toonnnnn

(2013-05-05 03:57:40)

no sign of age

A splendid movie well acted and directed, the story grips you from thestart,the film includes self sacrifice and treacherous behaviour.The paceofthe movie is fantastic not a dull moment.There is one scene which showsthatordinary decent people when cornered can fight back with a fierce tenacitywhen their homeland is threatened.This movie is the inspiration behind theeagle has landed and i think it would be a hit if it wasremade.

Tweekums

(2013-05-05 00:38:29)

A great wartime film that is still gripping today

This film may be a propaganda piece but isn't heavy handed so is stillexciting today. It opens with a man explaining why there is a memorialcross to several Germans in the middle of a quiet English village; hetells us that the war is over and Hitler's army has been defeated butback in 1942 a battle took place there: The Battle of Bramley End. Wethen return to see those events; several lorries loaded with whatappears to be Royal Engineers turn up and their commanding officerinforms the locals that they will be conducting exercises in the areaand are to be billeted with the locals and in the village hall. Atfirst their cover holds but they make a few small mistakes that leadsone of the locals to get suspicious; she takes her concerns to a pillarof the community; not knowing that he is in fact a German agent. Withthe cover blown the Germans round up the villages and take them to thechurch. At first it looks as if there is nothing the villagers can dobut they won't take the invasion lying down and start to figure out howthey can alert the outside world... many of them will die in thestruggle but they will ultimately prevail.Watching this film in peacetime 2012 it is impossible to know howviewers would have felt watching it in wartime 1942; the immediatethreat of invasion had passed but the war was still far from over.Watching it in a peacetime context it is an exciting drama with plentyof action; much of it shockingly brutal for a film of its time... anelderly woman kills a German with an axe, another woman is killed by agrenade and a group of Home Guard soldiers are brutally machine-gunned;there may not be the blood splatters of modern films but that doesn'tlesson its impact. The inhabitants clearly represent a cross section ofsociety; the lady of the manor, the local poacher and even a workingclass evacuee play their part in defeating the enemy; clearly a messagethat everybody was in it together and that by standing together thecountry would prevail over the Germans. If you enjoy war films this oneis certainly worth checking out; it may not be among the best known butit is still an excellent film.

Robert J. Maxwell

(2013-04-16 08:29:51)

Uh-oh, to be in England....

A peaceful, tiny, isolated English village is taken over by a few truckloads of Nazi paratroopers posing as British soldiers. Their plan: Todisable a nearby tracking station in time for the imminent Germaninvasion of the island. The villagers twig and the Nazis revealthemselves and herd the citizens into some of the houses with the helpof the village squire, who is a fifth columnist. A few of the moredefiant residents are shot or bayoneted. Attempts to inform the outsideworld fail repeatedly until a young boy finally escapes. GenuineBritish troops arrive. There is a shoot out. The Germans are killed.This was, I suspect, the source for a recent resurrection, "The Day theEagle Landed" or something like that, which was commercially mindedenough to bring the Yanks to the rescue. The goal of the Germans in theremake was the assassination of Churchill.It's based on a Graham Greene story and the film was released by Ealingin 1942, designed to be a morale booster. When Greene wrote the story,the threat of an invasion was real enough. The lesson that informs theplot is that class distinctions don't matter (the squire is a spy; thewealthy old lady gives her life, and so does the humble cook). Greene'sreputation is that of a master of ambiguity and irony, of subtleinquiries into Big Question, but what we have here is an expression ofa pulp sensibility.The production gets the message across alright but in a way that todayseems a bit crude. All -- and I mean ALL -- of the German soldiers aresausage-eating pigs, authoritarian sadists, and just plain rude. Thereis no hint of humanity, melancholy, or any other recognizable humanemotion -- unless ruthless determination can somehow be defined as anemotion.I mean, when they order a woman to go into another room, they SHOVE herfrom behind, even though she is already obeying the order. They sneerwhen they speak. They sneer even when they AREN'T speaking.The distinction between good and evil is effectively drawn but crudetoo, as in a comic book. Not that there isn't some deliberate humor,but it's equally subfusc. Mother to young son: "It's all for the sakeof morale. Do you know what morale is?" Son: "Yes, it's what the Wopsain't got."The performances are professional enough and the director, without anyrazzle dazzle, gets the job done. It's just that it all seems toawfully retrograde from our current perspective. It has the rudimentaryquality of a wartime wall poster -- "Loose Lips Sink Ships", "Keep 'emFlying", "Uncle Sam Wants You." Maybe such techniques worked then.Maybe they still work. They seem to be coming back into use, althoughthey now take the form of bumper stickers.

