The Trench

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The Trench ★★½ 1999

A sober look at the twoday buildup to the catastrophic Battle of the Somme in 1916 from the point of view of teenaged British Army soldier Billy Macfarlane (Nicholls). His tough sargeant, Telford Winter (Craig), tries to prepare the raw recruits for battle as they hunker down in their damp, vermininfested trench but nothing can prepare them for the senseless carnage to come. Familiar cliches abound but the performances are strong. 90m/C VHS, DVD . GB Paul Nicholls, Daniel Craig, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Danny Dyer, James D'Arcy, Ciaran McMenamin, Tam Williams, Anthony Strachan; D: William Boyd; W: William Boyd; C: Tony Pierce-Roberts; M: Evelyn Glennie, Greg Malcangi.

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The Trench

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