As an American and never having experienced war, this scene brings tears to my eyes. These poor blokes were doing whatever they could to retain their sanity.
If I was in the British Army at Dunkirk...I would have for sure accepted the fact that we were losing the war and had no chance of beating the Germans.
this is depressing. I just recently had to put my horse down and then i just watched like two horses get shot in the head. that's actually the most inhuman thing to do.
@guitarhamster102 Black people who were citizens were not segregated in the British and French armies. In 1940, the British and French only segregated on the basis of citizenship. So the tiny numbers of black people born in Britain and France and which were citizens (not colonial subjects) were not separated from the British and French citizens.
I've got to see this movie. I lost my breath by the time it got to the top of the beach and by the time it was rounding the chorus of men singing on the gazebo I welled up in tears, most powerful scene I've seen in a movie up to that point, really remarkable work.
I don't often go to church, but did last Sunday and "Dear Lord...", a soldier's favourite, was the opening hymn of the mass. Find it hard not to get a lump in the throat at the best of times, but, the night before, I had read a stack of letters, sent home during WWII, from my uncles, three of whom died in the war. The letters had me sobbing. Even in 1942, one of them wrote "This should be the last Christmas away". He died in 1943. All three died in 1943. Could hardly sing it. RIP.
Sat watching this for my History GCSE Assessment tomorrow when really I should be watching Two and a Half Men eating Oreos... urgh whatever, if I don't get an A.... Miss Howard wont be happy...
@rosiewardd96 hahahahahaha that was soooooo funny, ha ha ha, congratulations on formulating such an intelligent and witty joke, you clever clever girl, bravo, seriously bravo. my god that was sooo funny. what a smart girl you must be, hats off to the comedian
while this is an amazing scene, it really doesn't fit in with the theme of the story or have a place. It also can't compare to the amazing camera take at the end of Children of Men, where it has a single take of raw combat and following one man around while it happens around him.
i am a BEF impersonator (BEF is the main group which invaded Dunkirk and around that area) and this is perhaps the best glimpse of Dunkirk we get in movies, there's no decent films showing how brave these men were, saving private ryan is probably the closest battle wise, but its all yanks -.- and 3 years after. i can tell you how heavy all the gear is that each man would have to carry up the beach, its a bugger alright, and bloody itchy.
I know the history of this scene, I know the reasons why they killed the horses and destroyed the vehicles and equipment, and I even know the symbolism and deeper meaning (as some would say) of this scene, HOWEVER one thing I am confused about: Are those guys covered in oil @ 2:00 - 2:04 ??
@ThePhantom135 They did it over a course of two days(or one day, correct me if I'm wrong on both). They reserved a beach for this, and asked for a bunch of people to volunteer. They got the stuff set up, and then they had a cart for the camera to film the tracking shot.
Every time I watch this film, I cannot believe this scene. Such a well choreographed, hideous yet beautiful continuous shot....it's fantastic. This whole film is beautiful, but this is one of my favourite of it's achievements.
I just finished reading Walter Lord's "The Miracle of Dunkirk" (1982) and it seems as if this scene was lifted directly from a passage in the book: "They swarmed into Dunkirk and onto the beaches--lost, confused, and all too often, leaderless...[Soldiers] threw away their arms and aimlessly wandered about the beach. Others played games and swam. Others got drunk. Others prayed and sang hymns...[o]ne man, with studied indifference, stripped to his shorts and sunbathed among the rocks...."
@cornsnoggle Nope. In the director commentary, he says that it was fake, and they had to move the shot quickly as the horses did not like sitting on the ground too much.
@MillardTi Four, actually. Dunkirk is the end of May 1940 to early June 1940. D-Day was June 6, 1944, so almost exactly four years. I'm just stating for the record, not trying to call you out on anything.
Actually pretty sad,somewhat Godardian but without so much rage(reminds of Le Weeked a bit), really a much more "moral" than anything I remember from Saving Private Ryan
2:52 -- "God damn it, Stuart sang the wrong words again! Well the sun's about to set, we'll just have to use that take and hope nobody notices. But that's the last time I agree to let some idiot play a prominent role as an extra just because he's the costume designer's brother-in-law."