DMint

(2013-04-15 16:24:47)

Total War Analogy (MANY Spoilers)

On the surface, 'Went the Day Well?' is simply a thrilling (and ratherbrutal) propaganda lesson to the wartime general public on theimportance of being alert to the threat of invasion/fifth columnactivity. However, since by the time of the movie's release the actual threat ofinvasion was quite low, the primary role must have been moresubliminal; planting the idea of 'Total War Acceptance' in the mind ofit's viewers. Every resident of the sleepy village (it's called 'Bramley End' butmight as well be called 'England') is involved - the men, the women,the children, the elderly. All sections of society from the lady of themanor to the village poacher and the Cockney child evacuee arerepresented. None of them waiver in their willingness to serve, to dotheir bit, to fight and die for King and Country.The courageous village gentry (representing the 'Officer class') arepaid plentiful homage in the film. The lady of the manor unthinkinglythrows herself on a grenade to protect her young evacuee charges. Norasacrifices her 'innocence' and, judging by her stricken face during theact, her future mental health, by shooting the traitorous, Wilsford.The 'working class', who made up the bulk of the armed forces, are notignored and are analogised with the characters of the poacher, BillPurvis and London evacuee child, George. Bill is shot dead as heprovides cover for George's attempt to get to another village to raisethe alarm. Even though he is severely wounded, George manages to fulfilhis mission.Filmed during the height of the convoy battles in the Atlantic, as theRoyal and Merchant Navy fought against incredible odds to bringessential resources to the UK, it is not surprising that one of thevillage heroes is a sailor who is home on leave to marry hissweetheart. The action commences during their wedding, so he spendsmost of the movie in his naval uniform. The Navy are thus honoured.At the climax of the film, the main characters are trapped within theconfines of the manor house by the Nazis. It is easy to see that themanor house represents the UK at the time - completely surrounded byhostile forces, survival of the majority is reliant on the selflesssacrifice of the few. Enduring death and hardship they work togetherand hold out for the arrival of external salvation. A close metaphorfor Churchill's wartime hopes and plans.

evan-19

(2013-04-13 04:19:46)

An unseen gem

This superbly rendered propaganda film must have been seen by a young JackHiggins as so many elements appear in his novel and subsequent film of theclassic "Eagle Has Landed" -- albeit the much more sympatheticpresentationof the Germans in the latter.The really creepy thing about this film is that the Nazis, althoughunquestionably evil, show more restraint against their civilian prisonersthan Bob Kerrey showed in Vietnam or that the "Dirty Dozen" showed againstthe female Germans they burn alive in the climax of that insanelyover-praised flick.

reindeer2uk

(2013-04-13 00:15:12)

"Went The Day Well" vs "The Eagle Has Landed"

I can't help but think of the similarities between this film and thelater production "The Eagle Has Landed" based on the novel by JackHiggins. Both films concern the capture of a sleepy English village bycrack German paratroopers disguised as members of an allied force. Inboth stories the villagers are herded into the church and held captive,although the duration of captivity in the latter production isrelatively short. Also, in the Higgins story, the objective of theGerman troops is the capture of Winston Churchill, not acting as anadvance party probing weaknesses prior to the conquest of Britain.The beauty of "Went The Day Well" is that is of its time, and theproduct of a country that was still at war, and reflects the concernsof the British wartime population. If you have an interest in World WarTwo and like black and white films, then by all means see this film.

(2013-04-10 00:17:22)

Stirring wartime tribute to the English spirit

This review is from: Went the Day Well? (DVD) You might call "Went the Day Well?" a precursor to "The Eagle Has Landed," for both films involve the clandestine wartime takeover of a rural English village by Nazis who hold the villagers hostage in the local church. Unfortunately, most filmgoers have never heard of "Day." It cost a tiny fraction of "Eagle" and contains no international stars (Leslie Banks is its biggest name), but it's ten times more moving, more suspenseful, and more genuinely atmospheric, and its characters -- young and old, upper class to yeoman to poacher, and particularly its women, many of them quietly heroic -- are far more vivid and memorable.

