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Draft:No Roses on a Sailor's Grave

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No Roses on a Sailor's Grave
Directed byDaniel Oron
Written byJohn-Henry Phillips
Produced byJohn-Henry Phillips
StarringJohn-Henry Phillips, Patrick Thomas
CinematographyGeoff Bland
Edited byNick Montgomery
Music byAlex Redfern
Production
company
Go Button Media
Distributed byCBC
Release date
2022
Running time
80 minutes
CountriesCanada, British
LanguageEnglish

No Roses on a Sailor's Grave is a 2020 documentary film directed by Daniel Oron, about author and archaeologist John-Henry Phillips's search for a lost Second World War shipwreck.[1]

Origins

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John-Henry Phillips met D-Day veteran Patrick Thomas in Normandy in 2016. Inspired by Thomas's story of being the last survivor of the sinking of LCH 185, one of the first landing craft to reach Sword Beach on D-Day, as well as the recent loss of his grandfather, John-Henry promised to find the remains of the ship in the English Channel.[1]

Having briefly worked together on what would become Secret Nazi Bases, a concept Phillips left during its early conception stage, citing a desire to create more meaningful work, Canadian production company Go Button Media's Daniel Oron offered to follow the expedition as a film director, with Phillips serving as producer.[2]

Production

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Production began in July 2017, with initial filming taking place in Eastbourne, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, RAF Bury St Edmunds, Ranville war cemetery, and Hermanville-sur-Mer. A trailer was launched shortly afterwards.[3] Phillips learned to dive at Stoney Cove, Leicestershire, and Malta, during this time.[4]

In November 2017, citing budget issues, Go Button Media launched a crowd-funding campaign to continue production, raising just under £14,000.[5]

Director Daniel Oron (left) and John-Henry Phillips during production of No Roses on a Sailor's Grave in Lion-sur-Mer, Normandy. June 2018.

In April 2018 production moved to Lion-sur-Mer, Normandy, where a dive expedition took place, followed by the unveiling of a permanent memorial in June.[6] After a four month break, production concluded in Eastbourne in October 2018.[7]

Release

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In 2021, No Roses on a Sailor's Grave was selected for a number of international film festivals, including the Archaeological Institute of America's Arkhaios Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Film Festival in Spokane, NorthwestFest in Edmonton, Canada, Luleå International Film Festival in Sweden, and Indy Film Fest in Indianapolis.[1]

To promote the film, Phillips, alongside veteran Thomas, appeared on BBC One's The One Show, alongside comedian Frank Skinner and the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.[8][7]

The film was nominated for, and won, several awards, most notably a Director's Guild of Canada award.[9] Despite most events being moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Phillips was able to appear in-person at MovieMento, Germany's oldest cinema, as part of the Ake Dikhea Film Festival in December.[10]

In March 2022 No Roses on a Sailor's Grave was acquired by CBC for worldwide distribution. [11] A shortened version of the film had its broadcast debut on Hollywood Suite in Canada in 2021, before airing on PBS America in the United Kingdom in 2022.[12][13]

Critical reception

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Critical reception is generally positive. The film has a rating of 7.8% out of 10, based on reviews from 47 critics. No Roses on a Sailor's Grave was recommended by both The Daily Express and The Guardian.[14] [15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "No Roses on a Sailor's Grave - Go Button Media - Documentary". Go Button Media. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  2. ^ Milton Film Festival (2021-02-08). No Roses on a Sailor's Grave Q&A - MFF 2021. Retrieved 2025-01-19 – via YouTube.[unreliable source?]
  3. ^ Go Button Media (2019-09-27). No Roses on a Sailor's Grave: Trailer (Extended Version). Retrieved 2025-01-19 – via YouTube.[unreliable source?]
  4. ^ Phillips, John-Henry (2 June 2022). The Search: The true story of a D-Day survivor, an unlikely friendship, and a lost shipwreck off Normandy (1ST ed.). London: Hachette. pp. 162–165. ISBN 978-1472146182.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. ^ Evans, Cathy (2017-11-12). "No Roses on a Sailor's Grave". blog.padi.com. Retrieved 2025-01-19.[unreliable source?]
  6. ^ "LCH 185 Memorial". NormandyWarGuide.com. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  7. ^ a b Phillips, John-Henry (2 June 2022). The Search: The true story of a D-Day survivor, an unlikely friendship, and a lost shipwreck off Normandy (1st ed.). London: Hachette. pp. 297–307.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ "Southsea Sub-Aqua Club - The One Show". www.southseasubaqua.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  9. ^ Office, Directors Guild of Canada, National. "Nominees Announced for 19th Annual DGC Awards". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Ake Dikhea? Festival of Romani Film (2021-12-06). STREAM Q&A w John Henry Phillips - No Roses on a Sailor's Grave. Retrieved 2025-01-19 – via YouTube.[unreliable source?]
  11. ^ "CBC & RADIO-CANADA DISTRIBUTION PLACES "AFTER" DRAMA SERIES IN THE US - SEÑAL NEWS". senalnews.com. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  12. ^ "Remembrance Day: No Roses on a Sailor's Grave". Hollywood Suite. 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  13. ^ "No Roses on a Sailor's Grave | PBS America | UK". www.pbsamerica.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  14. ^ Rampton, James (2023-06-01). "WWII vet's quest to find D-Day shipwreck and build a memorial to lost shipmates". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  15. ^ Kalia, Ammar; Virtue, Graeme; Catterall, Ali; Wong, Henry (2022-04-14). "TV tonight: Greg Davies and Alex Horne continue the Taskmaster fun". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
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