The Royal Marines turned 360 years old today. To mark the occasion, the corps released a commemorative film curated by filmmaker Daniel Shepherd and photographer James Clarke.
The project covers a lot of ground. Three hundred and sixty years of history, from the ship-borne infantry of 1664 to the highly specialised Commando units operating now. Collapsing that span into a single film takes real creative judgment. Lean too far into spectacle and the history gets buried in polish. Stay too reverential and the piece goes flat.
The Royal Marines posted the film on their official Instagram account alongside a statement. “Established in 1664, the Royal Marines have remained steadfast over their 360-year history thanks to the Commando mindset and unwavering commitment to their values and standards which set them apart as a specialised amphibious force,” it read.
That phrase – the Commando mindset – is what Shepherd and Clarke had to build around. It’s the film’s central argument: that the corps’ relevance across 360 years isn’t a product of rigid tradition. It’s the result of a commitment to adapting, to being first into the hardest environments. That’s a harder thing to put on screen than a parade or a ceremony. But it’s the more interesting story.
“Today, we honour their proud history and long legacy as the UK Commando Forces continue to be the first to adapt and overcome in the most diverse and challenging environments,” the corps wrote.
The film landed well. The Instagram post drew close to 194,000 likes. That’s strong engagement for military anniversary content, and it suggests the film reached an audience well beyond the corps’ own following.
A commemorative film like this has to work for two very different audiences. It has to speak to people who have lived this institution, who already know what these words mean from the inside, from the training and the deployments. And it also has to land for everyone else – people who encounter the Royal Marines mainly through moments like this. Shepherd and Clarke had to find images and pacing that would hold up for both.
The Royal Marines are the UK’s premier specialised amphibious force. Their operations span sea and land – and that breadth is baked into the corps’ identity at the most fundamental level. It’s right there in the motto.
Per Mare, Per Terram. By Sea, By Land. The corps has carried those words since the 17th century. They still hold. The language is direct – not a quality or a value in the abstract, but two places. The places they go.
The #RM360 hashtag launched alongside the film today. Three hundred and sixty years of history. A lot to carry in three characters.
For Shepherd and Clarke, this was a project with a built-in story. The Royal Marines have been adapting and overcoming for three and a half centuries. The job was to put that on screen.