Storming Juno

There have been some excellent canadian films recently about this country's contribution to various wars. Assault on Juno (2010) is something not to be missed. A great documentary drama depicting the events of the d-day invasion when our troops landed on Juneau beach. Surviving veterans - now octogenarians are interviewed after staging. Their emotions encompass pride, shame, sadness, nostalgia, and a kind of bewilderment. The assault on Juno plays out the specific events of people who have served in various divisions: the amphibious tank team, the amphibious assault team, the amphibious assault team, all set to achieve their goals in a gripping minute-by-minute story.Finally, Canada has been wonderfully presented, and the film sounds so true that all the parts that have been dramatized merge completely with the news reels. It's terribly moving, and if you don't have a stone instead of a heart, you just can't help crying at different times.

Canadian troops storm Juno Beach on D-Day. This is more History channel than a narrative movie. It probably has aspirations of being Band of Brothers. It seems to be more dedicated to historical accuracy and veteran service than an exciting thriller. It uses some historical footage. The production is limited and the style is old fashion. I really don't like the low energy narration. The acting is also limited and non of the characters stand out. It makes any narrative rather problematic. There are some war action that tries to replicate the actual action but they aren't the exciting thrilling type. This feels like a modern TV movie made by historians and TV filmmakers. There is value in this especially as a service of remembrance.

Everybody knows about Omaha Beach on D Day, the Sixth of June, 1944, because that was where the landings were truly blunted. But we don't hear much about the landings by the Canadians are Juno Beach, just down the road.

This lacks the lavish budget and dramatic screenplay of "Saving Private Ryan" but generally does a convincing job of showing true -- not fictional -- events on and behind the flat sands of Juno, though the film was shot on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Instead of staged combat, newsreel footage of the historical events is inserted -- effectively. And the incidents shown have the virtue of being reenactments of real events.

It's not a long film and it lacks the perspective of "The Longest Day." And it's usually confusing to hear narration by two participants -- a tank commander and a paratrooper -- using voices so similar that it's hard to distinguish them. "I did this," says one voice, and we see a tank commander shouting orders. And without notice, we hear what appears to be the same voice saying something similar and we're way behind the lines with a tiny group of infantrymen.

An earlier attempt was made to show some of the sacrifices of Canadians in "Dieppe" -- the story of a disaster -- but again was hobbled by a low budget, so that much of the story was confined to military leaders arguing over the planning.

It's not a bad film. It resembles a TV documentary using reenactors.

Storming Juno is a good movie and I love how its a break from hearing about Omaha, Omaha, Omaha, and Omaha. Omaha may have been the most well defended beach but Juno was the Second most well defended. The acting was good the narrator was a bit clunky and I think if this movie had a higher budget it would have been better. If your looking for a good Canadian War movie I would recommend you check this one out.

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Canadian forces were assigned to take Juno Beach. Told through the eyes of three soldiers - an airborne Corporal, an infantry Lieutenant and a tank Sergeant - we see what it took to storm and take Juno Beach and what it meant to the men who participated.

I was initially a bit disappointed when I started watching this. I was expecting a full-on drama, Saving Private Ryan-style, but instead got a docu-drama. The narration is provided by the three main characters we are following and initially it all felt a but clumsy.

However, once you get accustomed to the style it's actually very interesting and gripping. While the narration is a bit hokey, the action scenes are great. They show well the bravery involved and the how the actions of every soldier contribute to the greater victory.

The film is rounded off by a purely documentary chapter at the end where surviving participants of the battle for Juno Beach are interviewed. This gives a great feel for the personal sacrifices and endeavours involved.