Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Leslie Banks, Elizabeth Allan, Frank Lawton, Basil Sydney, Valerie Taylor, Mervyn Johns, Edward Rigby, Marie Lohr, CV France, David Farrar, Muriel George, Thora Hird, Norman Pierce
Written by John Dighton
Certification UK PG | Canada PG
Runtime 93 minutes
Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti
This long forgotten black-and-white wartime effort is a thorough delight and should be seen forthwith. The BFI has given it a spanking new print and it looks great. Furthermore, it still stands up after nearly 70 years, remaining impressively fresh and lively.
It was released in 1942 as a propaganda piece to boost morale, and is chock full of British character actors with posh accents and stiff upper lips banding together to combat the enemy. Ealing studios were masters at this type of thing and director Cavalcanti's perfectly judged direction makes the narrative fly by. There's no slack or padding here.
It tells of a sleepy country village that takes in an English regiment who are billeted there for a few days. The villagers are excited to have the soldiers in their midst but are unaware of their true intent. They're not in fact British military at all, but dastardly Germans masquerading as Brits in order to prepare for a Nazi invasion by inhibiting radio communications. Slowly the plucky townspeople get wind of their plans and fight back, their community spirit and cunning an inspiration for us all.
A couple of scenes still shock to this day. For example, one nice old lady suddenly plunges an axe into the head of a German when she finds out his true identity - you don't actually see the weapon hit the victim but the intention is forcefully conveyed - and her behaviour jolts you out of your seat. This movie certainly retains its power, but is also engaging, amusing and thrilling.
A wonderful achievement by all, Went The Day Well? is a testament to smart tenacity and economical moviemaking. They certainly don't make 'em like they used to, and if that isn't recommendation enough, how's this: it's marvellous. Don't miss it.