1917 (1970 film)

1970 film May 2020 1917 Stephen Weeks Tony Tenser Stephen Weeks play The Gap by Derek Barnham Timothy BatesonDavid LelandGeoffrey Davies David Lee Tigon 1970 34 minutes English United Kingdom £20,000 1917 is a 1970 British short dramatic film directed by Stephen Weeks and starring Timothy Bateson, David Leland, and Geoffrey Davies.1917 https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150236991 7 December 2025 British Film Institute Collections SearchJohn Hamilton, Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser, Fab Press, 2005 p 128-129 It was written by Weeks based on the play The Gap by Derek Barnham, and produced by Tony Tenser. Plot Two trenches, one British, one German, are located very near to each other in Northern France. There has recently been no firing by either side, and the British can often clearly see the head of a German soldier – Willi Falk – as he moves around in his trench. Frustrated that his senior officers appear to tolerate this visible enemy, young British recruit Colman rebels and shoots Falk. His action triggers a bombardment. Cast Timothy Bateson as Willi Falk Anthony Trent as Colman Nel Brennen as farmgirl Edward Caddick as Whittaker Geoffrey Davies as Gessel Christopher Hancock as Cox David Leland as Felix Jane Lewis as Willi's wife Richardson Morgan as Penfold Reg Solley as Herr Stross Joss Ackland as narrator Harriette Johns as narrator Production The film was shot on location at a former zinc works site in the Lower Swansea Valley.Howarth Troy 15 July 2014 Interview with Stephen Weeks https://petercushingblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-stephen-weeks-interview-part-one.html 7 December 2025 Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Reception In Sight and Sound, David Pirie called 1917 "a very ambitious short film about the First World War, which, although slightly theatrical, had some dazzling things in it."Spring 1971 1917 40 2 73 1305507976 Sight and Sound The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A not very original comment on the futility of war whose slightly stylised dialogue too obviously derives from the play on which the film is based. There is some flair in the photography and the editing, but a didactic piece like this essentially needs conviction, and here, unfortunately, only Timothy Bateson's Willi carries the necessary authority."1 January 1970 1917 37 432 61 1305828134 The Monthly Film Bulletin References External links tt0065362 1917 at BFI Category:1970 films Category:1970 short films Category:1970 English-language films Category:British drama short films Category:English-language drama short films Category:Films scored by Dave Lee (jazz musician) Category:Tigon British Film Productions films Category:World War I films set on the Western Front