Damon Mcknight
Christopher Nolan's 2017 war film Dunkirk is rated M for mature themes in Australia. The film is based on the real-life World War II incident in which Allied forces were surrounded and trapped on Dunkirk beach. The film depicts intense and realistic war violence, with many casualties from shooting, drowning, burning, and explosions. While there is little blood or gore, the film does include strong language and smoking. The film is considered to be an emotional, intense, and intelligent portrayal of the chaotic and terrifying nature of warfare.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Director | Christopher Nolan |
| Genre | War/Historical Drama |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Themes | Intense war violence, realistic sequences of warfare, death, destruction, drowning, burning, explosions, language, smoking |
| Streaming Platforms | YouTube, Google TV, Prime Video, Apple TV Store, Foxtel, Binge, Max |
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What You'll Learn
Rating and availability
Dunkirk is a 2017 historical war drama film directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based on the real-life incident in which Allied forces were surrounded and trapped on Dunkirk beach during World War II, and everyday heroes helped rescue them, risking danger and death. The film is noted for its intense and realistic sequences of war violence, with many casualties depicted through shooting, drowning, burning, and explosions. However, the film does not linger on deaths and rarely shows blood.
In terms of rating, Dunkirk contains intense war violence, language throughout, including strong language and brief use of slurs, and some smoking. It has been rated PG-13 by Common Sense Media due to these factors. The film has been described as having a mounting sense of dread and creating an authentic set of feelings for the audience through its use of sound design and editing.
The film is available to stream in Australia on YouTube, Google TV, Prime Video, Apple TV, Foxtel, Binge, and Max. It is also playing in select cinemas across the country.
Dunkirk has received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its direction, visuals, structure, use of sound and music, and intense acting. It has been called an "audacious, intelligent, and near-revolutionary film" and Nolan's "best film yet". However, some reviewers have found it imperfect, lacking a substantial human anchor of emotion and challenging to follow due to its multi-linear narrative structure and similar-looking characters.
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Critical acclaim
Christopher Nolan's 2017 film Dunkirk has received critical acclaim for its intense and emotional portrayal of the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk during World War II. The film has been praised for its technical prowess, immersive storytelling, and respectful depiction of history.
One reviewer called Dunkirk a "haunting, thrilling, and emotional" film with "guts and glory" that demands multiple views. The reviewer also highlighted the absence of traditional heroes or a straightforward narrative, instead focusing on the action and avoiding simplistic drama. Another review described the film as "audacious, intelligent, and near-revolutionary," predicting that it will be "watched and talked about for decades."
Dunkirk's technical aspects, such as its visuals, structure, sound design, and use of music, have been lauded as "breathtaking" and showcasing Nolan's mastery as a filmmaker. The film's experimentation with time and multi-linear narrative has been both praised as adding depth and criticized as making the film challenging to follow.
The film's intense and realistic portrayal of war violence, including sequences of shooting, drowning, burning, and explosions, has been noted as creating a mounting sense of dread and anxiety for the audience. While some reviewers found the film lacked substantial emotional anchors, others appreciated its focus on the horrors of war and the everyday heroes who emerged during the evacuation.
Dunkirk has also been recognized for its intense acting, with one reviewer highlighting the cast's ability to honor the fact-based story. The film's score, composed by Hans Zimmer, has been described as heavy and captivating, adding to the overall immersive experience.
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Historical accuracy
Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk received rave reviews from critics and audiences for its dramatic yet accurate representation of the evacuation at Dunkirk. However, the film is not entirely historically accurate.
Firstly, all the characters in the film are fictional. While the characters are meant to be accurate portrayals of the Dunkirk experience, none of them are based on specific individuals. This includes Commander Bolton, portrayed by Kenneth Branagh, who is a composite character based on Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, James Campbell Clouston, and possibly Captain William Tennant.
Nolan and his team used as much authentic material as possible, but some deliberate creative choices were made. For example, the German Luftwaffe's planes were painted yellow in the film, which did not happen until about a month after the Dunkirk evacuation. Similarly, the British destroyer shown in the film is actually a French destroyer dressed up to appear British. These choices were made to help the audience follow the action and to tell the story clearly.
