Dunkirk
Dunkirk is the desperate evacuation of the British troops and allies from France that happened at the start of World War II. The film is good at showing the actual event.
But let's start. Watch the film Dunkirk. You can rent it here.
Before we get a closer look at the film lets get a little more context and here is a video by History Buff about the historical accuracy of the film.
If you want to explore more, then here are some sites to check out.
If you go on to the history standards, these will be helpful.
Kenneth (one of the actors) has done a good rundown of the whole event. Which you can check out here.
Of course, they didn't get everything right but if you like picking out the things that aren't right then check out Looper.
It can be interesting to speculate why you think these errors were introduced into the film. I think practicality was part of it but audience is the other reason. The French being left out and the smaller ships being played up definitely points to Nolan being aware of his English-speaking audience.
But let's first explore the movie effects and how the story was told. You should be able to use a few scenes for a close viewing but be aware that because there will be notes on the scenes played here that you won't be able to use those particular scenes if you wish to do an assignment on it.
First up the music. Here is a video about the music and how tension was created through the sound throughout the film. If you want to explore the Shepard Tone more you can check out this article.
Much of the film relies on practical effects. This means instead of using Computer-Generated Images they tried to put you there. If you are interested in just how they did this, then check out these videos of how they filmed using planes and real ships.
The director's storytelling is top notch and why this is a great film to study for exams or for close viewing at any level. Many have comments on his storytelling skills.
Here are sites and articles that will help you become an expert on the film
Try to break up the three storylines in a graph. Map out what happens on Land, Sea and Air. In the movie they don't happen when expected so mapping it out can make more sense to you.
If you get stuck or want to check that you got it right, check out the answers here.
Let's take a look at a couple of scenes. I like to start with the opening scene as a Director usually throws in his best stuff at the start to convince viewers to stick it out and watch the whole thing.
What promises does Nolan make to us the viewer in this scene?
We know it is going to be a mostly silent film that shows more the events than characters because of the eerie music and gunshots being the most dominant. If Nolan was going to have a movie based on characters, he'd show more of their personality.
What do we know about the character introduced in this scene?
How is tension created in this clip?
If you don't know please go watch the clip about the music.
The character is merely lucky to reach the beach in the first place. This expectation that he will be lucky and survive is a theme throughout. He faces many events that could have easily been the death of him and yet he lives. When you look at why that is, it isn't bravery or fearlessness, instead, mostly it is luck and a fierce desire to survive.
Let's go to the air this time and look at a scene near the end.
How does what you hear combine with what you see to add tension to the scene?
From whose perspective is this scene from?
Why do we jump around to different perspectives?
What limits does this put on us a viewer?
What camera shots are used to make us the viewer feel like the scene is shot from our perspective?
All these shots are to make us feel like we could have been there. That all of the people on the shore or the boats are just like us.
What promise does the director give at the start of the scene that he delivers on later?
There are also times when he builds tension by implying one thing will happen and then have it not eventuate.
How is this done and what is the point?
Using the two scenes above, try filling in the gaps in this worksheet.
If all of this has inspired you to read more about people's experiences, real or fantasy, then here are some books you might like to read.
Or try writing your own story using the same skills Nolan does to create tension. It doesn't have to be about war but think about how you can hook your audience and draw them to the end. Maybe tell a story that everyone is familiar with from someone else's perspective.