wwii the long road home movie review

WWII: The Long Road Home (2020)

Directed by elliott hasler.

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WWII: The Long Road Home is a 2017 World War II biographical drama adventure film written and directed by Elliott Hasler. Created between the ages of 14 and 16, the film centres on the story of Hasler's own great-grandfather and his experiences as an escaped prisoner of war in Italy. Released when Hasler was 16, the film made him the youngest feature film director in the UK at the time.

Alternate Titles

The Language of Film

…another one flew over the cuckoo's nest

WWII – The Long Road Home

WWII – The Long Road Home (originally Charlie’s Letters ) is available to watch on selected digital platforms and to buy from selected UK stores. Written, directed and starring Elliott Hasler this is an incredible biopic story about his own great-grandfather during WWII and is an amazing feet of micro budget filmmaking especially from someone so young. Elliott was sixteen years old on its completion, making him the UK’s youngest person to have a film shown on Amazon, Sky Store or iTunes.

The film tells the remarkable true story of Elliott’s great-grandfather, Charlie (played by Elliott Hasler himself), told through his letters, which he wrote to his wife ‘Tup’ (Alice Rogers) after he was sent away to war during WWII. The film re-enacts his war experiences when he was captured at the battle of Sidi Nsir in Tunisia and taken to an Italian internment camp, before escaping and crossing war torn Italy, alone, in search of safety and the ally borders. His wife, ‘Tup’, was at home and faced her own dilemmas, as she was being charmed by an overseas officer back on the Homefront, not knowing if her husband would return to her and their young son. The film is even more remarkable that it was started when Elliott was just 14 years old and was filmed on a budget of less than £3,000.  

If you can excuse some of the technical imperfections, basically being shot on a DSLR camera without a full crew and with some fairly green actors, which in a way add to the film’s gritty realism. The minimal script has its poignant moments and although wooden sounding at times there is again a dogme style reality to it all as the film retraces Charlie’s steps, told through his letters and the imagination of his great-grandson.

It’s a dramatic tale of love, courage and survival that captures much of the unimaginable horrors of war told using creative visuals and sound to circumnavigate its budgetary restrictions. The locations are captured with some stunning landscape scenery giving the audience a real sense of the epic journey undertaken from Brighton to his posting and capture in Tunisia and subsequent escape across Italy. The costumes, props and extras all encapsulate the period adding to the authenticity that shows a good eye for detail and overall great cinematic potential for a young director making his mark.

As war movies go this is as entertaining and engaging as many other higher budget films despite its flaws. It’s exciting to see a gutsy film from such a young UK film director who seems to have a natural flair for true storytelling both script wise and visually. The film pays real homage to his family and hometown history as well as to the sacrifices ordinary local folk made during the war and he has even been touted as the next Spielberg.

Film: WWII – The Long Road Home

Director:  Elliott Hasler

Stars: Elliott Hasler, Alice Rogers, David Aitchison

Genre: Action / Drama / War 

Run time: 1hr 16min

Rating: 4/5

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Emerging filmmaking talent Elliott Hasler discusses biopic WWII – The Long Road Home

Dec 8, 2020.

Elliott Hasler, the UK’s youngest filmmaker to have their film shown on Sky Store, Amazon and iTunes, wrote, directed, shot and starred in WWII – The Long Road Home. The epic tale of love, courage and survival – which Elliott started making at age 14 and finished at 16 – is a true story based on the letters of his great-grandfather during World War II.

Elliott, now 19 years old, filmed in the UK, Italy and Turkey on a micro budget. WWII – The Long Road Home brings a natural gritty honesty to the WWII family biopic about his great-grandfather, Charlie, who was conscripted to the Royal Hampshire Regiment from his hometown of Brighton. Posted to Tunisia, North Africa he was captured at the battle of Sidi Nsir and escaped an Italian internment camp. So began his long walk to freedom, alone through war torn Italy, a story told and remembered through the letters he wrote to his wife and young son.

Brighton-based filmmaker Elliott shared the process of creating the production with British Cinematographer editor Zoe Mutter …

What/who was the inspiration behind making the film?

I’d grown up hearing the story passed down by grandfather and my mother, and it had always fascinated me from a very young age. There was a very cinematic quality to it, a richness in the narrative, and the nature of the survival story at its heart which had a lot of creative appeal. The incredibly personal aspect of the story was also important for me, as it really meant that there was deep care present throughout the making of it; a sense of duty I suppose that I really had to try my best to do the story of my great-grandfather justice.

What filmmaking experience/training did you have prior to making the film?

