Overlord (1975)

92% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(1,172 ratings)

Generous doses of newsreel footage highlight this British wartime drama. Tom (Brian Stirner) is a typical 18-year-old Briton who goes into military service early in 1944. The film follows the protagonist through the rigors of training and the shock of his first battle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Stuart Cooper
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jul 1, 1975 Wide
On DVD: Apr 17, 2007
Studio: Criterion Collection

Critic Reviews

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Overlord feels like a small but vivid tragedy inside an epic container.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
Though made 31 years after D-Day, the dramatic scenes have the period look of a '40s movie, which links them perfectly with the stunning archival footage.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
Overlord, a prize-winning entry in the 1975 Berlin Film Festival, deserves to join the pantheon of essential World War II combat movies.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
It's still a feat of period filmmaking. More than that, Overlord's revivification of a wasteland Europe offers up a powerful whip lesson for the postwar complacent.
Nan Robertson, New York Times
A majestic, somber work about war.
, Variety
Cooper gives it the right understated, unheroic feel.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A film that slipped through the cracks.
James Plath, Reel.com
Overlord isn't for everyone, but the ones who appreciate it will be powerfully transfixed.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
the film's documentary footage and expressive fictional footage are all of a piece--both realistic and surreal
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
An unknown classic.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The overriding themes of the film are never broadly stated but are subtly revealed, and the horror and reality of war are quietly played out on both the human and panoramic levels with disturbing effect.
Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The film plays like a 1950's B-movie with artistic pretensions.

Read all 12 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

WWII through the eyes of an average, somewhat inept British foot soldier. Director Stuart Cooper effectively interlaces real war footage with scenes of the infantryman's more mundane daily routines. We get to know the character by vicariously sharing his hardship and even… More
WWII through the eyes of an average, somewhat inept British foot soldier. Director Stuart Cooper effectively interlaces real war footage with scenes of the infantryman's more mundane daily routines. We get to know the character by vicariously sharing his hardship and even witnessing his frequent daydreams. Though released in 1975, this has an even older feel to it. A nice combination of post-war sensibility anchored deep in 1944's harsh reality. Definitely a film that warrants more discussion and deserves much more recognition.
Gordon A

Clever interweaving of fictional story and archival footage which works better as a documentary than a drama.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Overlord" is a haunting and moving film about a dutiful but not gung-ho young English soldier, Tom Beddoes(Brian Stirner), who is followed through training to D-Day during World War II. Throughout he feels overwhelmed by events and unlike his fellow… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Overlord" is a haunting and moving film about a dutiful but not gung-ho young English soldier, Tom Beddoes(Brian Stirner), who is followed through training to D-Day during World War II. Throughout he feels overwhelmed by events and unlike his fellow soldiers is not optimistic about his chances for survival. This makes him sad when he considers how little how he has lived, especially with how much potentially he could accomplish.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Crisply shot in black and white, "Overlord" is enhanced by the use of archival footage which is quite a treat by itself.(Thankfully none of it is familiar enough to be considered cliche.) When not used as backgroud material, some of it is also used in Tom's dream sequences to help express his doubts. [/font]
Emily B

An interesting premise. The period leading up to D-Day through the eyes of a young soldier, mixed with actual newsreel footage in between. I've always found anything to do with World World Two interesting so I thought the pieces of newsreel were fascinating. At times it's… More
An interesting premise. The period leading up to D-Day through the eyes of a young soldier, mixed with actual newsreel footage in between. I've always found anything to do with World World Two interesting so I thought the pieces of newsreel were fascinating. At times it's pretty hard to tell what is archive and what has been filmed especially for the film because they have done such a good job in recreating the style of the archive footage. The only downside is that I felt at times the narrative parts were a bit flat at times, with an unimpressive script and it took a while to get going. Considering the subject matter it's unsurprisingly not a feel good movie. Overall though, a very moving, and thought provoking film.