MovieChat Forums > The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Discussion > Wierd question about this film. PLEASE ...

Wierd question about this film. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!

posted 18 years ago by aaaakkkk
2 replies | jump to latest

Here's the story...

My grandfather (now deceased) who fought in WWI said he saw himself and his fellow soldiers in one of the shots of this film. I'm assuming he saw it when it was originally released here in New Zealand.

My father and I saw the film for the first time about 6 years ago in a theatre with live orchestra. We kept an eye out for the shot described by my grandfather. From memory there was a shot of some soldiers walking down a road but they were clearly not wearing New Zealand uniforms.

My dad's theory is that footage of New Zealand soldiers was inserted in the particular print that my grandfather saw. If this is true then other countries may have had their own versions altered similarly.

Can anybody confirm this theory or recommend somebody who might know more?

Thanks,

Alan Kidd

[–] malcomforbes 17 years ago

It is possible. Many silent films were butchered for release in different countries. Sometimes the inserts would go so far as to be a completely different ending!

This bill is outrageous. If I were you I wouldn't pay it.

[–] oneflcookie 17 years ago

Alan,
The VHS version of this film is different from the DVD version. Both have scenes that are edited, added and omitted that are unlike the other. Without knowing which one you saw, I can tell you that both versions have some (but different) actual war footage of units of men that are wearing uniforms that are not French toward the end of the film. Some of the shots are taken from overhead or are so far away that they are not easily identifiable to the general viewing audience but they might stand out like a sore thumb to a person who was actually in the shot or living the event that is portrayed. See both films and it might help you to find him.
Cookie