Ypres: Canada’s Legendary First World War Battles in Film

Abstract

The 1925 British film Ypres reenacted the three major battles of Ypres, including the Canadian experience in the Second and Third Battles of 1915 and 1917. Directed by Walter Summers and made by utilising archival footage from the war and First World War  veterans to produce an authentic account of ‘every detail, and the deathless glory won by the British forces.’ The film’s inclusion of Canadian fighting experiences at Ypres decentralised the British war narrative, showing that Canada contributed significantly to the cost of victory. Released in Canada in 1926, Ypres showed Canadian audiences that Canadian soldiers endured trauma at Ypres through its realistic portrayal of combat. Through its depiction of war, the creators of Ypres showcased to Canadian audiences that Canadian soldiers underwent the horrors of the First World War for victory, the very value Canada went to war for in 1914.