I watched the TV adaptation of Testament of Youth many, many years ago. As we were studying World War One at school, the destruction and carnage left me horrified; therefore I was deeply moved by Vera Brittan's account of fledging love and war time losses. I picked up this version of Netflix last night with great interest; could it, I wondereed, top the series that left me spellbound nearly three decades ago?The answer is not quite, the BBC TV series just shades it. I think the series alllows the characters a little more development time than the film allows. Nevertheless, there are a great many merits to this film. Although some of criticism of Alicia Vikander's Vera were a little harsh - she was growing up in a restrictive Edwardian, where 'young ladies' where expected to behave in a certain way - the cast and direction are uniformly first rate. I got a vivid impression of Rupert Brooke's England - lush, pastoral, with carefree youths at one with nature; a long vanished tranquility, that perhaps never really existed, except innoir imagination.The scene at the railway station was nothing short of heartbreaking - it is here, with Roland's departure, that enormity of what might happen actually sinks in.As the war drags on Vera volunteers as a nurse, anything to be closer to her loved ones at The Front - a fiancee, a brother, two close friends. She copes amidst the horrific carnage, the grim aftermath that's far from the honour and glory. Like the women left behind in all wars since the dawn of time, through a series of hard lesson she learns to gradually cope with the responsibilities thrust upon her - whilst living in a state of near constant trepidation; anything to avoid the dreaded telegram.I remember her compassion towards the dying German soldier - the enemy who bleeds the same blood, has the same flesh as we do.Her world is shattered many time over; War, grief and illness bleed her. It is staggering to think how many families must have went through same ordeal - only to emerge with wrecked lives into a confused and dangerous new world with no clear answers. Vera Brittan's work is for the survivors and their ghosts, for anyone who survived a war and asks 'why?' on their lips. It is a superb film and a worthy adaption. Watch it or the TV series.

It's not an overly similar movie, but as I've recently watched Atonement, Testament of Youth gave me that same sort of touchingly effective drama with a backdrop of a world war. Obviously, the two are very differently told films. But they proved to each impress in a similar way. For Testament of Youth, this was Alicia Vikander and Kit Harrington's coming out party, at least in the film world. The latter is famous for his turn in that one certain HBO show while Vikander hadn't really done anything of notoriety before this, and she is absolutely the best part about this film. Whether it be as the tomb raiding Lara Croft, the grieving Isabel Graysmark, or the curious Ava, she is brilliant in anything she does. In fact, she's quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses to watch, merely for the sheer charisma she brings with every role. And as much as I want to commend Harrington, Taron Egerton, Dominic West (who ironically also plays her father in Tomb Raider), Colin Morgan, Hayley Atwell, and Emily Watson, no one comes close to Vikander's performance here. If this film didn't get lost in her year of Danish Girl & Ex Machina, perhaps she could have been an awards contender for this film. In fact, this may be my favorite performance of hers. Can I be anymore genuine about her utterly genuine turn?9.0/10

I was so disappointed with this movie. At one point, early on, Vera Brittain gives an opinion on one of Roland Leighton's poems, saying she 'can't see him in it'. That's pretty much how I felt about this movie. It sort of told Vera's story but somehow I couldn't really see her in it either. Maybe it was aimed at a generation now so removed from the customs and self discipline of Vera's generation that it wasn't felt necessary to replicate it. Certainly the mud, the horror and the general bedlam of World War 1 were all present, but the characters and the story line seemed two dimensional rather than three dimensional. And whilst it would be impossible to convey the complete bitterness and anguish of a young woman who experienced the horror of losing a loved one, in the same way that the memoir did, I have seen more convincing television productions in the past. And the final insult came at the end when Vera returns to the location shown at the beginning of the movie, as Roland's poem Hédauville is recited, and even that is watered down and incomplete.

Have noticed others have said they were a little upset with a couple of added sequences that were not from the book. Having not read the book this offered no distraction. While it maybe agreeable when a movie adaption follows a book - they remain distinctly different mediums - two different styles of writing, so it's not always fair to compere them. The book in this case is Vera Brittain's autobiography. This strong story has remained in print since it's first publishing in the early 1930's - quite something for a female writer of this era.Since the release of that fine Turkish film "Gallipoli" in 2005, 'Testament Of Youth' has to be one of the best examinations of the unforgivably tragic wastage of WWI - This was war created at the whims of those who regarded themselves as the upper echelons - so called leaders who did not deserve the very breath in their bodies. This BBC Films 2014/15 production is stunning to look at and listen too, from Jon Henson's detailed production design to just about every last cast member it's a powerful thought provoker. Swedish born Alicia Vikander may not always seem the right choice for the lead but works very hard in a demanding role, Kit Harington convinces as Roland, Alexandra Roach as Winifred, Dominic West as Dad and Emily Watson as Mum, fine performances all.... It's a strong feature directorial debut for James Kent - embellished with mostly lavish visual support provided by D.O.P. Rob Hardy (and thank heavens hand held camera-work is kept to a minimum). The screenplay by Juliette Towhidi is kept in check by the real life daughter of Vera Brittain, Shirley Williams. It's possibly because of this careful control the whole production maintains a high level of integrity that's rarely seen in modern movies. Lavish scenes involving steam trains are lovingly set up using trains from the Keighley and Worth / North Yorkshire Moors Railways. The music score by Max Richter (The Lunchbox '13 & Re-composing Vivaldi '14) adds handsomely and has been blessed with full-scale orchestrations by Dave Foster. What's unique about this film's treatment is its solid focus on being told from a female perspective. A young woman who experienced first hand the loss of family, lover, and friends - who then went on to write and speak out about the dehumanizing impact on all those who served and died or were left to suffer throughout their lives. And for what 'essential' purpose?. This film brings home the horror - not with endless shots of hideous trench warfare but by taking us into the inadequate treatment 'hospitals', where so many young lives agonizingly wasted away. All very tragic, but needs to be told and re-told...