic story telling. The action is as good as any modern day CGI, with John Mills actually burning his eyebrows off (not sure how to spell singing as in pronounced sinjing) in the scene with him trying to rescue the man from the burning vehicle.The killing of the sentry, although showing no gore, exhibits great film making to make it every bit as ghastly. Again, modern day directors should take note - implied violence can be just as good, if not better, than gratuitous violence shown on screen.The little ships mobilising is done extremely well, and this movie, unlike its modern day counterpart, makes sure the viewer gets to know the back story, and shows an epic effort to evacuate the soldiers.Just like The Cruel Sea, and Carve Her Name With Fame, this is brilliant story telling, at times, making you feel like you are watching a little bit of history unfold.

It's 1940. Despite some losses and ominous reports, the French and British alliance is confident of their western European defenses. Reporter Charles Foreman (Bernard Lee) is concerned. When Germany invades neutral Belgium, the British Expeditionary Force and their allies become trapped in a pocket surrounding Dunkirk. Corporal 'Tubby' Binns (John Mills) leads a group of young recruits who find themselves left behind in the rush to retreat. Back in England, John Holden (Richard Attenborough) and many others are shocked by the losses and the state of the returning men. He joins a flotilla of little boats to rescue the boys stuck across the channel.This is a perfectly fine war movie. There is solid British acting. The action consists of old stock footage, miniatures, hundreds of extras, and static explosions. There is a memorable sequence of a pier under attack. There is an early rear-guard action but the movie could have concentrated on that part of the story. The french soldiers are mostly missing. The German headquarter should have been included to show the flaw in their strategy. There is a compelling overall story that is missing.

See it – A surprisingly great war film, this movie tells two different stories. One is about a group of British soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, desperately trying to make their way to the French coast. Meanwhile, on the other side of the channel, English civilians bravely prepare to help with the mass evacuation at Dunkirk. Near the end, the two stories converge "Tarantino style." There aren't many household names in this one. Richard Attenborough headlines a cast of British actors that have recognizable faces but are relatively unknown to Americans. There is quite a bit of combat in the middle stage of the film as the British soldiers dart from hedge to farmhouse to avoid capture by the Jerries. The pace of the movie slows toward the end, but this is a historically accurate and memorable retelling of real heroes who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. 3 out of 5 action rating.