The Best of Men

7/12/2024

Eddie Marsan is really very good here as the pioneering spinal surgeon Dr. Ludwig Guttmann who fled the Nazis and helped established the world renowned hospital at Stoke Mandeville. At the time, that was a converted stately home used for recuperating soldiers injured during the Second World War. The treatment consisted largely of leaving these young men in bed, sedated, with little hope and even less opportunity to improve. His approach was very much more proactive. No more doping, moping or lying about in bed all day. Physical activity was positively encouraged and over a period of time these men started to realise that though completely different in nature, their lives could still have meaning if they believed and applied themselves. The two principal patients in this story are "Heath" (