Does the Film the Battle of the Somme Provide a Realistic Picture of Life in the Trenches?

Does the film the Battle of the Somme provide a realistic picture of life in the trenches?

‘The battle of the Somme’ film is a British documentary with supposedly ‘real’ footage of The Battle that took place in the Somme in 1914. It was made, produced and edited by the government. The film gave a very graphic depiction of trench warfare, showing dead and wounded British and German soldiers. The film was a massive success; it sold twenty million tickets in its first six weeks of its release in Britain. All in all, the movie was a complete success, but is there a reason behind this? Did the British see the full trenches or just what the government wanted them to see? My aim is to, is to evaluate some sources and explain my point of view on whether I think the Battle of the Somme provides a real image of the trenches I will do this by cross referencing different sources such as Photos, newspapers, letters and Cartoons these sources will help to explain why I believe this film is not entirely authentic.

'The Battle of the Somme' was produced by the government and filmed by Geoffrey Malins and J. B. McDowell. The film had certain key messages that were conveyed to the audience. These were that the British army was well fed and equipped and they were living in good conditions in the war. The film also tells us that they had effective tactics and soldiers were always positive and patriotic about what they were doing. Another thing that it showed us was that although the British killed and imprisoned many of the Germans, they did treat their prisoners well and all our wounded soldiers had medical help that was quick and efficient. The film concludes optimistically with a sequence of cheering British troops marching once more to the front - implying that the soldier’s attitude was very positive and patriotic. The film was then released on August 10th 1916 with pride.                                                               The initial idea had come from the...