Brad Pitt Director 'Sorry' for Fury Over Remembrance Day Shooting

The director of Brad Pitt's new war film has apologised by setting off explosions and dressing actors up in Nazi uniforms on Remembrance Sunday in an Oxfordshire village.

Residents near the picturesque village of Watlington endured noise and Nazi paraphernalia on the sombre day, during which millions of people remembered the British troops who have lost their lives in armed conflict.

The decision by makers of the film 'Fury' to stage the explosions drew criticism for filming on Remembrance Day, prompting American director David Ayer to apologise on Twitter.

Ayer pointed out that he himself was a veteran, adding: "My heartfelt apologies for any disrespect on Remembrance Day... It is an honor to film here in the UK."

Chairman of Watlington Parish Council Ian Hill told IBTimes UK: "I do not think it was a good time to be filming. There is a lot of sensitivity around Remembrance Weekend and the film makers should have been aware of that. It's very unfortunate for people living nearby that they were filming during the night on any day."

The move to shoot on Remembrance Day was condemned by Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, who told the Mirror: it seems grossly insensitive to impose such scenes on villagers.

"A director whose film is profiting from the sacrifices made by 800,000 British and American soldiers in the Second World War has a duty to ensure his crew are allowed to pause to pay proper respect to the dead."

Local pubs around Watlington have seen an increase in trade thanks to the film crew, but sightings of Angelena Jolie's husband have been rare, Hill said.