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in production
told and that they might die in the next two or three minutes or so.”
A main reason for Boyd to make this film was to show what World War One was really like. “Usually films and books glamourise war. I wanted to take away the romance and the myths and present the brutal reality,” he asserts.
As Boyd wanted to make this film as authentic as possible, the cast of The Trench, unlike other recent war dramas such as Saving Private Ryan or The Thin Red Line, does not feature any big names or internationally known faces.
“A film like The Thin Red Line does try to deglamourise war, but there is something about seeing Woody Harrelson in a steel helmet that is cool. I wanted to resist that.” The all British cast therefore features newcomers such as Danny Dyer, James Darcy and Tam Williams, none of whom are older than 25.
Apart from Paul Nicholls, perhaps the only other immediately recognisable face is Daniel Craig from TV’s Our Friends In The North who also recently appeared in Elizabeth and Love Is The Devil.
Authenticity was also the key issue as far as costumes (“we got the uniform guy from Saving Private Ryan to do our uniforms”), weapons and also dialogue were concerned.
Says Boyd: “Apart from a few exceptions I encouraged all the actors to speak in their local accent. In order to get a sense of complete naturalism, I told them they should speak as if they were at home with their mum. So they swear and talk about girls just as any young guy would today. I wanted to show that all the emotions one would experience in 1916 are just as valid today. This film could as easily be about Kosovo or Sierra Leone.” ■ KATJA HOFMANN
The Trench was originated on Fujicolor Motion Picture Negative
Photos top left and centre: scenes from The Trench; top right: Paul Nicholls as Billy Macfarlane; above left: Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts; William Boyd on location