 Like any other well-adjusted American male, I love World War II. I certainly am not the type that loves war itself, but I do find World War II to be incredibly interesting, and I always find myself stuck on documentaries about WWII when I flip past The History Channel or The Military Channel. I eat up this type of material, although I can’t put my finger on any one really good reason.
The same can not be said about WWII films. It isn’t that there aren’t any good ones. Flags Of Our Fathers, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Hiroshima mon amour are a few that come to mind, but for all of the good films about the war, there are plenty of Pearl Harbor level duds and propaganda films from the era that simply aren’t worth watching. Because of this, I went in to Overlord with some reservation since I thought I’d seen it all before.
I didn’t have to worry.
On the surface, Overlord doesn’t have much going for it in the way of plot. It’s about a 21-year old British soldier just called into war and his experiences in preparation for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This soldier's name is Tom Beddows (Brian Stirner), and he keeps envisioning his own death, going out in a blaze of heroism and glory. He’s not suicidal, and he’s not a pessimist. He’s simply a young man who’s both a realist and unsure of the world around him.
But it isn’t so much the plot that gives Overlord the edge over similar films centering on WWII as it is on how it presents itself. The film is largely compiled of archival footage culled from Britain’s Imperial War Museum. (In fact, the museum gets a “Presented By” credit at the beginning of the film.) While this no doubt helped out the budget constraints, it also provides a  sense of realism that few films of this nature have. These images are real images, and the characters are living through this, which truly immerses you in the concept. In England, 1975, I imagine that a lot more people were affected by this seeing as how its release was only removed a mere 30 years after the war ended. Many people were quite familiar with these images, and the use of this imagery is quite magical. It helps seamlessly move the narrative from place to place as well as update the audience on when this is happening. You are experiencing the war through Beddow's eyes; this is his hell.
Tom meanders through most of the film. He’s there physically, but like a typical soldier, he usually only follows orders, although he is considerably less enthusiastic than most. This is greatly contrasted with his superior officers, one of which seems to be a model for R. Lee Ermey’s performance in Full Metal Jacket.
The value here in war cinema is that Overlord shows the average life of the soldier. War is, in many cases, a waiting game. Not a lot actually happens. But when the action does pick up, not a lot of good comes from it. I hesitate to get into the ending, because I don’t want to give much away, but it  definitely deconstructs that often times pawns are sacrificed, with little advantage to anyone, be it the Army, the enemy, or the countries fighting. It’s not revealing anything saying that Beddows’ premonitions come true, but in a most unexpected way.
The director of Overlord, Stuart Cooper, didn’t have a lot of experience in that chair prior to this film, but you would never know this without looking it up. Cooper is able to maintain focus on Beddows while constantly shifting to other supplemental characters and the archive footage and back, and you will still always think about how it all relates to our main character. I am unsure how exactly he accomplished this mood. I’ve never seen anything done quite like this, and definitely not in the same way, but whatever the case, it worked. It is hard to believe, though, that  someone who did such impressive work early on went on to do a slew of TV movies and directed A.D. Police, the anime spin-off of the popular Bubblegum Crisis. Not saying anything bad about his other work. It’s just… odd.
But the most impressive thing about Overlord is that it makes its point complete with emotion, irony and even a dash of humor, in under 90 minutes. Many epic length features can’t pull that off, and here is a film that maybe has an hour of narrative altogether. That’s cinematic brilliance, and I’m glad that this brief, yet direct, film is finally available to see. It’s a treasure that all WWII fans need to seek out and spend some time with. It’s an anti-action war movie.
 The DVD Presentation
Considering that a large chunk of Overlord is made up of archival footage, an amazing amount of detail went into integrating that with the 1970s' narrative. Although some of the older footage still looks very old, I'm impressed with how seamless the whole project becomes. I can't compare it to what it looked like at its debut screening in 1975, but today, on DVD it looks fantastic. The sound is crystal clear, and even though it's nothing more than a Mono mix it still works for the film. Subtitles are included in the English for those that require them. I'm pretty sure this is as close to perfection as Overlord has ever received.
And the Extras Are?
Audio Commentary with writer/director Stuart Cooper and actor Brian Stirner – Wow. I had my doubts when I glanced at Cooper’s resume at the IMDB and saw that he hasn’t done many features that he would be able to run a commentary track very well. Those were laid to rest after listening to him. I truly enjoyed hearing about all the in depth research that he had to do in order to get everything set up for this film, and the countless hours of archival footage that he looked through. Stinger’s input is also valuable as the principle figure of the narrative. His on-set memories were interesting to hear, as it helps put the film in the perspective of the people making it the 1970s as well.
Mining the Archive – (23:21) This is an incredible examination of just a tiny speck that the Imperial War Museum has on record. Roger Smither and Anne Fleming go into detail discussing the archival material used in the film, how it was originally filmed and who the people were who filmed it. Great stuff.
Capa Influences Cooper – (7:59) Stuart Cooper discusses the influence that photographer Robert Capa had over his early film A Test Of Violence, as well Overlord, since Capa’s few remaining shots were examined time and time again by the director in preparing the look of the film, and even determined the outcome of the narrative. Completely fascinating. All fans of the film should watch it.
A Test Of Violence – (14:13) While a bit too pretentious for my liking, Stuart Cooper’s first short film is definitely an experimental take on the war paintings of Juan Genovés. It’s not difficult to see shades of Overlord in this film, but it’s also unmistakable to realize that Overlord is a much more mature work.
Cameramen At War – (14:40) This 1943 short film pays tribute to the servicemen who were assigned as camera operators. The images shown throughout this film speak volumes about the feel of war and one can only imagine the fear that these cameramen must have felt. It’s a tribute well paid. Our perception of the war, particularly after sixty years, would have been altered completely had we not had this historical footage.
Germany Calling – (2:03) This is an incredible recreation of scenes of marching Nazi troops, plucked from Triumph Of The Will and set to the tune of “The Lambeth Walk.” Anti-German propaganda for sure, but very funny regardless.
Two journals of actual D-Day soldiers, read by Stuart Cooper – The less said about these diaries the better. They are very moving and heartfelt, and if you have the slightest inkling that you would like to listen to them – you should. You will live D-Day vicariously through these letters.
Theatrical Trailer – (2:49) A satisfying trailer. Had I seen this first, I would have been intrigued to see the film.
Finally, as is customary for a Criterion release, included is a 29-page booklet which features an essay on the film “Man Versus Machine” by Kent Jones, an address about (as titled) “The Imperial War Museum” by Roger Smither the museum’s head curator. There are also excerpts from the novelization of Overlord, and film and DVD production credits.
 The Bottom Line
Brushing off Overlord as “another war movie” would be a shame. I don’t care how many WWII films you’ve seen, Overlord stands alone in its sublime and beautiful portrayal of combat and the mindset of the youth it consumes. It’s not about the war; it’s about preparation for war, and preparation for death.
Truly a one of a kind experience, anyone remotely fascinated with WWII should own Overlord, and Criterion has done an incredible job with this package.
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