They shot the horses, spiked the radiators of the vehicles, and all manner of related of waste so as not to leave anything of value for the enemy. They were quite understandably fearful that they wouldn't have enough ship & boats to evacuate the people; there certainly wouldn't be room for horses.
Utter waste; beautifully, bitterly described on film.
@McDonaldsDude to stop the Germans getting them-plus they had little food! There rations had long gone, so horse meat would have been a luxury. Sounds horrible but hunger drives people mad!
One of the most ambitious camera shots I've ever seen. Damn, it looks like madness and delirium on the beaches of dunkirk. I wish there was a modern film on the battle of France. i wonder if they had to use any CGI or digital touch ups to get the final result.
@primeholyassasin20 well, the shot was filmed on a beach in england so the sky, sea etc is probably real. this tracking shot is so amazing, and i dont think there is any CGI here. the only bits i think are a bit suspect is when the paper blows. that might well be CGI, and also the guy hanging from the wheel... but that could easily be real too. i think that is part of the beauty of this scene. a 5min tracking shot is utterly insane anyway and treating it as a classical shot makes it even crazier
@bigbadmetalead Was filmed up the road from where i live , pretty much all of the stuff in it is real They will have changed the sky in post added fog and blocked out stuff in the far distance like the nuclear power plant lol.
I never thought about how long it would have taken to shoot this film. especially with the walking and all that stuff. people handing things out, the camera rolling over flowing objects. I don't think I could ever look at the scene the same way.
@BottleItUpMichelle actually, it was shot in one take. i remember seeing an interview with joe wright about how he was so scared that they wouldn't even get it because obviously, the lighting in that shot was very particular to a certain time of day and he only had one day with the beach. just amazing.
Every time I watch this, I'm just so amazed by it. The amount of work that went into this 5 minute piece is just stunning. This director did the same type of thing in P&P, and I'm always so stuck in the scene trying to take it all in. But I like this one best because of the amount of extras moving around. I wonder how many times they had to do this to get it perfect.
i remember Joe Wright telling how difficult shooting this scene was - having all these people doing the right thing in the right time. it's a massive amount of extras....
Amazing scene. I was blown away when I first saw it.
HomelessOnline 2 weeks ago
@rosiewardd96
You retard
theyankeekiller93 1 month ago
@180havok
Better they die quickly with a shot to the head by their owners than to be used for the nazi war machine
theyankeekiller93 1 month ago
holy shit, that's a long shot... excellent director, great actors and extras!
catherineseguin2007 1 month ago 3
This is so beautiful. Its even more beautiful to think about the work put into filming this shot so perfectly. And all in one take too!
smileygurl4653 1 month ago 2
As an American and never having experienced war, this scene brings tears to my eyes. These poor blokes were doing whatever they could to retain their sanity.
dharmaseed 1 month ago 5
@dharmaseed agreed.
fortune42100 1 month ago
If I was in the British Army at Dunkirk...I would have for sure accepted the fact that we were losing the war and had no chance of beating the Germans.
Three1Bravo 1 month ago
I cried so much during this scene
GhostSymphony 2 months ago
WWI or WWII?
MrFTW733 2 months ago
@MrFTW733 This is WWII. Dunkirk
jenzica 1 month ago
@MrFTW733 WWII
jenzica 1 month ago
James McAvoy and Leonardo di caprio 2 of the best actors around not to have won an Oscar!!
anya201098 2 months ago
@anya201098 Indeed!! McAvoy is so underrated!
megaead69 1 month ago
this is depressing. I just recently had to put my horse down and then i just watched like two horses get shot in the head. that's actually the most inhuman thing to do.
