Overlord

1975

1h 25m

War

Drama

List

89%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

72%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

Private Tom Beddoes (Brian Stirner) is a delicate, unprepossessing young man who gets called to join the British army during World War II. With the Blitz on, he leaves home for training camp and, while not an exceptional soldier, is nevertheless toughened up a bit. Once out, he quietly endures the tedious shuffle of military life and even manages to meet a nice girl (Julie Neesam) while on leave. His happiness is alloyed, however, when he learns he's been chosen for the D-Day invasion.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

An interesting failure, this rarely seen 1975 English feature about World War II combines documentary and fictional elements, though they tend to undermine each other.

Dec 3, 2018

Full Review

Noel Murray

The Dissolve

[...] Overlord's vision of war is still unlike that of any other fiction feature: more jarring, and more awe-inspiring.

Rated: 4/5

May 19, 2014

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Fact and fiction endow each other with vitality and truth.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Tom Grieve

The Skinny

A glimpse of both the inner life of the soldier waiting for combat, and the literal reality of the most devastating war the world has ever seen.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 27, 2016

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A film that slipped through the cracks.

Rated: A-

Jul 19, 2009

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

An unknown classic.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 5, 2006

Full Review

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isaac m

Overlord is an interesting movie that illustrates a young British man enrolled into the British Army. I enjoyed the experimentation of the movie from the soldier's views on death and the real battle within the military. I also enjoyed the performance and usage of black and white. However, the film does feel a bit dull with some slow pace scenes. Overall, Overlord is a good take on a soldier's experience during the Second World War.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The title actually derived from the code name of the Normandy landings. Filmed entirely in black and white director Stuart Cooper along with the Comission of the Imperial War Museum gives viewers an upclose look into the battle of Dunkirk. Here he uses a combination of b-roll archival footage and some characters moving about the current landscape. Europe is in the middle of World War II and some soldiers are about to go into combat. The focus here is Tom Beddoes who adjusts to the difficult transform of becoming a soldier. The D-Day invasion comes after he makes the shift from military status to civilian life even finding love while on leave. This is a different kind of war film leaning more towards quiet melancholy. A soldier feels he's part of something much bigger but the very thought of eventual death in battle always remains a constant thing. This is a realization that's somber, lonely and isolating. A real human picture of the impact of war. Stuart Cooper captures the realness of the experience without exploiting it. A sad ending but that's to be expected in a difficult period such as this.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

William L

A bit of a victim of its own premise; the period combat footage is so engaging that the contemporary narrative can't help but feel somewhat lackluster by comparison. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/04/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Empieza bien, sigue muy bien (sobre todo cuando empiezan a darse cuenta de lo que estÃ¡ pasando), pero se desinfla mucho al final

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Dumpster fire of cliches and a terrible story.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

william s

First rate popcorn movie with terrific performances.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Stuart Cooper

Director

Brian Stirner

Tom

Davyd Harries

Jack

Nicholas Ball

Arthur

Julie Neesam

The Girl

Sam Sewell

The Trained Soldier

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Synopsis

Private Tom Beddoes (Brian Stirner) is a delicate, unprepossessing young man who gets called to join the British army during World War II. With the Blitz on, he leaves home for training camp and, while not an exceptional soldier, is nevertheless toughened up a bit. Once out, he quietly endures the tedious shuffle of military life and even manages to meet a nice girl (Julie Neesam) while on leave. His happiness is alloyed, however, when he learns he's been chosen for the D-Day invasion.

Director: Stuart Cooper
Production Co: Joswend
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 25m

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