Colin Clive (Stanhope) is the Captain in charge of a troop of officers in the trenches of World War One. He is given intelligence that a German attack is imminent and he has to ensure that orders in response to this are carried out. Into his charge comes fresh-faced David Manners (Raleigh) who knows him from school and who idolizes Clive. However, Clive is a changed man. He likes a drink these days and he has a temper to go with it.
Interestingly for me, I live on a street named after Colin Clive's ancestor. The acting can be slightly wooden and exaggerated - step forward David Manners and cowardly Anthony Bushell (Hibbert) but Clive is good in his role as is his trusted officer and friend Ian Maclaren (Osborne). The setting is realistic and the constant background shelling gives you a feeling of actually being on location!
I found the film much better than expected given that I knew to expect a 2 hour staged play. The scenes give depth to the characters and we watch the relationships between them grow. Pass the whisky.