I had no training or experience in the art of filmmaking prior to this film. Film school was a route I’ve not gone down; making this film was my film school. I leant on the job and that for me is the most valuable and effective way to do it.

I wanted the film to have a realistic edge to it, not to present a rose tinted vision of the Second World War, as I felt that was the best way to do justice to my great-grandfather’s story. So I studied a lot of films in preparation, both war films (the visual style of Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line were key here) and others.

What were your creative references and inspirations?

David Lean’s films have always been a huge inspiration for me, in particular Lawrence of Arabia , and the visual nature of his work that he constructs with Freddie Young’s stunning cinematography has had a great impact on my work. Likewise the visual style of Emmanuel Lubeski was also hugely influential for me, particularly his work on The Revenant and his use of natural lighting, which due to the limitations of our budget on WWII: The Long Road Home, became hugely important to utilise in our own way.

What did the pre-production process entail?

The nature of making this film at such a young age – I was fourteen at the start and sixteen by the time we wrapped – meant that the film really evolved as I was making it and as I was evolving myself both as a filmmaker and a person. So pre-production in a way never really ended and carried on throughout the actual production stages, so things were constantly changing and evolving the whole time.

As I was so young and because the budget was so small we had no choice but to keep a very limited crew. I was really a one-man-band on this film, a full singing and dancing monkey. I had to oversee all the different aspects of the production in terms of the writing, the shooting and the editing. But this is why I feel this film was for me such a great learning curve, I got to experience and gain expertise across so many different areas of filmmaking, which was really invaluable.

Where was the production filmed?

Luckily for me, my family were traveling in Italy at the time I was shooting the film, so I was able to take just my camera and a few costumes and shoot these stunning vistas of the Italian countryside which really gave a sense of journey to the narrative. Indeed we were able to capture these really epic landscapes which added so much to the film.

Which camera did you choose and why was it the most suitable for the film?

The film was shot entirely on just a Nikon DSLR. It was chosen out of necessity and held up really well for what we wanted. It allowed for a good quality image that retained a sort of raw, grittiness which added a lot of girth and atmosphere to the visual language of the film.

A lot of the film was shot handled with a very run-and-gun type approach. We went with this to really throw the audience into Charlie’s world, so that they were experiencing things with him as opposed to shooting on a tripod which does innately bring with it a sense of detachment. So handheld cinematography for us really added to the dirty and gritty feel that we wanted and also helped tremendously with the budgetary issues, as we always had to find creative ways around the practical problems I faced as a teenager making a feature with no budget!

What about your approach to lighting?

Emmanuel Lubeski’s use of natural lighting in his films, particularly on The Revenant , was very influential in terms of my approach to lighting. As again due to the constraints of the budget we weren’t able to have expensive lighting rigs, so taking a natural approach and using just the light available on set proved invaluable and really created an atmosphere within the film. A lot of what we shot was in overcast weather with the clouds creating natural diffusion, which can cast a beautifully soft light over the subject. Magic Hour was used a great deal as this is really the best light that mother nature has to offer and something that I don’t feel artificial light can replicate. I still love shooting in natural light, as it just gives you so much freedom as a filmmaker and when it works, it results in the most stunning images.

Which elements of the film were most challenging to shoot?

The war parts of the film, with vehicles and soldiers and explosions; they were the hardest parts of the film to shoot. We were working on a shoestring so we really had to think hard about creative ways of getting rounds the problems posed by the military scenes. I employed a lot of close-focus in the cinematography and the run-and-gun, handheld shooting style helped massively in conveying a grit and harshness within the combat scenes. The look I really went for on these was to make it as if you were watching old combat newsreel to really tap into the blunt, matter of fact nature of warfare.

Which scene or shot would you single out as your favourite?

My proudest moment, in terms of the cinematography, would have to be the small scene where Charlie and Aldo, Italian resistance fighter, walk through the trees as the sun rises in-front of them. I shot this on a really wide angle, which gives a distortion around the edges of the frame with a nice bit of blur in the corners. For me that scene has a really cinematic feel, with the colour and the lighting, which is just stunning to watch.

What lessons did you learn which you will take with you onto your next production?

The whole process of making WWII: The Long Road Home was a lesson for me. As someone who’s never been to film school, making this was my film school. Of course making it while I was still a teenager, there is tons of it I would do differently now and obviously there are many faults within the film, but it really has to be taken in that context. I think that for me is what the film is all about; at the end of the day it is a family story and at the time I made it, that was the right way to tell it. Now of course having all the knowledge from making that film, I’ve gone on to work with much greater prestige on my next film, Vindication Swim . Indeed we’ve got a cast who’ve featured in movies like Darkest Hour, The Favourite and Pirates of the Caribbean . As well as an Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated composer, with Cannes 2022 our objective for premiering Vindication Swim .

