The Battle of the Somme. Thursday 29 June pm & 7pm Walthamstow Assembly Hall

Transcription

1 The Battle of the Somme Thursday 29 June pm & 7pm Walthamstow Assembly Hall

2 Programme Introductory talk by composer Laura Rossi and Imperial War Museum s Senior Curator Dr Toby Haggith (evening only) Film screening of The Battle of the Somme Accompanied by a live score by Laura Rossi performed by the Waltham Forest Youth Orchestra and Friends Conducted by Michael Whittaker 2

3 The Walthamstow man who filmed The Battle of the Somme by Malcolm J Doolin The Battle of the Somme was filmed by two men: Geoffrey Malins and J. B. McDowell. In 1920, Malins, wrote his autobiography How I Filmed the War making no mention of McDowell whose contribution is sometimes forgotten. He played no less a part, however, and has a Walthamstow connection which adds significance to the film being shown here. rink, a glass- roofed, low building at , Hoe Street, on the corner of Grove Road. British and Colonial was one of the biggest film makers in Britain, making epics such as The Battle of Waterloo (1913) and The Loves and Adventures in the Life of Shakespeare (1914), both using location filming. They also filmed documentaries including royal events and Cup Finals. British and Colonial were part of the Walthamstow film industry which, by 1914, was producing about 12.5% of British films. J. B. McDowell with a Moy and Bastie camera From , McDowell and A. H. Bloomfield, ran The British and Colonial Film Studios in Walthamstow. Originally based in East Finchley, they moved into larger premises: a disused skating Filming The Loves and Adventures in the life of Shakespeare in the Walthamstow studio 3

4 By 1914 cinemas attracted large audiences across the country. In Walthamstow, Leyton and Chingford, for example, there were 12 buildings showing films. Filmmakers, including McDowell, realised that the popularity of cinema could be harnessed to support the war effort. Initially, however, the government did not recognise its potential. The wartime Propaganda Bureau allowed little war filming and enforced strict censorship but by August 1915 the importance of cinema was recognised, partly because Germany was successfully using cinema to aid their war effort. Initial war films received mixed reviews. A combination of military restrictions and the limitations of film technology meant the cameramen could do little to make the films dramatic or interesting. The heavy hand cranked cameras requiring a tripod and frequent film changes meant they were cumbersome. They had no facility to zoom so they could only film close ups in any detail. To get action shots exposed the cameraman to danger as they had to be at the Front Line. On 25 October 1915 it was decided that two official cameramen would join the BEF and Geoffrey Malins, a film maker, and Edward Tong, a studio manager, went to France. Photographer Ernest Brooks accompanied them to take still photographs of the action. In December 1915, Tong was invalided home and replaced by McDowell, thus beginning the Walthamstow connection to The Battle of the Somme. Geoffrey Malins In June 1916, the War Office agreed that the forthcoming offensive in the Somme region could be filmed. They planned short newsreels to be shown alongside feature films and hoped to record a great Allied victory which would hugely raise morale. Malins was at the north of the British lines near Beaumont Hamel, McDowell about 15 miles south at Mametz. They filmed the preparations for the attack showing the heavy gun bombardment, the troops preparing and moving up to the Front and munitions being prepared. Malins captured the mine explosion at Hawthorn Ridge whilst McDowell filmed sequences including dead bodies, the first and last time, until the Second War, this was done. They filmed casualties being treated and prisoners being brought back. 4

