Nolan wanted to tell 'Dunkirk' in most visceral way

British filmmaker Christopher Nolan says he tried to tell the story of the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II through his upcoming epic war thriller in the "most visceral" way possible.

Nolan showcased a footage of "Dunkirk" at the CinemaCon here on Wednesday, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"Dunkirk and the legend of it is something that British people grow up with -- it's in our DNA," Nolan said.

"The idea of taking this paradoxical situation and putting it on the big screen -- it's something that's been close to my heart for some time, it's something I didn't think I was ready to do.

"I wanted to tell the story in the most visceral way possible, I wanted to take that audience and put them on that beach," Nolan added.

Featuring actors like Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh and One Direction star Harry Styles, the film centers on the British military evacuation of the French city of Dunkirk in 1940, one of the biggest battles during the war. The film is told through the eyes of three soldiers.

"Dunkirk" is slated to release on July 21.

--IANS

sas/rb/vm