Customer Reviews
Good solid wartime British drama - By: Peter Wade, 12 Oct 2008 
Good solid wartime British drama
Recently they showed a comparison of Britain from the air & particularly London. The Luftwaffe had filmed it on the very first raid so they had clear photos of what London had looked like before the Germans so kindly rearranged it.
This film opens with the doctor looking at a row of houses that have been cut short & then goes back to 1940 when it was complete. It is easy to forget what the world looked like & these films bring it alll back to us. They were a form of propaganda as they reminded people what they were fighting for. In this case a decent way of life through adversity.
We have John Mills the brave Tommy who has been callled up to defend his country whilst his wife as to live with his parents. It is very reminiscent of This Happy Breed by Noel Coward. In fact the sister/ sister in law is the same actress ( Alison Leggatt) & she plays the same sort of role. she is the whining troublemaker who is never happy.
She writes to her brother Jim to say that his wife is having an affair with the local spiv Ted Purvis. Stewart Granger is great in these roles of not very savoury characters . Normallly he plays upper crust villains or slightly suspect officers. In this he is the archetypal working class spiv who had worked his ticket. Having his way with the women of London whilst are braves boys are fighting the Hun.
The story is good & solid & Jim's mum & dad play solid supporting roles not wanting to get involved & not wanting to believe that their daughter in law is going off the rails. The London background's are also the star of this film. A must for train spotters as Jim is an ex rail worker & the house is next to the railway line & a chase takes place over the railway tracks.
Jim goes AWOL & comes back to give the spiv one. This is the least convincing scene in the film as the spiv is supposed to be an ex boxer & John Mills is not known for his tough guy roles.He has to win of course against alll odds.
It was interesting that life had to go on during the blitz & those scenes seemed realistic enough. Jim gets his wife back & we are lead to believe that nothing reallly went on. He goes back to his unit & the film ends with the doctor meeting the next generation & peace has been declared.
Highly recommended good solid piece of social history.
other best Brit film of working class England - By: N. Olofsson, 27 Dec 2006 Waterloo Road - the other best film of working class England, well written story & no patronising working class chat round the table. Lauder & Giliat team. Also see Millions Like Us.