5 The films were edited in London by Malins and film producer Charles Urban who decided to release it as one long film on 21 August, In London, 34 cinemas showed the film and a further 100 prints were released nationwide. It was so popular, cinemas dropped previously booked films or showed them alongside The Battle of the Somme. Locally, it was shown at the King s Hall, Leyton, The Super Cinema of the District, on 7, 8 and 9 September with three performances a day. The following week it was shown simultaneously at three cinemas, the Empire, Bell Corner and the Scala, Bakers Arms, each with four performances a day, and the Carlton, High Street, Walthamstow with five performances. Across the country 20 million tickets were sold in the six weeks after its release and no film until Star Wars (Episode IV A New Hope ) in 1977 attracted a comparable audience. McDowell continued to film at the Front whilst Malins filmed King George V visiting his troops as The King Visits His Armies in the Great Advance. McDowell and Malins made two further films together. The Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks in 1916 and The Battle of Arras and the German Retreat in The popularity of this sort of film waned, however, and war films returned to a shorter format, presented alongside the main films. Nevertheless, both McDowell and Malins continued to risk their lives and both were wounded. In 1917 Malins was repatriated, and discharged in June McDowell continued filming and by the end of the war was in charge of all film makers at the Front. Both were awarded the O.B.E and M.C. McDowell returned to Walthamstow and worked there until the studio closed in By then, the British film industry was in decline. The Walthamstow studios all closed and the industry moved away. McDowell formed his own company and remained in the industry for many years, dying in Westcliff in Unlike Malins, he did not write an autobiography. Kevin Brownlow, the film maker and historian claims that: The motion picture came of age during World War I. The contribution of the work of McDowell and Malins to this cannot be underestimated: The Battle of the Somme was commissioned as propaganda but with its courageous reportage photography and its feature length became a landmark in the history of cinema. Its powerful images continue to contribute to the narrative through which we remember the Great War today. Today, nothing remains of McDowell s studio and the site houses a disused Telephone Exchange and car wash. We owe it to McDowell, the Walthamstow man who filmed The Battle of the Somme, to ensure he is remembered. 5

6 About the film by Dr. Toby Haggith Shot and screened in 1916, The Battle of the Somme was the first feature length documentary about war. In the first three months of its release the film was seen by around 20 million people in Britain and Ireland, informing and challenging the public with its images of warfare, and changing the way both cinema and film was perceived. Filming took place between 25 June and 9 July 1916, covering the buildup and opening stages of the Battle of the Somme. The film is definitely a propaganda film, though it is filmed and presented in the style of a documentary, and was made in response to a real desire from the British public for news of and images from the battlefront. It was created to rally civilian support, particularly for the production of munitions, and British soldiers are portrayed as well-fed, respectful to prisoners and well-looked after. The structure of the film is simple; the first two reels cover the preparations for the infantry attack, the third reel covers the attack on the 1 July 1916 and the next two, the aftermath of the battle. Anticipating the desire of the audience to spot their loved ones, the cameramen captured as many faces as possible, often encouraging the men to turn and acknowledge the camera. The inter-titles, written by the War Office, are a crucial element of the film. They provide commentary, point out important details, guide the audience to an appropriate response, reinforce propaganda messages, and reassure the viewer. Some scenes such as the over the top sequence are now understood to have been staged. However, historians estimate that overall only 90 seconds of the film was staged. An estimated 13% of the film depicts images of wounded or dead soldiers including some distressing images of communal graves. The depiction of British dead is unique to this film in the history of British non-fiction cinema. Despite the depiction of death and injury throughout the film, the overall feeling remains that the Battle of the Somme was a military success. The film was first privately shown to David Lloyd George on the 2 August 1916 and the first major screening took place on 10 August at the Scala Theatre, Soho, London. The Battle of the Somme continued to be distributed for at least five months afterwards. By October 1916, the film had received around 20 million admissions the UK population at the time was 43 million. 6

7 The Battle of the Somme was filmed on the front line at great personal danger to the cameramen, and offered audiences a unique, almost tangible link to their family members on the battlefront. Contemporary reactions to the film varied greatly; some members of the public thought the scenes of the dead were disrespectful or voyeuristic. There was debate in the newspapers and at least one cinema manager refused to show it. But most people believed it was their duty to see the film and experience the reality of warfare. The popularity of the film helped raise the status of film from a trashy form of mass-entertainment to a more serious and poignant form of communication. The Imperial War Museum took ownership of the film in 1920, and in 2002 undertook digital restoration of the surviving elements. A new orchestral score was commissioned from Laura Rossi in 2005 and the film was listed on UNESCO s Memory of the World register one of the first films, and the first British document of any kind, to be listed. The Battle of the Somme film remains the source of many of the conflict s most iconic images, from the over the top sequence to the piggy-back rescue in the trenches, and continues to have great importance not only as a record of war but as a piece of cinema. IWM Q

