This film is part of Free
Shower Baths in the Trenches
A humble scrub is all it takes to get these French troops in a lather.
Overview
In their quest to keep public spirits up, newsreels looked to illustrate the lighter side of war. The comic quality of this report stems from the French soldiers' supreme ease with the camera as they get their wash-down - how Gallic! But there's also a poignancy to the men's delight at this simple pleasure - while the patchy film quality suggests haste, and the gloomy closeness of the front line.
Taking a shower on the front line would have been quite an ask. But it seems you could at least take a shower to the front line. Trench hygiene was dismal, but as this film looks to show, the efforts of the Sanitary Corps meant improvements in both conditions and troop morale. The Frenchmen jostle and play up for the crew - although, given that the images would have been shot at the height of winter, the tomfoolery probably also helped keep them warm.
Related
The Austrian Tragedy The Austrian Tragedy
Non-Fiction 1914 2 mins Silent
A muted newsreel tribute to Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand - victim of an assassin's bullet in an event that would soon take Europe to war.
Bully Boy Bully Boy
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1914 6 mins Silent
Lightning sketch propaganda stirs outrage about Reims bombing, and features a British bulldog eating the German sausage
The Warrior Strain The Warrior Strain
War 1920 52 mins Silent
Young Lord Billy sniffs out sneaky German marauders in this flag-waving war drama - thrills for British boys, 1919-style.
Funeral at the Front Funeral at the Front
Non-Fiction 1915 1 mins
Sombre and moving World War I newsreel story.
Christmas at the Front Christmas at the Front
Non-Fiction 1914 1 mins Silent
Poignant scenes of Allied troops enjoying their Yuletide rations at the first Christmas of WWI.
Battle Front in Britain Battle Front in Britain
Documentary 1918 24 mins Silent
Growing potatoes in Green Park plus some handy uses for your old tin cans – it’s all part of the war effort on the home front.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Blades Blades
Drama 2023 2 mins
A group of young Black boys run into a building. One of them is about to do the unimaginable.
We Collide We Collide
Romance 2023 2 mins
A queercore romance - a visceral and immersive exploration of the power of the mosh pit and finding love in the most unlikely of places.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.