The film also plays down the role of the Royal Air Force in the evacuation, with only three Spitfire pilots depicted as the aerial response from the British against the Luftwaffe. Additionally, there is no mention of the dates or the context leading up to the evacuation, giving a limited sense of what came before.
Despite these inaccuracies, Nolan conducted extensive research on Dunkirk and consulted with historian Joshua Levine. The bigger movements portrayed in the film are accurate, and the sense of chaos and mayhem on the beaches, as well as the animal terror of unopposed air assault, are consistent with firsthand accounts.
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![Dunkirk [Blu-ray + Digital Download] [2017] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81LmqrAX3+L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Portrayal of war
Christopher Nolan's 2017 film Dunkirk is a historical war thriller that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II from the perspectives of the land, sea, and air. The film has been praised for its technical aspects, including its visuals, structure, use of sound and music, and Nolan's unique style of storytelling.
One notable aspect of the film is its limited dialogue, with Nolan choosing to create suspense through cinematography and music instead. The film also features extensive practical effects, including the use of thousands of extras, historic boats, and period aeroplanes. The realism of the film has been acknowledged by Dunkirk veterans, although some criticised it for being "louder than the battle".
The film portrays the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. It captures the heroism of the "Little Ships," civilian vessels that played a crucial role in ferrying troops to the larger ships waiting offshore. While the character of Mr. Dawson, a civilian sailor, is fictional, his actions represent the many civilians who risked their lives to rescue stranded soldiers.
Another aspect of the evacuation portrayed in the film is the involvement of the RAF, although their true extent of participation is not fully explored. The aerial battles above the beaches are shown, but the RAF's actions were instrumental in preventing the Luftwaffe from attacking the evacuation efforts. The film also portrays the temporary withdrawal of destroyers, which were held back along with fighter aircraft as the Royal Navy and Air Force were the sole defenders against invasion.
The film has been criticised for its limited portrayal of the French experience at Dunkirk, perpetuating the myth of the "Dunkirk spirit" as solely a British phenomenon. However, it accurately depicts how soldiers returning to England encountered a civilian population largely unaware of or unaffected by the war. Overall, the film presents a technically impressive and respectful portrayal of war, focusing on the action and avoiding simplistic drama or emotional anchors.
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Cinematography
The cinematography in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017) has been praised for its immersive and visceral style, with Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema employing a range of techniques to achieve this. Firstly, the film was shot on IMAX 65mm and 65mm large-format film stock, with over 70% of the final footage being IMAX. This large format cinematography was used to capture the grand scale of the locations, with extreme wide shots of the beach and town of Dunkirk, as well as personal medium hand-held close-up shots of soldiers. The IMAX cameras were also taken into the air to capture impressive aerial shots of dogfights and acrobatics, with custom periscope lenses built to capture GoPro-style shots from inside the cockpit.
To achieve the desired aspect ratios, van Hoytema had to shoot dialogue scenes on standard 65mm, running vertically through the gate, while also considering two ratios for these scenes and three for the rest of the shots. The weight of the IMAX packages, at over 40kg and 80 lbs, also presented a challenge for the crew, who had to carry them across the beaches and into the sea.
Natural lighting was used throughout the film, with Nolan avoiding the use of fill lighting to allow each scene to be lit by the mise-en-scène, adding to the realism of the setting. Colour was also used to signify which locations were safe or unsafe, with England depicted with a warm, golden tint, and the beach at Dunkirk adopting a cold, analogue palette.
The camera was often positioned at a lower level to match the characters' eye lines, particularly when they were sitting, to give the audience the impression of watching through the soldiers' eyes. This, combined with the use of over 6,000 extras, added to the immersive experience of the film, giving viewers a glimpse of what it would have been like to be part of the real events.
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Frequently asked questions
Dunkirk is a World War II movie about the real-life incident in which Allied forces were surrounded and trapped on Dunkirk beach by Germany, and everyday heroes helped rescue them despite the risk of danger and death.
The movie Dunkirk does not seem to have an official rating in Australia. However, it is rated PG-13 in the US for intense war violence, language throughout, including strong language and brief use of slurs, and some smoking.
Dunkirk is available to stream in Australia on YouTube, Google TV, Prime Video, Apple TV Store, Foxtel, Binge, Prime Video Store, and Max.