180havok 2 months ago
i saw this clip for my film class!!
partygirl209 2 months ago
How does James McAvoy never won an oscar!!! I love him soooooo :P
kiwi20chan 2 months ago 2
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Wow! What a scene. Just saw this movie. Simply Amazing!
megaead69 3 months ago
favourite scene of all time. the movie is fantastic as well.
sandbox390 3 months ago
it is really a masterpiece maybe the best scene of all time, everything is perfect
Insanaty 3 months ago
Why is there a black guy? Shouldn't he be in a segregated unit? Seriously. Movies need to stop putting in black guys for political correctness.
guitarhamster102 3 months ago
@guitarhamster102 Black people who were citizens were not segregated in the British and French armies. In 1940, the British and French only segregated on the basis of citizenship. So the tiny numbers of black people born in Britain and France and which were citizens (not colonial subjects) were not separated from the British and French citizens.
Bushroot 3 months ago
@guitarhamster102 The British army wan't segregated by race.
vibins360 3 months ago
I've got to see this movie. I lost my breath by the time it got to the top of the beach and by the time it was rounding the chorus of men singing on the gazebo I welled up in tears, most powerful scene I've seen in a movie up to that point, really remarkable work.
ChicaWolverina 3 months ago
@ChicaWolverina this movie is simply remarkable. so brilliant.
SuperPeanutbutterand 3 months ago
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TheBottleofsand 3 months ago
I don't often go to church, but did last Sunday and "Dear Lord...", a soldier's favourite, was the opening hymn of the mass. Find it hard not to get a lump in the throat at the best of times, but, the night before, I had read a stack of letters, sent home during WWII, from my uncles, three of whom died in the war. The letters had me sobbing. Even in 1942, one of them wrote "This should be the last Christmas away". He died in 1943. All three died in 1943. Could hardly sing it. RIP.
therunningbadger 4 months ago
Sat watching this for my History GCSE Assessment tomorrow when really I should be watching Two and a Half Men eating Oreos... urgh whatever, if I don't get an A.... Miss Howard wont be happy...
rosiewardd96 4 months ago
@rosiewardd96 hahahahahaha that was soooooo funny, ha ha ha, congratulations on formulating such an intelligent and witty joke, you clever clever girl, bravo, seriously bravo. my god that was sooo funny. what a smart girl you must be, hats off to the comedian
R0CKnR0LLRALPH 3 months ago
@R0CKnR0LLRALPH wow, chill.
rosiewardd96 3 months ago
Fleeing, that's how brits are more courageous than French who surrender...
LeHappiste 4 months ago
Absolutely beautiful scene! Thanks for sharing.
monkeymynd 4 months ago
while this is an amazing scene, it really doesn't fit in with the theme of the story or have a place. It also can't compare to the amazing camera take at the end of Children of Men, where it has a single take of raw combat and following one man around while it happens around him.
enoching7 4 months ago
This scene gives me chills. Great, great movie.
1Endovelico 4 months ago
i am a BEF impersonator (BEF is the main group which invaded Dunkirk and around that area) and this is perhaps the best glimpse of Dunkirk we get in movies, there's no decent films showing how brave these men were, saving private ryan is probably the closest battle wise, but its all yanks -.- and 3 years after. i can tell you how heavy all the gear is that each man would have to carry up the beach, its a bugger alright, and bloody itchy.
WNSCProductions 4 months ago
@WNSCProductions Well done mate.
transonicbuoy1 4 months ago
I know the history of this scene, I know the reasons why they killed the horses and destroyed the vehicles and equipment, and I even know the symbolism and deeper meaning (as some would say) of this scene, HOWEVER one thing I am confused about: Are those guys covered in oil @ 2:00 - 2:04 ??
John8Cena8 4 months ago
@John8Cena8 oil would act as insulation to allow them to swim in the sea to stop them gettting cold
kuingif1 1 month ago
3:06 - 3:10 Robbie's face says it all about this scene.
John8Cena8 4 months ago
@John8Cena8 septicemia makes anyone make that face
enoching7 4 months ago
One of the greatest and most beautiful long-shot scenes I've ever seen.
Maroj94 4 months ago
Cut!
InnerEmigrant 5 months ago
How the hell did they do this???
ThePhantom135 5 months ago
@ThePhantom135 They did it over a course of two days(or one day, correct me if I'm wrong on both). They reserved a beach for this, and asked for a bunch of people to volunteer. They got the stuff set up, and then they had a cart for the camera to film the tracking shot.
