On Sunday 11th September 2016, members of the public were invited to attend a Heritage Open Day event organised by the ‘In the Wrong Place, Wrong Time’ Centre for Hidden Histories project at the now vanished site of Lofthouse Park Camp, Yorkshire.
Impact: Film Screening of “All Quiet on the Western Front”
On 3rd October 2016, Broadway Cinema, Nottingham in partnership with the Centre for Hidden Histories organised a free public screening of Lewis Milestone’s Oscar winning classic, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Adapted from the novel by German First World War veteran Erich Maria Remarque, the film’s anti-war message and scenes of violence were controversial in the 1930s, leading the movie to be banned in Austria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Bulgaria and New Zealand. The film’s pacifist message also led to its condemnation by the Nazis and prohibition from cinemas in the Third Reich, while the movie’s association of French women with moral licentiousness led to its removal from French cinemas.
The screening at Broadway to thirty members of the public was accompanied by a question and answer session afterwards with University of Nottingham academics, Professor John Beckett, Professor Mike Heffernan and Professor Nigel Hunt. Topics discussed included the representation of soldiers in the film in relation to trauma, conceptions of masculinity and the experiences of soldiers fighting in conflicts since 1918. There was also discussion of the historical strengths and limitations of the film, as well as the role that films such as ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ have played in constructing contemporary public understandings of the First World War.
Audience responses included:
“The film and especially the Q&A afterwards were very informative and thought provoking. It has certainly given me a more rounded and comprehensive take on the war and its impact on everyone around at the time.” (Chris Henderson, Age 39)
“It was a very important film that should be shown again. The Q&A session afterwards was most interesting and brought out some of the issues in the film which I might have otherwise missed.” (Martin Foulds, Age 63)
“Very interesting and informative. Particularly the range of expertise of the speakers.” (Anonymous respondent).
Impact: Reflection Workshop with Community Partners at Edin’s Cafe, Nottingham
On the afternoon of 25th August 2016, Mike Noble (Community Liaison Officer) and I met with community partners of the Centre for Hidden Histories at Edin’s Cafe, Broad Street, Nottingham. This session was convened to discuss the various ways in which being a part of projects associated with the AHRC’s First World War Engagement Centres had impacted on participants individual lives, organisations and communities. In our discussion we were joined by Professor Paul Elliott (The University of Derby), community artists, Jenny Anthony and Maureen Elliott from Spiral Arts and participant in Spiral Arts projects, Hazel Thompson. Dr Irfan Malik (Friends of Dulmial Society), Gertie Whitfield (Whitworks Adventures in Theatre) and Pauline Woodhouse and Marion Caunt from the Radcliffe on Trent and the First World War project were also present.