MrGeorgeKaplan

(2013-04-09 13:52:20)

Well made propaganda piece with a surprisingly meaty story

Despite its rather tortuous title this is a great piece of British WWIIpropaganda with a simple message: The Nazis are a bunch ofchild-murdering blackguards, and we Brits will see through theirdastardly plans and overcome them using our doughty pluck and theintelligence of our womenfolk and children. The film begins with the arrival of a sizeable detachment of Britishtroops arriving in a sleepy village which is coping admirably with therigours of rationing and getting by without their menfolk, who are awayfighting. However, it soon transpires that the British troops are, infact a crack team of German paratroopers who have come to jam Britishradar in preparation for the invasion. Not only that but the local lordof the manor is a dastardly fifth columnist. The women of the villagebecome suspicious of the newcomers due to the funny way they writenumerals and the fact that they have German chocolate with them. Thisis all to no avail though as everyone takes their worries to thetraitorous squire.As it is a propaganda piece, the ending comes as no surprise. What isinteresting though is the subversion of the class system: the dodgypoacher and his little scamp of a sidekick who are the true heroes,where the 'officer class' of the village are portrayed as eitherincompetent or downright villainous. The film was based on a GrahamGreene story, and his perfect observation of the British way of life issuperbly translated to the screen.Compared to the other, more famous propaganda films (I'm thinking hereof Humphrey Jennings), the quality of production (film stock, sound,lighting etc.) is very high, and it is hard to imagine that this wasmade in a time of war.

mutikonka1

(2013-04-09 07:39:13)

Very good for its day

At first I was a little disappointed that this film bore littleresemblance to the excellent Graham Greene short story on which it wasbased. In that story it is the poacher, the social inferior and outcastin the village, who suspects and then defeats the Nazi imposters. Butthis movie is in some ways even more radical for its time. We see thesestock British characters - the vicar, the local gentry and thesalt-of-the-earth shopkeepers committing brutal acts of violence todefend their little bit of English soil. It raises the question of howfar we would go to defend our little corner of England. Interestingly,in the only part of British territory to come under Nazi control, theChannel Islands, there were no such acts of resistance. On the contrarythe Islanders were law abiding citizens who did little to upset theirGerman occupiers except scrawl a few V for Victory signs on the wallsof Jersey and Guernsey. In this film it is quite interesting to hearthem talk of freedom and evil - terms that were easily understood thenand which had not been hijacked by those with other agendas in the "waron terror". Ironically, the Major {Kommandant] alludes to this when hetalks about "the famous invasion that the papers are always trying toscare us about". The Boche is devilishly good at propaganda. Inreality, at the time this film was released it was already implausibleand out of date. There was no longer any threat of German invasion by1942 - quite the contrary - we were already preparing for the invasionof re-occupation of N Africa and Italy. Nevertheless, a veryinteresting film with some very incisive and cynical dialogue. (Do youknow what morale is? Yeah, something the wops ain't got ...).

christian-ulmer36

(2013-04-08 15:37:22)

Best of British

Wonderfully inventive war time drama. It has aged remarkably well andis full of English idiosyncrasies, character and commentary.The saying that they don't make films like this anymore could not bemore relevant. The film focuses on a defining time in history andconcentrates not on the war itself, but everyday people caught up inthe madness. At times it feels stagy and claustrophobic but that doesnot detract from what is a timeless document.It is rarely shown on TV nowadays, unfortunately. I saw it as a childon some TV matinée program and it has stayed with with me. It really isa testament to a time when British film was flying high. Well worthinvestigating on DVD.

mfrost71w

(2013-04-06 21:38:37)