BaronCarmine 5 months ago
@BaronCarmine Damn. Can't even imagine what would have happened if someone messed up the shot.
ThePhantom135 5 months ago
@BaronCarmine it was actually probably a steadicam, like the one used in "The Shining"
footballstar3927 4 months ago
I get goosebumps everytime I watch this scene.
AnthonyJK1982 5 months ago 3
The hymn is 'Dear Lord and father of mankind'
StriveUK 6 months ago
Every time I watch this film, I cannot believe this scene. Such a well choreographed, hideous yet beautiful continuous shot....it's fantastic. This whole film is beautiful, but this is one of my favourite of it's achievements.
poundingonthedoor 6 months ago
Atonement was one of the best achievements in cinematography of the decade.
kingj2038 6 months ago 7
someone can tell me what is the hymn sung by the soldiers?
LaurenBancall 6 months ago
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@LaurenBancall
The beauty of thy peace
The beauty of thy peace
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire
O still small voice of calm
O still small voice of calm..
gunguy999 6 months ago
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This movie is one of my favorites, and the book... there is some beauty that can break your heart.
mrlandby 7 months ago
I just finished reading Walter Lord's "The Miracle of Dunkirk" (1982) and it seems as if this scene was lifted directly from a passage in the book: "They swarmed into Dunkirk and onto the beaches--lost, confused, and all too often, leaderless...[Soldiers] threw away their arms and aimlessly wandered about the beach. Others played games and swam. Others got drunk. Others prayed and sang hymns...[o]ne man, with studied indifference, stripped to his shorts and sunbathed among the rocks...."
pepe1958 7 months ago 17
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@nvlptl I saw Children of Men, but it's been awhile so I'll have to look at it again. :)
ThePhantom135 8 months ago
Did they actually kill those horses for the film? If so that's fucked up.
Don't get me wrong, this is an amazing movie.
cornsnoggle 8 months ago
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@cornsnoggle That's been going on for thousands of years. It's a basic element of warfare.
CIoudbby 8 months ago
@cornsnoggle
I assume that would be illegal, and for sure highly unethical.
peeweejj 7 months ago
Did they actually kill those horses for the film? If so that's fucked up.
cornsnoggle 8 months ago
@cornsnoggle Nope they didn't, circus horses.
MillardTi 8 months ago 2
@cornsnoggle Nope. In the director commentary, he says that it was fake, and they had to move the shot quickly as the horses did not like sitting on the ground too much.
BaronCarmine 5 months ago
@cornsnoggle they used circus horses which are trained to fall over and such.
sandbox390 3 months ago
Arguably the greatest tracking shot in recent cinematic history.
ThePhantom135 8 months ago 3
@ThePhantom135 i thought this shot was beyond words, but see the Children of Men
nvlptl 8 months ago
@ThePhantom135 the scene of children of men might be slightly better then this but this is still epic!
slimithy13 3 months ago
Juno beach?
omri1324 8 months ago
@omri1324 That was D-Day, learn your history.
MillardTi 8 months ago
@MillardTi Fucking ass hole, Juno beach landing was part of D-DAY. Learn your history, douchebag.
omri1324 8 months ago
@omri1324 Eh? Chill bro, this is Dunkirk, 3 years before D-Day.
MillardTi 8 months ago 15
@MillardTi Four, actually. Dunkirk is the end of May 1940 to early June 1940. D-Day was June 6, 1944, so almost exactly four years. I'm just stating for the record, not trying to call you out on anything.
ptoner87 7 months ago
One of my most favourite pieces of cinema. This is powerful, moving and utmost brilliant film making.
tomkinson86 8 months ago
F#ckin' amazing scene
danielsbraga 9 months ago
This was filmed in Redcar. The building that they go into at the end is a cinema. And it was in that very cinema that I first watched this film.
petesansom 10 months ago 4
Actually pretty sad,somewhat Godardian but without so much rage(reminds of Le Weeked a bit), really a much more "moral" than anything I remember from Saving Private Ryan
PtAltmVansanTarr 10 months ago
Haha at 1:14 you can see the first "dead" horse start to get back up!
