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Landships II -> Landships WW1 Forum -> References -> French-made Documentary on WWI Tanks, on Netflix.
Post Info TOPIC: French-made Documentary on WWI Tanks, on Netflix.
James H


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French-made Documentary on WWI Tanks, on Netflix.
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If you can access Netflix, there's a French-made series on tanks. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd9lXU7Uj8Q

Episode 1 covers 1914-18. It has many old favourite errors (tank chronology all over the place, Mark Vs at Cambrai ) and some new ones (confuses Ford Two-man with FT, Italian troops with Austrian).

An unusual approach. Although French-made, it's not particularly francocentric. It starts with Burstyn (or Lootenant Borsteen, as the commentator repeatedly says), and more or less credits him as the inventor of the tank. Estienne later "revives Burstyn's idea".

Guest talking head is David Willey, curator at Bovington, and I'm not sure I agree with everything he says in this film.

Anyway, the English title is "Age of Tanks." I'll be interested to hear views.



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James H


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I've watched this a few times, and some interesting details emerge. (BTW, if you haven't got Netflix on your TV, you can get a month's free trial and watch stuff on your PC or phone. You need a credit card and password. They don't charge until after the free month. They remind you three days before your trial ends. You can cancel anytime. See the Netflix website.)

One mildly interesting thing is that after about 16' 20" there's a clip of Briish officers inspecting Little Willie indoors. The only place I've seen this clip before is in the archives at King's College.

Also, after 29' 10" it mentions The Tanko, the song that appeared in the musical revue Vanity Fair as discussed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVhdyiVjmtM

The sheet music for the song and scenes from Vanity Fair are mixed with other images that on closer inspection are from a different production - the caption points out that they depict part of the act of Harry Tate, a very popular music hall artist of the time, at the Empire theatre. This revue was called Razzle Dazzle. A bit of research turns up plenty of favourable references to "Mr. Tate's cardboard tank . . . as mirth-provoking as the real thing" - presumably a reference to the testimony of British soldiers that their reaction on first seeing tanks was laughter. Sassoon would have been even less pleased.

Harrytate_tank1.jpg

 

Harrytate_tank2.jpg

I don't know what the act involved, but it seems to include a couple of Etonians and a gent who might be David Lloyd George. How or why they end up under the tank isn't explained. Perhaps it's some sort of political statement . . .



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