Perhaps one of the best war movies made

Oh, its got its problems - most of all the terrible wooden acting andmock fighting from the real soldiers used in the battle scenes, plus itwas made quick and cheap and as a propaganda piece. But, to reallyunderstand this film you have to watch it as though it is 1942.Firstly, the German invasion was still a real possibility, that and thegenuine fear of 5th columnists infiltrating England, must have giventhe film a true sense of foreboding. Secondly, the nation was used towatching 1930s Hollywood and Pinewood films where violence was usuallyimplied or low key and invariably the good guys win and don't die. Theshock of this film is the scenes that must of have been way outside thecomfort zone of a 1942 British audience; the village vicar been shot inthe back, the Home Guard villagers being mown down, the villageConstable stabbed in the back by the village war hero who turns out tobe a Nazi sympathizer, the cheeky young boy shot as he tried to escape,the matronly lady of the manor throwing herself on a hand grenade tosave the children, and surely most shocking of all, a little old ladypostmistress who serves her German guard tea and sausages beforecleaving his head in two with a firewood hatchet and then beingbayoneted in the back herself by another German. The Germans arecartoon Nazis of course, but there are some nice subtle 'nazi-isms'like the posh 'English' Lieutenant having afternoon tea and stuffingthe cake in his mouth like a beastly German would, while the twomatronly ladies are discussing recipes for zoo animals during the Siegeof Paris, and the German who dismisses the idea of Nazi's bayonetingbabies, not because it would be amoral but because he could see norational reason for doing so. It is a great film, especially if you canget yourself in the mind set of 1942

kevin_crighton

(2013-04-06 10:41:29)

Tense wartime drama.

When a group of soldiers arrive in a small village in England duringWW2, it's soon revealed that they are in fact German soldiers indisguise, and soon the villagers have to fight back to savethemselves....Made in 1942 as a British propaganda film, Went The Day Well? is notyour typical war movie. Until the climax of the film, there isn't a lotof action in it. And when the action does start, it's not soldiersversus soldiers, but villagers versus soldiers.The cleverness of the tale, is in the way it is little details thatgive away the fact the soldiers are German (including a line throughthe number seven - which I do!).While the script does show its age in some of the language, and some ofthe performances come over a bit wooden looking at it now, the filmstill has a lot of power, thanks to the direction of AlbertoCavalcanti. And while the action may not be as dramatic of other filmsof its type, it still builds to a tense and gripping climax.Bookended by a couple of scenes that are supposed to be after the war,it works well as the propaganda film it was always meant to be. Takenas a war-set film, it is still one of my favourites, and I think aclassic.

screenman

(2013-04-03 17:51:36)

Faded But Worthy.

Although clearly made on a low budget (there was a war on, you know),this movie still has the power to shock, albeit mildly. At the time of its release in 1942, Britain still stood alone. In fact,the immediate threat of invasion had, by now, abated. German attemptsto gain air superiority over British skies as a prelude to conquest hadalready failed during the summer of 1940, in the 'Battle of Britain'.The Luftwaffe got such a drubbing that Hitler's proposed 'OperationSea-lion' had to be deferred indefinitely. In the meantime, his ownappetite for slaughter remained undiminished. So, in 1941, he launched'Operation Barbarossa' against the East, and effectively sealed his andGermany's doom. By 1942, there were simply insufficient resourcesavailable to invade Britain as well.Nevertheless, it was evidently deemed needful that the public bereminded of its possibility, and this faded little propaganda piecedoes things very well. The credits roll with a drive down one of England's 'country lanes' (ofwhich we are later reminded in song during a radio broadcast) as areaffirmation of the homely way of life that stands in peril. And thisleads us to the quiet rural hamlet of 'Bramley End'. A company of German paratroopers turn up disguised as British soldierson manoeuvres. That scenario itself seems plausible enough. Indeed, theidea was reprised in a later movie 'The Eagle Has Landed'. But what ishighly unlikely is the matter of their arrival in British vehicles.Where, pray, could these have come from? Parachuted in as well? Or didthe Germans just wander into the nearest army camp and requisitionthem, using all of the right forms, all of the appropriate authority,and knowing just who to address? And were the vehicles likewise handedover without a check on their validity? This is a gaping hole in theplot. But it's the only one there is, and if you can get your head around it,what follows is a drama of progressively spiralling intensity. Movie censorship in Britain was pretty strict right up until the1970's, and as I say: there was a war on. Yet there are somesurprisingly barbaric events following plot discovery in which - it hasto be said - the English women are depicted as the most drastic. Notthe least of which is a member of the fairer sex of this 'scepteredisle' burying a hatchet in the back of a Teutonic head, whilst anothercoldbloodedly guns-down a quisling with whom she had a love interest.Hell hath no fury. This is definitely an item to motivate the ladies,and must have had a powerful effect when it was shown at the height ofWW2. Everyone mucks in (as you were expected to do). A schoolboy hero isshot in the leg whilst running for help, and all the men engage in arunning battle that sees no German prisoners taken. There's little orno 'gentlemanly' conduct; it's kill or be killed and our civilians aredepicted as no less ferocious than enemy soldiers. That must havesailed pretty close to the wind in its day, especially as, at othertimes, the krauts were invariably (and correctly) depicted as the mostcruel. If anything, the moral of the story seemed to be that if theygot across here it was freedom or slavery, and you did whatever you hadto do. I know of no other movie in which Germans are offered noquarter. The relationships and acting are sometimes just a little stagy attimes, but still mostly quite believable. There are some nice lightingeffects too; I particularly liked the 'morning mist' events, when thecitizens of Bramley End begin to turn the tables. I mentioned above that the British trucks were the only plausibilityglitch, but that's not quite true. Most of the English-speaking Germansdon't just speak English; they speak the mother-tongue, with a fluencythat could only have been derived from being British. There's not somuch as a hint of Guttural Teutonic expression. Also, there's noexplanation as to how the traitor came to be, what his motives were,and so on. My DVD is a little faded now. There's some slight vignetting and thesound isn't quite up to snuff in parts. Yet this is a movie that canstill entertain well. Definitely one for the daughters of Boudicca.

