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Back in West Calder, villagers were to witness the 'big advance' at first hand.
'The official cinema picture of the Battle of the Somme, taken by permission of the War Office, will be exhibited at the local picture house on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. The film has occasioned much public interest and the demand for booked seats is phenomenal.'
The film had actually been shown to troops behind the front lines on the Somme and it was the first time that the British public had seen so much 'live action' from the front. In many cinemas people fainted.
'Picture-goers have been made familiar with the many brilliant battle scenes arranged for the camera for show purposes, and, as they watch the opening scenes of the Somme picture, they may be disposed to think it is not so spectacular as they had anticipated.'
'Soon, however, this feeling passes away, and it is recognised that the spectator is dealing with grim reality. It is one thing to read about the Somme enterprise, or to study its features on a map, and quite another to realise the stupendous nature of the undertaking by carefully watching this picture. Seeing it, one understands the imperative cry for munitions, and marvels at the efficiency and terrible destructiveness of modern engines of war.'
'One sees the British soldier calm and undaunted in the face of death, and in the brief respites of fighting, finding happiness in little things - cheerful in the most trying circumstances. Again, when the picture shows the wounded being brought in, the quick and considerate attention they receive, and mentally tries to realise the amount of suffering borne with patient heroism, sympathy goes out to those lads at the front in a way which creates the conviction that the nation cannot err on the side of doing too much for them.'
Large crowds queued to see the film in West Calder, although it was noted by those leaving the Picture House that 'one specially noticeable feature was the absence of Scottish and Irish regiments.'
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