Watch footage from The Battle of the Somme

Read about The Battle of the Somme in the Times Archive

Director: Charles Urban, E, 1916

Retail DVD

Released barely a month after the worst day in British military history, while the battle still raged, this quasi-documentary was seen by 20 million Britons, nearly half the population. The scale of manpower stands out: troops snaking off into the distance, waving to the camera without knowing what lay in store. The scenes of the soldiers going over the top were probably staged - no surprise considering the bulkiness of the period camera equipment and the fact that it was essentially a propaganda film. But there are genuine battle scenes: troops in the distance, charging and falling; and later, harrowing footage of the injured and dying. The iconic moving picture of the First World War - a must see.

DVD extras

Commentaries, deleted scenes, alternative score

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