John Simpson

(2013-04-03 08:36:48)

Those beastly Germans!

I suppose racism becomes excusable particularly when used as propagandain wartime, all the more so when God is on your side. The only Germanswe get to know in "Went the Day Well?", when they have the affront toinvade an English village, are all rather horrid. They shoot the poorold vicar dead almost without warning in the church bell tower andthen, once their mission is threatened by insurrection, have nocompunction about delivering notice of summary execution on fivechildren the following day, just enough time for the villagers to rallytogether by knocking off the enemy one by one in the best "Boys Own"style before help finally arrives. But not without some pretty nastyhappenings on both sides including the bayoneting of the pub landladyafter she throws pepper in the eyes of an enemy in order to send him to"kingdom come" with a sharp blow to the head, or the noble action ofthe lady of the manor whose protection of a group of young evacueesfrom a hand grenade results in her being blown to pieces. But surelyfilms weren't that violent back in 1942? Some certainly were. It wasjust that most were in black and white so they didn't need oodles ofketchup. They also had a slick way back then of sparing us the worst byshowing us the action then quickly cutting, leaving the effect to theimagination. Or else there was always a prop like a closed door as asuitably sanitised way of suggesting the lady of the manor's demisebehind it. Of course we can smile at the quaintness of it all from thevantage point of just over seventy years on; the chapel going couplewho object to the German instruction for all the villagers to assemblein the church, a German soldier claiming he comes from Manchester notrealising the London isn't the only city to boast of a Piccadilly, orthe dotty niece's corny observation that to eat a hyena would be "nolaughing matter". But for all that, as sheer entertainment "Went theDay Well?" must almost be a contender for the blank space at the end ofBarry Norman's recent lovingly compiled list in the Radio Times of the49 best British films. Although no match for the finest, it iscertainly better than some of the chosen. It has all the ingredients ofthose matinée thrillers we loved in the 30's and 40's when good andevil were so sharply defined except when the preconception of many ofthe characters was sometimes excitingly upset by the discovery of thearch villain as the most respected English gentlemen in the community.I don't suppose Godfrey Tearle started it all when he revealed themissing joint of a finger in Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" but he wascertainly Leslie Banks's most distinguished forerunner.

Terrell-4

(2013-03-31 14:26:36)

During WWII, the villagers of Bromley End do what they must to defend not just themselves, but England

Went the Day Well? is one of the British war movies made during WWIIthat were meant to strengthen morale and inspire steadfastness. Thelittle English village of Bromley End welcomes a large number of RoyalEngineers who are to work on a secret project. However, the RoyalEngineers in reality are English-speaking German soldiers in Britishuniforms, parachuted into England to set up a counter radar apparatuswhich will disrupt England's radar network. Gradually the villagers begin to suspect things aren't right, and thenrealize what they're dealing with. The Germans cordon off the villageand show their true, ruthless nature. The villagers need to breakthrough the cordon to alert authorities and get help. They also decidethey must take action themselves to stop the Germans. This iscomplicated because the village houses a traitor. The climax is theBattle of Bromley End, with British Home Guard troops arriving whilethe Germans, attacking the manor house where they must set up theirequipment, are held off by the brave men and women of the village. If you're fond of older Brit movies you'll recognize some fine actors:Leslie Banks, David Farrar, Thora Hird, Basil Sydney, Mervyn Johns. Thefilm is a well-constructed and effective bit of wartime home-frontpropaganda.

