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Dunkirk is ruling the IMAX screens in its current incarnation courtesy of Christopher Nolan, but the 1958 telling of the story is getting screening in a special event on the beaches of Camber Sands on September 20th and 21st, in a new 2K restoration.
This is being done to celebrate the achievement of the Dunkirk evacuation and the very particular British wartime spirit that saw us through, in the face of great adversity.
On the evenings of Wednesday 20th September and Thursday 21st September, STUDIOCANAL will present the premiere of a new restoration of Leslie Norman’s classic wartime epic on the very beaches of Camber Sands where it was shot. The event is produced in association with The Luna Cinema and The Vintage Festival, and is part of the Britain On Film collection: Coast and Sea.
As well as the screening, event-goers will enjoy an evening of themed 1940s homegrown entertainment, including food and drink of the era, 1940s dance classes and set dressing, music and walkabout re-enactments. Gates will open at 5:30pm, and the screening will begin at 7.30pm.
The screening of Dunkirk will be preceded by archive short films, including a specially compiled montage of footage from the local coastal area at the time of the production by Screen Archive South East, and there will also be a special guest introduction.
This event has been made possible as part of a special programme of screenings and events taking place at coastal locations around the UK, staged supported by the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), organisations with funds from the National Lottery, and lead by Film Hub Central East (Broadway Cinema Nottingham) to launch BFI’s Britain on Film Coast and Sea collection.
Directed by Leslie Norman (The Long, The Short And The Tall), starring John Mills (Ice Cold In Alex, Goodbye Mr Chips, Great Expectations) Richard Attenborough (Brighton Rock, The Great Escape) and a cast featuring genuine army officers, DUNKIRK is one of the most authentic representations of conflict during World War II.
Dunkirk follows the dramatic events leading up to Operation Dynamo, where upon the British Army attempted to rescue fellow soldiers and allied troops from Nazi occupied France. Seen from the dual perspectives of a jaded journalist in search of propaganda and a weary soldier desperately trying to give his troop some hope, Dunkirk never shies away from the brutality of war and the bravery of its soldiers.
The new restoration of Dunkirk is released on Blu-ray, DVD and Amazon Prime, with brand new extras on September 25th, from Studiocanal as part of their Vintage Classics Collection – showcasing iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content.
Also check out the Vintage Classics Facebook page, and to book tickets, go to
http://scnl.co/DunkirkPremiere.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.