R.C. Sherriff’s acclaimed 1928 play, based on his own experiences in the First World War, reaches the screen in this outstanding, all-star adaptation starring Sam Claflin, Toby Jones and Paul Bettany and from The Duchess (2008) director Saul Dibb.
March, 1918. C-company arrives to take its turn in the front-line trenches in northern France, led by the weary Captain Stanhope (Claflin, Their Finest BFF16). The officers make idle chat to keep their nerves at bay in the trenches. A young new officer, Raleigh (Asa Butterfield), has just arrived, abuzz with the excitement of his first real posting, not least because he is to serve under Stanhope- the object of his sister's affections. But Stanhope is not happy to see this wide-eyed reminder of his past. Indeed, he’s ashamed of what he’s become under cumulative stress — an alcoholic, shadow of his former self.
From the Oscar nominated screenwriter of The Dam Busters, also in this year’s festival, Journey’s End brings a powerful sense of this terrible war’s cost. A century on from the Great War, Dibb’s taut direction revives it for a new generation.
Tuesday 23rd October
107 min
18+
Film Festival
