Paula Hammond - Features EditorHave you ever watched a 1940s war film and wondered, did this really happen? Andy Wilkinson’s new book, Bovril & Sherry: The Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat of British War Films tells all…
Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, British war films can seem terribly cozy. The perfect accompaniment to a lazy Sunday afternoon. But how many of us realise what it took to bring those films to fruition?
Bovril & Sherry offers the film fan a short but informative dip into the world of the films we’ve all come to know and love. It isn’t by any means a complete or extensive volume, but it is packed with facts and insights which add to the viewing experience.
For instance, did you know that the British Army Film and Photographic Unit who captured live footage of the war for the world, had the highest casualty rates of any regiment at the time?
Every one of the classic British war films included in Andy’s volume had a vital purpose in telling the narrative of the conflict. They also provided honesty and consolation, nursing the nation through the uncertain years before the outbreak of the war, supporting them in the darkest days, celebrating (but never glorifying) their victories, and consoling them through the trauma.
Bovril & Sherry highlights the deep feelings and purpose held by the people who made the now classic British war films, alongside the bold thinking of the Ministry of Information who green lit the productions.
Cataloguing those who starred in and made the iconic British war films that we all watch over and over, Bovril & Sherry is a great gift for the film curious.
Andy Wilkinson is an actor, author, film and theatre director. He other books include he film memoir, Take One, Action! and Hollywood’s Pioneering Daredevils!—a study of filmed action before CGI.
Bovril & Sherry: The Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat of British War Films (ISBN: 9781803137391 ) is out now from Troubador, priced £12.99.