rdurhamable 10 months ago
@rdurhamable they added an extra gunshot to finish it off
MrRaptur3 9 months ago
2:52 -- "God damn it, Stuart sang the wrong words again! Well the sun's about to set, we'll just have to use that take and hope nobody notices. But that's the last time I agree to let some idiot play a prominent role as an extra just because he's the costume designer's brother-in-law."
duffxdotcom 11 months ago
I'm guessing the horses were trained to fall down like that?
skylineaddict 11 months ago
@skylineaddict No they actually shot them.
iexusuxei 11 months ago 3
greatest shot in cinematic history?
markbot 11 months ago 2
This scene is unforgettable, and so is Joe Wright's Best Director snub.
jkolness1994 11 months ago
IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jpanim8r 1 year ago
They shot the horses, spiked the radiators of the vehicles, and all manner of related of waste so as not to leave anything of value for the enemy. They were quite understandably fearful that they wouldn't have enough ship & boats to evacuate the people; there certainly wouldn't be room for horses.
Utter waste; beautifully, bitterly described on film.
homeboy63 1 year ago 36
whyd they shoot the horses
McDonaldsDude 1 year ago
@McDonaldsDude to stop the Germans getting them-plus they had little food! There rations had long gone, so horse meat would have been a luxury. Sounds horrible but hunger drives people mad!
Trooper725 1 year ago
this is one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies
natiwati33 1 year ago
Amazing scene. I remember the sky being more beautiful though...maybe it's YouTube.
Zagra160 1 year ago
Christ Almighty.
mtnjoy 1 year ago
One of the most ambitious camera shots I've ever seen. Damn, it looks like madness and delirium on the beaches of dunkirk. I wish there was a modern film on the battle of France. i wonder if they had to use any CGI or digital touch ups to get the final result.
primeholyassasin20 1 year ago 3
@primeholyassasin20 well, the shot was filmed on a beach in england so the sky, sea etc is probably real. this tracking shot is so amazing, and i dont think there is any CGI here. the only bits i think are a bit suspect is when the paper blows. that might well be CGI, and also the guy hanging from the wheel... but that could easily be real too. i think that is part of the beauty of this scene. a 5min tracking shot is utterly insane anyway and treating it as a classical shot makes it even crazier
bigbadmetalead 1 year ago 5
@bigbadmetalead agreed. simply stunning
yutubemealliee 1 year ago
@bigbadmetalead Was filmed up the road from where i live , pretty much all of the stuff in it is real They will have changed the sky in post added fog and blocked out stuff in the far distance like the nuclear power plant lol.
ColourTheSkyGames 11 months ago
I never thought about how long it would have taken to shoot this film. especially with the walking and all that stuff. people handing things out, the camera rolling over flowing objects. I don't think I could ever look at the scene the same way.
BottleItUpMichelle 1 year ago
@BottleItUpMichelle actually, it was shot in one take. i remember seeing an interview with joe wright about how he was so scared that they wouldn't even get it because obviously, the lighting in that shot was very particular to a certain time of day and he only had one day with the beach. just amazing.
cxianet 1 year ago
@cxianet it took three takes. First take some people fell off the quads. Second time lighting failure.
LittleFingerFilms 1 year ago
Every time I watch this, I'm just so amazed by it. The amount of work that went into this 5 minute piece is just stunning. This director did the same type of thing in P&P, and I'm always so stuck in the scene trying to take it all in. But I like this one best because of the amount of extras moving around. I wonder how many times they had to do this to get it perfect.
meeshell384 1 year ago
@meeshell384 I read it took 5 takes. The 3rd take they did is the one in the movie.
Breadwork 1 year ago
this shot is a masterpiece.
i remember Joe Wright telling how difficult shooting this scene was - having all these people doing the right thing in the right time. it's a massive amount of extras....
ZielonaLinijka 1 year ago
thanks for uploading- this is one of my favourite parts of the movie. gives me goosebumbs every time i watch it...such a sad, sad (hi)story.
truemrsdarcy 1 year ago
oh how i love this movie, and this shot and james, and everything <33
MiissMisery 1 year ago
This shot is awesome. I love it.
lotrfrk16 1 year ago