Went the Day Well?
Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti
Written by John Dighton, Diana Morgan, and Angus MacFail from a story by Graham Greene
1942/UK
Ealing Studios
First viewing/Lionsgate DVD
[box] Went the day well?/We died and never knew/But well or ill/Freedom, we died for you. — Title card[/box]
Ealing Studios is generally associated with comedies. This fine early effort is anything but.
Although the film was made while the outcome was far from clear, the story is told in flashback from a time after the Allies have won WWII. A group of German parachutists disguised as “Royal Engineers” takes over a small English town as an advance team for the upcoming invasion of Britain. They are assisted in their nefarious scheme by local Fifth-Columnist Oliver Wilsford (Leslie Banks).
After initially cooperating, the villagers discover the identity of the soldiers fairly early on. The Nazis react by herding everyone into a church and terrorizing them. Unfortunately, the villagers nominate Wilsford as their spokesman. The rest of the story follows their heroic efforts to make their plight known to the authorities.
I was surprised at how graphic and hard-hitting this movie was. The Nazis are, of course, beasts but the villagers are driven to equal brutality by the end of the piece. The most loathsome of the characters, however, is the oily Wilsford. The film must have been a powerful means of rousing the people during the darker days of the war when fears of invasion were running high. Very interesting and recommended.
Trailer for the BFI restored release
