The Best of Them is a war romance film directed by Basil Sophie, starring Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin. It was released in the UK on April 21, 2017. Based on the novel "Their Finest Hour and a Half" by Lisa Evans, the film tells that during World War II, writer Catherine was tasked to write a script to celebrate the heroic deeds of the British in the Dunkirk operation. She and her colleagues forgot themselves. A story of work that contributes to boosting national morale. The film tells the story of wartime. In 1940, major cities in the UK were bombed by German troops, causing countless casualties. In order to improve the morale of the people, the British government led the cooperation with major studios to shoot military propaganda films. But the plots of these films were boring, the propaganda was too strong, and they were booed by the audience. In order to add elements to attract women in the promotional film, the Ministry of Information hired a female screenwriter Carter. The film she participated in was the protagonist of the soldiers who returned to the UK during the Dunkirk operation. The Ministry of Information hopes to use the film to inspire people. In the beginning, she went head-to-head with producer Barkley, and then met the arrogant and difficult male actor. The story that Catlin was going to shoot was originally about a pair of fishermen sisters sailing a boat to participate in the rescue of Dunkirk, but the studio required that a male protagonist must be included, and the two women could only serve as foils. The protagonist talks about a love triangle. Facing the unreasonable demands of the authorities, Catlin and Buckley used their wisdom to skillfully edit the story between political needs, filming resources, actor performance, audience reaction and being faithful to the facts. The tacit understanding and love between the two are quietly growing. However, the war continued to deteriorate, the actors left the group one after another, the filming faced difficulties, and Catherine also suffered tragic changes in her life. Just as the film crew was discussing how to fill in the scene that the actor didn't have time to complete, "going into the water to repair the ship and save everyone", as the only remaining screenwriter, Catlin made a decision: let the female characters in the film complete the hero's drama.
The director of the film depicts the best time of a group of British people on the fringes of the war with a perspective and brushstroke that is completely different from traditional war films. It takes a unique approach in the selection of materials, depicting the war with feminine and life-like brushstrokes, which is delicate and unique. The large scenes of indiscriminate bombing are rarely seen in the film, and more are the details of life in Britain during the wartime years. The film is quite innovative. This kind of delicate portrayal is witty and interesting. The plot of the old actor identifying the dead body of his old friend, the sword goes off the beaten path, poking the audience's heartstrings. What is unique is that the two topics of war and feminism are well combined in the film, and the "play within the play" part contrasts with the heroine's experience. Although the feminist color affects the normal development of the story and seems to be overwhelming, the film is still worth watching.
This is a film that pays tribute to wartime Londoners, to wartime women, to filmmakers, especially women filmmakers.
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