- A re-enactment of the Battle of Arnhem during the Second World War which was later lavishly remade as A Bridge Too Far (1977).
- September 1944. Operation Market Garden, the Allied plan to advance into Germany via Holland through the use of three airborne divisions and an armour-lead corps, is underway. The point of furtherest Allied advance is the town of Arnhem, held by the British 1st Airborne Division. This is its story.—grantss
- In 1944, British General Montgomery and his command were way north of the Allied line, and the Germans were holding them in that swampy position. The plan, put into operation on Sunday, September 14, 1944, was to drop two American Airborne divisions and the British First Airborne Division behind the German lines to capture the bridges which would open the way to the German plain. The British objective was Arnhem, the northernmost point of the Montgomery plan, and this film depicts in graphic detail the ordeal the "Men of Arnhem", the British First Airborne, endured. The first cast listing reads the "Survivors of the British First Airborne Divison", including a Colonel Lonsdale and a Major Gough.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
- Released in 1946 on the second anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem Theirs is the Glory became the biggest grossing war film for nearly a decade. It vividly recaptures the battle of Arnhem but there are no credits before or after the film. All we see at the start of the film is a short foreword
"Theirs is the Glory has been produced entirely without the use of studio sets or actors. Every incident was either experienced or witnessed by the people who appear in the film".
This is followed by a short statement by the narrator "This film is a tribute to every man who fought at Arnhem and is an everlasting memorial to those who gave their lives".
Importantly and selflessly the men selected to star on the big screen received no individual credits as they were representing the 10,000 men of the 1st Airborne. The Director, Producer and crew also declined credits in the film for the same reason. Who were these men we see on screen? Did they really deserve the accolade Theirs is the Glory?
The director of Theirs is the Glory was Brian Desmond Hurst, Northern Irelands greatest film director. As Brian's relative and biographer I have long realised the significance of Theirs is the Glory as both a piece of art (with film as the canvas as Brian was previously an artist) and a piece of military history (Brian was a veteran of the First Worl War) . Therefore at a blue plaque unveiling for Brian Desmond Hurst in Belfast (April 2011) I selected Theirs is the Glory as the film to be shown to help celebrate the event. The honour being bestowed on Hurst was only the fourth cherished blue plaque to be awarded by the Directors Guild of Great Britain. Before the film began I offered the audience one simple piece of advice "Look into the eyes of the men as you watch the film unfold and those eyes will take you as close as you will get to experiencing Arnhem".
Interestingly A Bridge Too Far and Theirs is the Glory were compared in the battlefields magazine Against All Odds (published in October 2010) 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.
Theirs is the Glory was jointly produced by the J. Arthur Rank Organization and the British Armys Film and Photographic Unit. The film had premiered on the second anniversary of the start of the battle, 17 September 1946, and became a blockbuster of its day. Dr Leo Enticknap based his thesis, in part, on Theirs is the Glory. During his research he discovered a poster for the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate held by the British Film Institute describing it as The biggest-grossing was film since Theirs is the Glory implying that Theirs is the Glory held this distinction for a decade.
Brian Desmond Hurst, in his unpublished autobiography Travelling the Road, explains about the idea for the film. "Castleton-Knight, head of Pathe News, came to me soon after the war ended and asked me if I would like to make a film about the Arnhem drop When I heard what the film company proposed to do with the story, using stock shots, and a few jokes, I said to myself: This is not on. It was also suggested to me by the producer of the Rank Organisation that we should use their most popular male star. I said No, he doesnt know one end of the rifle from another. There was nobody who appeared in the film, officer or soldier, who had not fought at Arnhem it is a true documentary reconstruction of the event. In the scenario we just followed the battle day by day".
I hope you enjoy watching this film. As Brian Desmond Hurst said "it is a true documentary reconstruction of the event". Even more importantly I have had the pleasure of meeting many 1st Airborne veterans and they all agree! This is, indeed, a film to watch and the men we see did 'deserve the Glory'.
Allan Esler Smith
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content