The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (DVD)

A stunning new restoration of a British World War One epic, this is one of the greatest British films from the silent era

A stunning new restoration of a British World War One epic, this is one of the greatest British films from the silent era.

Originally released in 1927 to great acclaim and popularity, The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands is an exciting recreation of two key battles faced by the Royal Navy in the early days of World War One. The first major engagement between German and British ships at Coronel was a terrible defeat for Britain with the loss of two warships. Later the British responded in a desperate bid to save the morale of a nation at war.

The stunning restoration has a stirring new score by award-winning composer Simon Dobson, commissioned by the BFI and performed, appropriately, by 24 members of the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines in honour of the 24 members of the band who lost their lives with the sinking of HMS Monmouth at the battle of Coronel.

Special features

• Scoring the Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (2014, 12 mins): a consideration of Simon Dobson's new musical accompaniment
• The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands Restoration Demonstration (2014, 6 mins): some of the problems faced by the BFI restoration team.
• BFI London Film Festival Archive Gala Introduction (2014, 3 mins)
• Sea Dreams (Lancelot Speed, 1914, 6 mins): animation mocking the German Navy
• Naval Review (Will Barker, 1914, 5 mins): King George V reviews the British fleet at Spithead in July 1914
• Our Naval Losses (1914, 1 min): moving eulogy to the British ships sunk in the early months of the war.
• England Expects (1914, 1 min): scenes of Trafalgar Day at Nelson's Column
• Fully illustrated booklet with original essays and full credits