Ghosts on the Somme: Filming the Battle, June-July 1916 by Alastair Fraser (PDF)

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Endorsements: …’This book is the product of careful and painstaking historical detective work, and the three authors deserve the thanks of everyone with an interest in the British army of the First World War’ Professor Gary Sheffield, Military Illustrated’Ghosts on the Somme is a painstaking detailed analysis of every second of the famous film of the battle. Overall it is an admirable piece of work and a very good book. It is perhaps, given the level of detail, one for Great War or film buffs … enjoyable and thought-provoking reading.’ The Long, Long TrailThe Battle of the Somme is one of the most famous, and earliest, films of war ever made. It records the most disastrous day in the history of the British army – 1 July 1916 – and it had a huge impact when it was shown in Britain during the war. Since then images from it have been repeated so often in books and documentaries that it has profoundly influenced our view of the battle and of the Great War itself. Yet this book is the first in-depth study of this historic film, and it is the first to relate it to the surviving battleground of the Somme. The authors explore the film and its history in fascinating detail. They investigate how much of it was faked and consider how much credit for it should go to Geoffrey Malins and how much to John MacDowell. And they use modern photographs of the locations to give us a telling insight into the landscape of the battle. This painstaking exercise in historical reconstruction will be compelling reading for everyone who is interested in the Great War.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “…the first in depth study of the film and the battlefield by leading experts in their fields…”The Great War Magazine About the Author Alastair Fraser is a founder member of the archaeology group No Man’s Land. He has worked as researcher and participant in a number of Great War documentaries. Steve Roberts is a retired police officer and an ex-regular soldier. He specialises in researching individuals who served during the war and is also a founder member of No Man’s Land. Andrew Robertshaw frequently appears on television as a commentator on battlefield archaeology and the soldier in history, and he has coordinated the work of No Man’s Land. His publications include Somme 1 July 1916: Tragedy and Triumph, Digging the Trenches (with David Kenyon) and The Platoon.Andrew Robertshaw is an author and a historian.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐An insightful investigation into the film making of 1916 by two cameraman – pioneers of conflict reportage. A shot by shot description of where the camera was looking with many ‘before and after’ photots, 1916/2007. Few views though of the consequences of showing the film or changes made on what to show, what to leave out and where ‘drama reconstruction’ as we would call it today, would be necessary and justified,

⭐A very interesting and informative book about the filming of the Somme battle and a great reference source for anyone interested in the Battle

⭐This important book fulfils a vital service by taking the 1916 documentary film `The Battle of the Somme’ filmed on location by Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell , and placing it under the strictest and most exacting historical scrutiny.The film was used for propaganda purposes, and was seen by a major proportion of the British public at the time. Its images have, for good or ill, become part of the collective memory of the Great War: the explosion of the massive mine at Hawthorn Ridge redoubt; the eyes of a soldier struggling to carry a wounded man along a trench, and the advance of troops through barbed wire feature in nearly every visual evocation of the Western Front. (The latter images are particularly controversial and the book surely closes the debate on their provenance).The book follows closely the disparate trail of evidence that suggests where and when the footage was shot. Key to this is the account left by Malins himself, a crib sheet assembled soon after the war, and most importantly for this book, a sequence of still photographs now part of the Imperial War Museum collection taken in parallel with Malins and McDowell’s footage. These shots form the backbone of the book, and often identify locations and units left anonymous by the film.The resulting integration of these sources is the best account of the film and the scenes it depicts. It is a significant further step on from the IWM viewing guide edited by Roger Smither in the early 1990s. The technical problems of filming are well covered and the authors have even enlisted the help of lip-reading specialists to allow the true lost voices of the Somme generation to be `heard’ again after nearly a century.A masterpiece, and central to our Somme library.

⭐Superb analysis of what Malins did and not do.

⭐We have all seen the black and white clip of a huge explosion throwing thousands of tons of earth up from the skyline in most TV and films covering the Great War. How many know where and when the original was taken? This book will tell you. The book is the result of forensic research in the film, ‘Battle of the Somme’. A Britsh goverment’s first attempt to present a managed propagnda project to the public. The group No Man’s Land is a mixed bunch of proffesional and ameturs dedicated to the study of the Great War. This book illustrates another side of their archeological work, the study and interpretation of records.It is slightly more dry and technical than the Group’s previous work ‘Digging the Trenches’, but illustrates that though being up to your knees in mud may be good TV and seem exciting, struggeling with musty old papers is just as important in trying to understand.The film is examined section by section, with comments on the units, and even individuals where they can be traced. The one draw back is that reading the book will make you want to study the film again, and the Imperial War Museum charge a fortune for a copy. For those of us who watch any film with even the slightest ‘military’ content, just to pick holes in continuity and details, this book is heaven!

⭐

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