凡尔登教训

An award-winning TV adaptation in three parts of Arnold Zweig’s 1935 novel of the First World War Erziehung vor Verdun. Set in 1916 during the later stages of the Battle of Verdun, much of the story concerns the German occupiers of the captured French Fort Douaumont. More than that is not safe for me to say, because quite apart from the language barrier the heavily stylised mix of drama, documentary, and archive footage makes things difficult to follow. The Battle of Verdun began on 21st February 1916 and lasted until December when, after combined casualties of nearly a million, the Germans conceded defeat in their strategic aims. The city of Verdun, though strategically weakly situated, and defended by an outdated and semi-mothballed system of concrete forts, was of great historical and emotional importance to the French. The German attackers expected their heavier guns and superior logistics would easily prevail against defenders who would nevertheless feel compelled to fight to the last man; it was to be like shooting fish in a barrel. Yet although the French suffered higher casualties, the battle ended with Fort Douaumont back in their hands. By the time this series was made Verdun was becoming a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation. Acclaimed director Egon Günther (Die Schlüssel, Ursula, Stein etc.) frames the drama with a road trip to the battlefields, taking in the tourist’s view of Fort Douaumont with its vast cemetery and iconic ossuary. Intermixed are readings, newsreel footage, and extracts from vintage dramatisations of the battles.