Journey's End

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Audience Member Journey's End, written after The Great War by veteran R.C. Sheriff, had a lauded two year run on the West End before James Whale made his directorial debut with the motion picture version. It kept very close to its theatrical beginnings with the story taking place almost entirely in the claustrophobic officer's dugout at the front line. Colin Clive, who also starred in The West End after Laurence Olivier, is Captain Stanhope, the leader of the unlucky regiment who happens to be doing its 6 day stint along the front line when the major German offensive finally comes. Stanhope's nerves are shot from years in the trenches punctuated by death and bureaucracy from his superiors so he's turned to drinking heavily to get through. When an eager young officer from his past is sent to join his regiment the tight grip he has on sanity is threatened by the mirror young Raleigh unknowingly provides. Clive gives a wonderful performance swinging from scared and gentle to lashing out in rage and fear. Who would have thought such a powerful movie about PTSD was made in 1930. Journey's End is also a powerful anti-war film as nothing will make you a pacifist faster than contemplating the needless death of the 700,000 men who died during this offensive plus the 1 million who died the following year to push the front lines back towards Germany and end the war. 1.7 million men like "Uncle" Osborne, a school teacher longing to return to his family and pretend there isn't a war on. Men like Raleigh who are so young and haven't experienced enough of life to have it pointlessly cut so short. Men like Stanhope that had managed to live through so much already to go out the door of the dugout knowing you and your men have no hope because there is no backup coming and you are now just casualty numbers for generals to talk about around their dinner table at 8 pm. Certainly a bit depressing and also many dated English class references - the "servants"/privates are poor idiots but rich men's sons without experience become officers. The jokes and dialogue in this vein will fall flat for the modern viewer. But the examination of a war hardly in the rear view when this was made is certainly worth a watch. (I found a full version available on YouTube.) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Journey's End

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