The Begorrathon 2017 – The Siege of Jadotville (2016)

This post is part of the Begorrathon 2017 hosted by Niall of Raging Fluff.  Check out the other posts all month on his site.

“Not many Frenchmen like German tacticians. It only took them two weeks to take over your entire country” – Pat

Number of Times Seen – 1 (5 Mar 2017)

Brief Synopsis – A small band of Irish UN peacekeepers must try and defend a small base in Congo during the Country’s Civil War in the 1960’s.

My Take on it – This is a film that I had never heard of before and when I requested a suggestion for a film to watch for this blogathon from Niall, he immediately suggested this one for me.

I’ve always been a fan of well made war movies based on real events and this film truly delivers in that sense.

The story itself is little known and that helps make things even more interesting to watch because we know that it’s based on real events.

We get to see the acts of heroism performed by this small group of men attempting to overcome a much larger force who have them under siege for days.

Besides their heroism, we get to see the restraint they use along the way because they are not there to fight, but actually just to defend their own lives.

This film also is able to once again show us how much politics plays in decisions made during battle where the choices made are for political gain instead of thinking about the men on the ground themselves and the potential outcome for them.

The story progresses quite well and we get a clear sense of what is happening on so many different command levels which gives us a more globa;l view of it all.

Bottom Line – Great story that is very little known.  Shows the many acts of heroism these soldiers performed along with their restraint when needed during this very intense siege on their outpost.  Once again, we get to see how much politics plays in wartime decisions where no one seems to care about the men on the ground regardless of the potential outcome.  The story is constructed well and we get to see how things progress while being aware of everything going on around the various command levels.  Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The world premiere screening of this film was held at the Galway Film Fleadh (Ireland’s leading film festival) the evening of July 9, 2016. Leo Quinlan, son of Commandant Pat Quinlan, made an announcement at the end of the screening that–earlier that same day–the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe had authorised the creation of the award of Presidential Unit Citation for the men of ‘A’ Company who fought at Jadotville, the recognition coming more than half a century after the conflict. On September 17, 2016, this citation was formally presented to the veterans and the next of kin of deceased soldiers at a special ceremony held at Custume Barracks, Athlone. (The 2005 honour referenced at the end of the movie itself consists of a commemorative stone erected at these barracks and the commissioning of a portrait of Quinlan which hangs in the Congo Room of the Irish Defence Forces’ UN School.) (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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