There's a famous story

有个非常有名的故事
of the fictional film representation of war

讲述人们用虚构的故事拍摄战争电影
which is one reason why I think it is so iconic as a descriptive element

我也因此而认为影片在描写欧洲人
in European consciousness about the past.

对过去的看法这方面十分具有代表性
In 1916, in the middle of the Battle of the Somme--

索姆河战役于1916年7月1日打响
which was a six-month quagmire started by the British army

直到同年十一月结束
on the 1st of July 1916 and ended roughly November 1916,

其间英军陷入了长达六个月的战争泥沼
for no gain whatsoever and a million casualties--

不但毫无战果而且死伤百万
in the middle of it, a part of the British propaganda office,

战争中期英国对外宣传办公室
it wasn't a ministry until 1918--

它直到1918年才成为宣传部
it was all done more or less informally until then--

那时它多少有点非官方的性质
they decided to make a film to buck up public morale.

这些人决定要拍一部电影来鼓舞士气