World War I · Film · 2008
Passchendaele
A shell-shocked Canadian sergeant sent home to Calgary falls for a nurse and re-enlists to protect her fragile younger brother, following him into the mud of Passchendaele.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 3 places.
Stop 1: Vimy Ridge
Sergeant Michael Dunne survives the fighting at Vimy but comes out of it with his nerves shattered.
Stop 2: Calgary, Alberta
Recovering in hospital, Dunne meets nurse Sarah Mann, whose family is shunned because her German-born father died fighting for Germany.
Stop 3: Passchendaele
Key location
In a sea of mud, Dunne leads a platoon to reinforce a battered battalion while Sarah works at a dressing station just behind the line.
What really happened
Paul Gross drew on the stories of his grandfather, who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Canadian Corps took Vimy Ridge in April 1917, a victory that became a founding moment of Canadian identity, and in October was sent to Flanders to finish the Third Battle of Ypres.
Between 26 October and 10 November 1917 the Canadians captured the ruined village of Passchendaele through flooded, shell-churned ground, at a cost of about 15,600 casualties. The film's crucifixion image nods to a 1915 wartime legend of a Canadian soldier crucified by German troops, a story that was never proven.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Passchendaele
- Directed by
- Paul Gross
- Countries
- Canada
- Languages
- English
- Released
- 2008
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe, The Americas
- Themes
- Combat
- Romance
- Home front
