Glad you enjoyed it. I feel it's a film that, for the scale of its ambition was criminally overlooked by filmgoers. I don't know if it was different in the US or the UK, but over here I can't find a single sould that has seen it. I was impressed when I watched it at the pictures, and didn't quite know what to make of it when I got out, but it's been a few months now and my opinion of it just got better with passing time. There's a lot to take in, but it's a superb film with great performances, a bit of humour, and incredible directing and editing (though the first 30 minutes are pretty hard to get into, I'd say, the rest of the film just flows perfectly which is a real 'tour de force' considering the material).
I wonder whether it's worth reading the book?