This year, the Imperial War Museum and members of its First World War Centenary Partnership are working together to show the UNESCO listed film, The Battle of the Somme, to audiences across the world. When the film first appeared in 1916, it was seen by 20 million people, almost half the population of Britain at that time. It also had a profound effect on the perception of both cinema and film. Now, in 2016, this unique film is being shown to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
On 11 November 2016, Portsdown U3A showed the film twice, in Portsmouth Cathedral. The afternoon performance was mainly, but not exclusively, for school students. At both performances, Jonathan Eyre, the Chapel Organist of the Old Naval College, Greenwich, provided a brilliant, and original, improvisation on the organ. In addition, at the evening performance, Dr Victoria Carolan, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, gave an introduction that placed the film in the context of 1916. Throughout the day, an exhibition showcasing Portsdown U3A’s Jutland Project was also on display at the Cathedral.
Portsdown U3A thanks everyone who supported the performances and is delighted that the feedback has been so positive for such a moving occasion.
Photo by Duncan Shepherd: www.duncanshepherd.co.uk
