There's been so many quality period films and TV series of both the first and second World Wars now that you'd think directors would have got the details down to perfection. IN this film they did in most aspects... the mud and claustrophobia we're well illustrated but I kept being distracted by on glaring (literally!) aesthetic detail they'd decided not to bother with. All these WW1 troops had gleaming white teeth - and full sets at that.
Dental care certainly wasn't close to creating celebrity smiles in 1916 - even more so after a few years in the trenches eating bully beef and putting up with bad daily hygiene conditions. When you're spending a few million on filming a realistic era of history - why skip on elements such as these?! The little details help the viewer to suspend disbelief and for me - once I saw the first soldier with a full white set - I found myself watching all the others in comparison when I should have been starting to feel transported to their plight.
Dental care certainly wasn't close to creating celebrity smiles in 1916 - even more so after a few years in the trenches eating bully beef and putting up with bad daily hygiene conditions. When you're spending a few million on filming a realistic era of history - why skip on elements such as these?! The little details help the viewer to suspend disbelief and for me - once I saw the first soldier with a full white set - I found myself watching all the others in comparison when I should have been starting to feel transported to their plight.