ianginge

(2013-03-31 05:08:55)

Rare propaganda film which ages well

1942. That is the important date to bear in mind when watching this film.That was when the film was made, and when the UK cinema auidences watchingit knew that all that separated them from invasion was a few miles of sea.Imagine the impact it must have had!! Plucky Brits, living in the ruralEnglish idyll, threatened by the Hun. Having witnessed their brave fight,the auidences must have come out of the flicks wanting to take on theGermanarmy on their own.The comparisons with 'The Eagle Has Landed' are easy to make, but justremember that date of 1942. The threat was real to the people watching it,unlike those watching 'The Eagle' for the very first time.Cracking afternoon entertainment, with a message of its time.

Cinema_Fan

(2013-03-28 12:58:59)

Little England's private war shows spirit in the face of impending invasion.

"Went the day well? We died and never knew, But well or ill, England,we died for you" is a poem, in its original form, which was writtenduring The Great War of 1914 - 1918 and then used, in part and inprinciple, as the title to the Alberto Cavalcanti (1897 - 1982)directed Ealing Studios film Went the Day Well? Based on a short storyentitled "The Lieutenant Died Last" by (Harry) Graham Greene (1904 -1991) who too wrote The Third Man (1949) and Brighton Rock (1947). Thisis the telling of a past event, in a similar vain as the narrator inOur Town (1940), that once happened on the Whitson weekend of 1942, inthe sleepy English hamlet of Bramley End.Those who have seen the John Sturges 1976 film The Eagle Has Landedwill have a vague idea as to the narrative of Went the Day Well? Thistoo was based on a 1975 novel written by Jack Higgins, which it seems,bears more than just a passing resemblance to the 1942 film itself.This classic war film, The Eagle Has Landed, stars Michael Caine as theleading German Paratrooper and with Jenny Agutter, Robert Duvall,Donald Sutherland and Donald Pleasence, an involving cast and wellworth the look. What separates this 1976 version of German occupationof little England and the 1942 film is that it was Went the Day Well?that hits home the hardest.Set during some three years into the actual conflict of World War II,and with its stark realism, stereotyping brushed a side for a moment;this is, for its time a brutal and violent film, considering. The timefor this sleepy village to awake and face its demons has firmly landedon its doorstep. The transformation of idyllic rural Englishness has tobe tested to its limits, on their own and with time running out, eventhe softest of hearts have to learn the hardest rule; in order tosurvive, this little village of Bramley End must, with shocking anddisturbing new qualities', adapt to their new surroundings.Even by today's standards this looks tame, but the way in which it isdone here shows the true message of the world war II propaganda film.Complacency is not the order of the day during the then real threat ofa German invasion. As the war time audience were led to believe whatmay happen by letting your guard down will only endeavour you to yourworst fears. Even in this scenario it is the pulling together of all,from the village post mistress to the Lady of the Manor and findingcommon place to ward of these fifth column infiltrators. This isEngland and the people who are only too willing to lay down their lives"for the sake of the children", they, in principle of the first worldwar poem, died for England, and freedom. This is the true message ofthis great, well-constructed propaganda war effect from Ealing Studios.There are some very dark moments here, very dark moments indeed, forthe times in which it was made, of bravery and courage, and too, thehands-on violence towards the women and their children. While the mendo do their bit, the focus of aggressive and boorish behaviour fromthese fifth column activists concentrates more on the women folk and itis they that are seen pulling together and doing their bit too, Wentthe Day Well? is an equal opportunities film that relies on the shockvalue of the predicament of imprisonment by the invading Hun and its,and in return, brutal treatment of the villagers' wives and daughters.One can only imagine the reaction during its showing around Britishcinemas on its release to the way in which these fighting heroines wereseverely treated. It is the job of Went the Day Well? to project thespirit of camaraderie from all spheres of life, and to inject andprovoke the feeling of pride for ones efforts to fight the might of theGerman war machine, wherever they may land. This is the purpose of thisfilm, and it does it very well and even then if it fails in its job tostir up nationalistic pride, then, perhaps, the day did not go toowell.

