Just saw the Kingston screening today on Bevrijdingsdag 5 May (Liberation Day in the NL).
As the daughter of a Frieslander that survived WWII to emigrate to Canada, this film was of immediate interest. Knowing many of the military museum and re-enactor volunteers recruited, made this movie a must-see.
From the stories I have heard from Dutch family members and fellow Canadian Veterans, I found the storyline very realistic and completely believable.
Great attention to detail in the unifirms and equipment that even a veteran could find minimal fault with. It had the feel and cinematography of such classics as Guns of Navarone or A Bridge Too Far.
The only points for improvement would have been more money & time to build on the story, as it was there, it just could have used more depth; particularly with the Janna character. It was evident that this shortcoming was not due to effort, only budget.
Director/Actor Terry should be proud, and Writer/Producer Danny should be doubly proud of this film, not only for the end result, but in the skilful way he leveraged local support and real Canadian military (retired) expertise in creating a bittersweet story of a violent period in history that draws more on the emotion felt by many involved vs focussing on gore and destruction.
The writing was excellent, and the main actors were all solid. With more funding (=more time) available, the cast would have had more time to create the synergy this movie was so close to, and would easily have hit a 10/10.
So knowing the (acknowledged) limitations of time & money, the end product was an outstanding piece when consideration is given to how much was accomplished with the budget and filming days alloted. BZ and bedankt!
As the daughter of a Frieslander that survived WWII to emigrate to Canada, this film was of immediate interest. Knowing many of the military museum and re-enactor volunteers recruited, made this movie a must-see.
From the stories I have heard from Dutch family members and fellow Canadian Veterans, I found the storyline very realistic and completely believable.
Great attention to detail in the unifirms and equipment that even a veteran could find minimal fault with. It had the feel and cinematography of such classics as Guns of Navarone or A Bridge Too Far.
The only points for improvement would have been more money & time to build on the story, as it was there, it just could have used more depth; particularly with the Janna character. It was evident that this shortcoming was not due to effort, only budget.
Director/Actor Terry should be proud, and Writer/Producer Danny should be doubly proud of this film, not only for the end result, but in the skilful way he leveraged local support and real Canadian military (retired) expertise in creating a bittersweet story of a violent period in history that draws more on the emotion felt by many involved vs focussing on gore and destruction.
The writing was excellent, and the main actors were all solid. With more funding (=more time) available, the cast would have had more time to create the synergy this movie was so close to, and would easily have hit a 10/10.
So knowing the (acknowledged) limitations of time & money, the end product was an outstanding piece when consideration is given to how much was accomplished with the budget and filming days alloted. BZ and bedankt!
