Fantastic!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Life in the trenches WW1, with malicious sergeant, thoughts of affectionate memories in back home Devon... This movie made a lasting and emotional impression on me, the director Pat O'Connor, screenwriter Simon Reade, and the BBC should all be proud… a grand tribute to one of the cast Richard Griffiths, he is no longer shining his starlight. I was literally taken there to that era, reminding me of time with my grandparents in Northern England, it was WW1 memories for them, with postwar WW2 shortages, ration books for me… No farm labourers left to plough the fields... I have seen a lot of war movies, but this small budget (presumably) film is perhaps superior, certainly more authentic than the big epics before it, with simple undisputed and reliable truths…. the actors portraying the characters relatively unknown to me, yet solid performances from all. This is what it was like for the British lads in WW1… fighting for King and Country, for the generals and the politicians, for the landowners, two brothers trying to survive the war with the Hun… a malicious insecure sergeant does not help…sending his men, following orders, to be mowed down by German machine guns... The storyline nicely interwoven returns to their childhood and first love, very sensitively screened and depicted. At times I found it very gripping and exasperating when Haig is seen playing billiards in his country estate home, a court martial warrant is sent in to be approved and signed. Hardly a moment's notice and the warrant is signed, a British soldier is to be shot for supposed "cowardice" … Haig immediately goes back to his game of billiards. Shocking and tragic… but I have no doubt it happened like that. It is interesting to note that writer Michael Morpurgo first published his book in 2003... and all the British soldiers "executed for cowardice" were pardoned in 2006. Worthwhile BBC production, highly recommended… Malcolm in Toronto July 2015

This film is a great WW1 film. It shows how harsh some of the sergeants are. I didn't realise before I what he'd this film that deserters would be shot. Personally I think they should have just been put on the front line, rather than just murdering them. This film brought some questions to me. One of them was; why were sergeants so differing in their treatment of their soldiers? Some sergeants treated the soldiers as if they were muck, others treated them like they were friends or brothers. Also this film showed how many families were torn apart by the war, many fathers didn't come home. Also it brought into light that you were seen as a coward if you didn't join, and the fact that many teens joined in and lied about their age so that they could go to war. Plus many innocent people were killed in the war. It had a sad ending as most of Michael Morpergo's books do. It is a great film to watch, as it is informative as well as entertaining.

This story involves the lives of two English brothers growing up in the early twentieth century. We witness their comradeship at school as older brother Charlie looks after younger Tommo. We observe the hardship endured by their mother after her husband dies in an accident. We see them meet Molly for the first time and have a beautifully painted scene where we know exactly what each brother is thinking. And the passage of time leads us to the Great War and how they end up as soldiers.Each link in the chain is perfectly manufactured, perfectly fitted together and brilliantly paced apart. Every thing is carefully drawn in charcoal before the colours are added and we know what the painting is really revealing.The acting is of top quality, the costumes a delight, and the times, cultures, and habits carefully put to good use. There is poetry on the screen in abundance but it is not stuff that is hard to work through. In the whole it is entirely entertaining and satisfying because there is no artifice in the script. You know what the characters are and there is little sentimentality present but sensitivity in abundance.If you had made this film you would be well proud of it. Had Hollywood made it with major stars it would be in the Oscar stakes. As it is it is a work of art, lovingly put together by a crew who must all be congratulated on their skill.Warmly recommended for early teens and above.

The Movie is a brilliant capturing of the true problems and hardship in the times of World War 1, it captures the brilliant realism of the war and followed the life of a young man and his brother who befriend this girl who they both are great friends with, Tommo loves this girl very much, only for his brother Charlie to have captured her heart more.This is a sad story and truly shows the great hardship that families had to with-stand during world war 1, Over all this is a great Movie and it should be certain you watch this.This is very well portrayed from the novel- version and follows a struggling family from England during World War 1 in a small town in Iddlesbreigh who struggle with a elderly brother who has special-needs and has a fatal accident, when there father is killed, when a tree crushes him.It's very sad a does show you the true realism of World War 1