What advice would you give young aspiring filmmakers?

My advice to aspiring young filmmakers would be to just go at it; make a film, any film! No one is ever going to hand you a budget and a team, you have start out on your own and do it all yourself. And if, after all the blood, toil and sweat, you emerge with a watchable film then you’re doing better than the ninety-nine-percent of ‘aspiring filmmakers’ who only ever dream about making a movie.

The following images are behing the scenes shots from Elliott’s next production Vindication Swim …

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WWII: The Long Road Home Reviews

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16 year old aspiring director Elliott Hasler's epic depiction of his great-grandfather's WW2 experiences; an escaped POW's battle for survival whilst on the run in war-torn Italy, as his wife and young son eagerly await news in England.

TV Streaming | ‘The Long Road Home’ review: Military…

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Tv streaming | crozier fire map: evacuations of sierra communities, smoke over lake tahoe, tv streaming, tv streaming | ‘the long road home’ review: military miniseries a must-see, powerful eight-part saga recounts, in harrowing detail, the events of ‘black sunday’ in iraq.

None of them, however, can match the emotional oomph of “The Long Road Home,”  a captivating — and harrowing — true story of bravery, love and sacrifice.

Based on a best-seller by ABC News journalist Martha Raddatz and airing on the National Geographic Channel, the eight-part miniseries recounts the incidents surrounding an event in Iraq that came to be known as “Black Sunday.”

In April 2004, a small platoon of American soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division was patrolling the streets of Sadr City, an impoverished region of Baghdad. They had no reason to suspect trouble. After all, Saddam Hussein had been captured, and nearly a year had passed since President Bush delivered his “Mission Accomplished” speech. They were simply involved with peacekeeping duties in an area considered to be “the safest place in Iraq.”

“If there’s a gun going off over there,” says Lt. Shane Aguero (E.J. Bonilla), “it’s probably just some fool celebrating a Cowboys game.”

But on that fateful day, all hell suddenly broke loose. The platoon was ambushed by a group of insurgents firing from rooftops, balconies and back alleys. After a frantic gunfight, the ill-equipped soldiers somehow managed to take refuge in a residence. But they were trapped there without GPS tracking and forced to wait it out for rescue convoys to arrive.

Well-paced and handsomely crafted, “The Long Road Home” keeps you on edge during the tension-filled gun battles in Iraq. But the show’s most indelible achievement is the way it immerses viewers in the heads and hearts of not only the soldiers, but the spouses and children anxiously waiting for news back home in Fort Hood, Texas.

Through a series of deft flashbacks, we truly get to know these characters as people. Their panic and desperation is deeply felt. And as we watch from the comfort of our couches, we’re reminded once again of the struggles and sacrifices that military families confront on a daily basis.

“The Long Road Home” features only a handful of recognizable actors — including Jason Ritter, Jeremy Sisto, Sarah Wayne Callies and Michael Kelly. But there are potent performances up and down the cast.

You get the sense that these actors knew they were involved in something incredibly honorable. So they dug deep and brought an extra surge of passion to their roles.

Their commitment certainly shows.

Contact Chuck Barney at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter.com/chuckbarney and Facebook.com/bayareanewsgroup.chuckbarney.

‘THE LONG ROAD HOME’

When: 9 p.m., Nov. 7

Where: National Geographic Channel

Grade: 3 ½ stars

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WWII: The Long Road Home

Cast & crew.

Elliott Hasler

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Long road home, common sense media reviewers.

Slow-paced rural coming-of-age tale tackles prejudice.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Though the movie is not intended to be educational

Values of hard work and self-sufficiency are shown

The boy Seth shows an incredible resiliency in the

Seth is given to daydreaming during his laborious

Awkward preteen romance and first kisses.

Parents need to know that this slow-paced coming-of-age film set in 1977 rural Utah contains scenes of rifleplay, and features confrontations with a ferocious grizzly that will be tough to take for younger viewers. With some budding romance between tweens and an ongoing theme of racial prejudice, this story of growth,…

Educational Value

Though the movie is not intended to be educational, kids might learn about rural life and farm activities, including chores. Some information about Native Americans and racial tensions of the mid-20th century.

Positive Messages

Values of hard work and self-sufficiency are shown throughout the film. An older character must confront and reassess the prejudice that had split apart his immediate family and has had a negative impact on his relationship with his grandson.

