Theirs Is the Glory
Theirs Is the Glory (also known as Men of Arnhem), is a 1946 British war film about the British 1st Airborne Division's involvement in the Battle of Arnhem (17 to 25 September 1944) during Operation Market Garden in the Second World War. It was the first film to be made about this battle, and the biggest grossing UK war film for nearly a decade.[1] The later film A Bridge Too Far depicts the operation as a whole and includes the British, Polish and American Airborne forces, while Theirs Is the Glory focuses solely on the British forces, and their fight at Oosterbeek and Arnhem.
Theirs Is the Glory
- 15 August 1946
82 minutes
United Kingdom
English
The film was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, who was himself a veteran of the First World War, having survived Gallipoli where he had served with the Royal Irish Rifles. The producer was Leonard Castleton Knight, head of Gaumont British News. The script was written primarily by Louis Golding but honed by Hurst's protege Terence Young (who subsequently went on to direct They Were Not Divided and the early Bond films). Young had been in the Irish Guards with the Guards Armoured Division with XXX Corps seeking to relieve Arnhem during the battle and hence the authenticity of the eventual story-line. The veterans who starred in the film also actively collaborated on the script.[2]
Reception[edit]
According to trade papers, the film was a "notable box office attraction" at British cinemas.[5] According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1946 Britain was The Wicked Lady, with "runners up" being The Bells of St Marys, Piccadilly Incident, The Road to Utopia, Tomorrow is Forever, Brief Encounter, Wonder Man, Anchors Away, Kitty, The Captive Heart, The Corn is Green, Spanish Main, Leave Her to Heaven, Gilda, Caravan, Mildred Pierce, Blue Dahlia, Years Between, O.S.S., Spellbound, Courage of Lassie, My Reputation, London Town, Caesar and Cleopatra, Meet the Navy, Men of Two Worlds, Theirs is the Glory, The Overlanders, and Bedelia.[6]
Comparison with A Bridge Too Far[edit]
The two films were compared in the October 2010 magazine Against All Odds and the comparison is stark and revealing, A Bridge Too Far '...is a slow moving epic, well worth a viewing with some authentic scenes, but is unconvincing in its portrayal of the battle of Oosterbeek... Theirs Is the Glory is the only feature film currently released that accurately portrays the events at Oosterbeek in atmospheric and chronological terms, despite its jerky portrayal of events. This is a film to watch."[7]
Articles and books[edit]
Revisiting 'Theirs Is the Glory by Allan Esler Smith, published by Robert Sigmond Publishing for the 68th Commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem Battlefield Walk, 21 September 2012.
Pegasus the Journal of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces. A multi-part analysis and review of the making of Theirs Is the Glory (Winter 2012 to Winter 2013), by Allan Esler Smith.
Theirs Is the Glory - Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film (2016), by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith, takes Hurst's Battle of Arnhem epic as its centrepiece and chronicles Hurst's ten films on conflict.