writers_reign

(2013-03-27 20:30:11)

Village Voices

Before watching even one frame of this film it is as well to remindourselves that it was made in 1942, more or less the exact middle ofthe war, a war for which no one at the time could predict an outcomeand one that could certainly have gone either way. It brings together amixture of established Stage - Leslie Banks, Marie Lohr, ElizabethAllan - and Screen actors and those at the start of their careers -Thora Hird, Patricia Hayes, Harry Fowler etc, drops them in a picturepostcard village and imagines what might happen should the Germansinvade. Perhaps wisely it doesn't examine too closely just how SIXTY ofthe enemy were able to parachute into England undetected to find bothEnglish Army uniforms and transport awaiting them plus a leader, BasilSydney whose flawless English extends even to native speech-patterns (Isay, that's extremely nice of you). After three reels or so they areinevitably rumbled and equally inevitably the villagers find they havebecome hostages and Cavalcanti has a little fun in showing how eachsuccessive attempt to alert the outside world comes to naught.Eventually, of course, Good triumphs over Evil and everyone lives tofight another day. Invaluable as a period piece which captures anEngland that might as well HAVE been lost to the Germans as to TonyBlain and his ilk.

keith-hewle

(2013-03-25 16:27:20)

Unconvincing fiction; passable entertainment.

From experience I doubt the Germans would have been quite sosporting.‘Went the day well ? We died and never knew. But good or ill, freedom, wedied for you ‘Rather sentimental and probably written by some one who never had to facemortal danger.The behaviour of the fictional villagers ? Well the United Kingdom escapedinvasion in two world wars. Very fortunate for them. So we will neverknow.Not one of Grahame Greene's better efforts.

(2013-03-24 23:12:59)

An Intriguing Wartime Thriller

Having recently found this at a local DVD store I was sufficiently intrigued enough to buy it. Having finally sat down to watch this film early this morning I was rather surprised by this little UK propaganda film. Unlike many of its counterparts (either American or Birtish that I've seen anyway) this film went beyond simple propaganda needs and became an intriguing thriller in its own right.The film's cast helps to sell much of the story. From Basil Sydney and David Farrar as the officers leading the attack to Leslie Banks as their ally in the village to the young Harry Fowler along with Valerie Taylor, Frank Lawton and Muriel George amongst others the cast all seem perfectly natural in their roles. All in all the result is that it's a fine cast telling a fine story.The main selling point of this film though is the story. Years before Jack Higgins would turn the concept into his bestseller (and later still a fine film) called The Eagle Has Landed writers John Dighton, Angus MacPhail and Diana Morgan would take a short story by famed writer Graham Greene (The Third Man, Our Man In Hanvana etc.) and create a fascinating tale. From the moment Mervyn Johns gives his introduction to his epilogue for the story the audience is aware that this is a World War II propaganda film without any doubt. Yet it soon becomes apparent that this is far more then that. The story soon becomes a tale of deception, double crosses and the power of the ordinary person in a time of war. While the film's propaganda message will be lost on many modern viewers, the story is a compelling one to be sure.The production value's are handsome as well. Tom Morahan designs make for a highly convincing English village which one imagines couldn't have been easily built during wartime. Famed composer William Walton (soon the become famous for his work on the Olivier Shakespere films) provided a fine score, especially at the opening and closing of the film. yet the highlight of the production side of the film is the wonderful cinematography by Wilkie Cooper. Cooper's cinematography, from sunny summer days to the moodiness of a night of desperate attempts, perfectly fits each moment and situation.The film isn't perfect of course. While the story is intriguing in itself, there is something of a mistake made by having the opening and closing done by actor Mervyn Johns. While they serve a fine purpose as propaganda pieces (and of course bookends) the opening gives away quite a bit very early on which dampens the surprise that comes as the film progresses. There's also the staging of the battle sequences that, like many films of this era, seems rather dated today with all its hollering and men falling over. These are relatively minor problems though when compared with the rest of the film.With the combination of intriguing story, nice performances and handsome production values Went The Day Well? is an intriguing film. While at times it is an overly obvious piece of World War II propaganda as a thriller it stands up quite well nearly seven decades on from when it was made. With its timeless tale of the power of the ordinary person it is a film that speaks even now.