No advance information prepared me for this film

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2009)

I was born 9 years after WW2 finished and my father was a fireman in the midlands area of England during the war. I do not know anybody who was directly involved in any fighting so therefore the only way somebody like me can be educated in what has taken place during any war is with documentaries, books or a realistic portrayal of events in a war film. I have read numerous reputable books and watched award winning documentaries about WW2 and viewed a long list of films featuring various parts of the war but nothing I had heard about this film prepared me for the opening sequence. I doubt there is anyone on this planet who would not be affected in one way or another by it. You can get a dictionary out and list the adjectives but those 22 minutes are infinitely more descriptive than centuries of books, unrealistic films and fancy speeches. The whole film is close on three hours and is and hopefully always will be an education for anybody watching. For me this film should be regarded like a monument to all the people who have gone to war irrespective of when or where it took place or why it started in the first place. I suspect that the real thing was worse than what is shown in the film but what is shown is graphic enough. We have been killing each other for centuries but this like a select few other films lays it all out realistically. I personally thank the director and the entire cast and crew for the result of all their hard work. For anybody out there who has not seen this film please watch it and if possible stop reading this stuff I have written and lob the DVD into the machine and make your own mind up.