Positive Role Models

The boy Seth shows an incredible resiliency in the face of drastic changes. His grandfather Murdock prefers getting down to hard work and action instead of talking. Seth's grandmother Neldra is tough but sweet, and doesn't put up with Murdock's stubbornness. Annie, Seth's neighbor and love interest, is a strong-willed 12 year old, and shows that girls can do anything boys can do on the ranch.

Violence & Scariness

Seth is given to daydreaming during his laborious chores, and invariably imagines scenes from the Old West -- shootouts, showdowns, rescuing fair maidens from grizzlies. A real grizzly attacks a character towards the end, but the character is not badly injured. Between the dream sequences and the confrontations with the grizzly, there is some rifleplay.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this slow-paced coming-of-age film set in 1977 rural Utah contains scenes of rifleplay, and features confrontations with a ferocious grizzly that will be tough to take for younger viewers. With some budding romance between tweens and an ongoing theme of racial prejudice, this story of growth, reckoning, and readjustment is best for tweens and older, and will give them an interesting look at rural life. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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• Parents say (2)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Coming age movie

What's the story.

It is 1977 in Wayne County, Utah. After the death of his mother -- his war hero Indian father died in combat shortly before he was born -- 12-year-old Seth George ( TJ Lowther ) is sent to live with his grandparents on a ranch in rural Utah. HIs grandmother Neldra ( Sandra Shotwell ) is glad to have him, but his taciturn, hardworking, and stubborn grandfather Murdock ( Michael Ansara ) is cold to the son of the daughter he stopped speaking to after she married "outside of her race." Nonetheless he puts Seth to work doing chores, and after the passing of Seth's grandmother, the two must learn to get along. Seth must learn of his past as he embraces his new life as a budding "cowboy," and Murdock must learn to love his grandson and forsake the racism that ruined his immediate family.

Is It Any Good?

Even with daydream sequences of Wild West shootouts, and interactions with a ferocious grizzly, LONG ROAD HOME has a tendency to drag. It becomes bogged down with characters performing barnyard chores, planting flowers, and championing eternal verities like hard work. The acting isn't the best, some of the action (with the grizzly in particular) is farfetched, and most of the threads in the storyline should be predictable to anyone familiar with coming of age stories.

Nonetheless, the Utah setting is quite beautiful, and for those from that part of the country in particular looking for something family-friendly and wholesome that, at the same time, doesn't shy away from thorny issues like racism and growing up without your parents in a strange new land, Long Road Home could be a touching coming-of-age tale rooted in a rural Western culture too often overlooked in a genre usually more geared towards "hip teens" in urban or suburban settings.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the chores Seth must learn to do each day and night as he readjusts to life on a ranch with his grandparents. How is this similar or different to the chores your family does each day and night? How is rural life usually depicted in movies and on television?

Murdock and Neldra don't own a television. How does this reflect their work ethic, the time and place in which they grew up, and how they choose to spend their time?

Murdock never spoke to his daughter again after she "married outside her race." How does Seth help him to understand and come to terms with the error of his thinking? Does this movie challenge or reinforce any stereotypes ?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : March 25, 2003
• Cast : Michael Ansara , Sandra Shotwell , TJ Lowther
• Director : Craig Clyde
• Studio : Majestic Entertainment
• Genre : Western
• Run time : 90 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : February 25, 2022

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WWII: The Long Road Home Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'wwii: the long road home' online.

Want to behold the glory that is ' WWII: The Long Road Home ' in the comfort of your own home? Tracking down a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the Elliott Hasler-directed movie via subscription can be difficult, so we here at Moviefone want to help you out. Below, you'll find a number of top-tier streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'WWII: The Long Road Home' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'WWII: The Long Road Home' right now, here are some finer points about the drama flick. Released , 'WWII: The Long Road Home' stars David Aitchison , Matthew Wyn Davies , David Hasler , Elliott Hasler The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 30 min, and received a user score of 50 (out of 100) on TMDb, which put together reviews from 1 well-known users. Want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "16 year old aspiring director Elliott Hasler's epic depiction of his great-grandfather's WW2 experiences; an escaped POW's battle for survival whilst on the run in war-torn Italy, as his wife and young son eagerly await news in England." 'WWII: The Long Road Home' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on VUDU Free, YouTube, Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Vudu, Apple iTunes, Fandor Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium , Peacock, Amazon Prime Video , IMDB TV Amazon Channel, Google Play Movies, DistroTV, and Tubi TV .

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WWII: The Long Road Home (2017)

TV-14 | Adventure, Drama, War