8 About the Music Laura Rossi s new score was commissioned to mark the 90th anniversary of The Battle of the Somme as a soundtrack for the digitally restored film. When embarking on her research on the film and the battle in preparation for her composition, Laura discovered her great uncle, Fred Ainge, (whom she knew as he survived the war) was a stretcher-bearer attached to the 29th Division on 1 July In preparation for composing the new score she visited the Somme Battlefields, using Fred s diaries to locate the areas in which he served. The re- mastered film was screened for the 90th anniversary of the Battle to a full house at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the premiere of Laura s orchestral score, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and received a glowing 5 star review in The Times. And these troops in the mud grinned or stared at us to a new music score by Laura Rossi, brilliantly effective. Geoff Brown, The Times. Biographies Laura Rossi, Composer Laura Rossi has written music extensively for film and television, including the critically acclaimed London to Brighton, The Eichmann Show, starring Martin Freeman and Anthony LaPaglia and Song for Marion, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp. She has also scored many silent films including the British Film Institute s Silent Shakespeare and the famous IWM 1916 films The Battle of the Somme and The Battle of the Ancre. 8

9 Her latest work Voices of Remembrance is a choral/ orchestral work featuring war poems read by Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave. The music was commissioned by Boosey and Hawkes to mark the Centenary of the First World War. Laura s music has been recorded and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Musici Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Her works have been performed at the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Laura is also lecturer for film music at the London Film Academy. Waltham Forest Youth Orchestra The Waltham Forest Youth Orchestra has been preparing for the performances since Easter and has enjoyed working with a variety of professional musicians to form a larger ensemble for this event. We would like to thank members of the Music Service staff, Forest Philharmonic players, students from Guildhall School of Music and Drama and other professional players for all their hard work in supporting our children and young people to realise this performance. For more information please visit Laura s website: 9

10 Michael Whittaker, Conductor Michael Whittaker has a close relationship with both Waltham Forest Music Service and Walthamstow Assembly Hall. As a child Michael learnt both the violin and viola through the Music Service and performed with various ensembles. He made his conducting debut at Walthamstow Assembly Hall in 1991 whilst still a student of the Music Service. Michael began working for the Music Service in 1999 as a conductor and instrumental teacher. Whilst studying at Trinity College of Music, Michael won the Riccordi Conducting Prize and the Grace Wylie String Playing Prize. As a freelance viola player, Michael has performed with many ensembles, including the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Reggae Philharmonic. As a conductor, Michael has worked in collaborative projects with the London Symphony Orchestra and Forest Philharmonic and has conducted the Waltham Forest Youth Orchestra since In February 2017 Michael conducted the debut concert of Stringsational here in Walthamstow at St. Mary s Church. Waltham Forest Music Service Waltham Forest Music Service (WFMS) teaches over 20 different instruments in most schools across the borough and at our after-school and Saturday Music School. If you re interested in learning an instrument speak to your school to see what s on offer, or contact us to find out about lessons or joining a group or choir at our Music School music.service@walthamforest.gov.uk Tel:

11 Special thanks to: Laura Rossi, Ellen Thomson, Neill Quinton, Dr Toby Haggith and all the team at Somme 100 FILM for their support Liza Fletcher from E17 Films for the initial idea and valuable input throughout Malcolm Doolin for the programme notes and all his enthusiasm, support and promotion of the project Michael Whittaker for going above and beyond to research this project, and for being committed to the success of this performance Waltham Forest Music Service management and Business Support for co-ordinating and overseeing the musical aspect of this performance, particularly Joint Heads Judith Glossop and Mary Mycroft Waltham Forest Music Service teachers who have given up holidays, evenings and weekends to support our young people Parents and Carers for supporting their children and taking them to all the rehearsals All Youth Orchestra performers for their commitment to this challenging project Musicians from the Forest Philharmonic Musicians from Guildhall School of Music and Drama for their role in this performance Freelance professional musicians for coming to support our Orchestra and inspire our young people Mike Eden for his technical expertise Faber Music for their prompt assistance with the score Walthamstow Assembly Hall team Emma McGovern and the Waltham Forest Council Culture team for enabling this opportunity to become reality in Waltham Forest, and for managing the project from the beginning 11

12 Partners Part of Somme100 FILM, an international project bringing together 100 live orchestral performances of the IWM film The Battle of the Somme, to mark the 100th anniversary of the battle The First World War Centenary Partnership, led by IWM, is a network of national and international organisations who together are presenting a vibrant programme of cultural events and activities to mark, commemorate and remember the lives of those who lived, fought and died during the First World War. For more information visit