The film “Dunkirk” has received critical praise for the realistic depiction of a World War II battle in Dunkirk, France.
According to Global News, a 97-year-old soldier named Ken Sturdy from Calgary, Canada, who was in the Battle of Dunkirk, saw the Christopher Nolan film for himself, decked out in a jacket with medals.
The masterful, true-to-life portrayal evoked memories and emotions: “I had the privilege of seeing that film tonight and I am saddened by it because of what happened on that beach.”
He added, “I never thought I would see that again. It was just like I was there again.”
The movie brings to life nine days in 1940 when Allied troops were rescued from Nazi army attacks while in the French beach.
He noted, “It didn’t have a lot of dialogue. It didn’t need any of the dialogue because it told the story visually and it was so real.”
While over 300,000 were rescued, more than 68,000 British soldiers were wounded, captured or killed.
“I was 20 when that happened, but watching the movie, I could see my old friends again and a lot of them died later in the war,” Sturdy said.
As part of the Royal Navy, Sturdy evacuated soldiers through boats. “I was in those little boats picking them out of the water. I went on convoys after that in the North Atlantic.
“I had lost so many of my buddies. One of my mates was taken prisoner. He wasn’t killed on the beach. They marched him up to Poland. And he spent five years in a German prisoner camp.”
People moved by the film recognized the bemedaled soldier and thanked him for his service.
“Don’t just go to the movie for entertainment. Think about it. And when you become adults, keep thinking,” was Sturdy’s message to moviegoers.
He also left an important message about the horrors of war.
“Tonight I cried because it’s never the end. It won’t happen,” he lamented.
“We the human species are so intelligent and we do such astonishing things. We can fly to the moon but we still do stupid things.
“So when I see the film tonight, I see it with a certain kind of sadness. Because what happened back then in 1940, it’s not the end.” Niña V. Guno /ra
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