Review of Overlord (1975) by Brandon S — 11 Jan 2010

Not quite sure what to rate this, although I really enjoyed it. The plot was very simple, providing a refreshingly British perspective on the lead up to D-Day through the eyes of an unassuming Tommy conscript.

Made in 1975, the cinematography was old-school and slightly arty-farty (for the 1970s), filmed entirely in black and white, featuring some wonderful English 40s era music, which made me long for the older days of less pretentious, less hyperactive cinema- and society.

There were a few short scenes that were slightly abstract- the very brief romance scene was innocent and lovely and well scripted. There was also some very good archival aerial and naval footage. Morbid as it may seem I liked the style of the ending, since the reality presented is that even the nicest and most decent people were not spared in the opening seconds of their baptism of fire.

For the subject covered it was surprisingly light viewing, not overly dramatized.