London Can Take It! (1940)

A tribute to the courage and resiliency of Britons during the darkest days of the London Blitz.

Directors:

Humphrey Jennings (uncredited), Harry Watt (uncredited)

Stars:

Quentin Reynolds, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Quentin Reynolds	...	Commentator: War Correspondent - Collier's Weekly (voice)

Storyline

Reporter Quentin Reynolds narrates and comments on the fortitude, courage, and perseverance of London civilians during the months of bombing by German air forces in the Second World War. Documentary footage of air-raid shelters, fire brigades, and decimated structures illustrate the plight and the strength of the citizens of London.

---

Plot Keywords:

st. paul's cathedral london | london blitz | bombing | air raid | war correspondent | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | War | Short

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included in Warner Home Video's 2007 DVD release of The Fighting 69th (1940).

---

Quotes

Commentator: [loud explosions of bombs and anti-aircraft are heard on the soundtrack] These are not Hollywood sound effects. This is the music they play every night in London, the symphony of war.

---

Connections

Featured in Churchill and the Cabinet War Rooms (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Symphony No.2: A London Symphony
(uncredited)
Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (as Vaughan Williams)

User Reviews

Londoners take war in their stride...

Interesting look at how Londoners managed to keep to their workaday routine despite daily bombings at night from the Gerrys during World War II.

Quentin Reynolds narrates the short documentary which shows Londoners eager to get home from work before the nightly air raids started, ready to go to air raid shelters where they spent the night until the bombings were over.

Meantime, above ground, firemen, air raid wardens and policemen coped with the bombings with searchlights and blazing gunnery in what Reynolds calls "a symphony of war".

The all clear signal would come at 6:00 a.m. and people would go outside to view the damage of structures struck during the raids. We're given a glimpse of the Queen Mother walking among the common folk and providing the much needed morale.

Five centuries of labor would be destroyed in five seconds, says the narrator, but the people of Great Britain remained determined, courageous and confident in the face of the enemy. Quentin Reynolds sums it up: "They cannot kill the spirt and courage of the people of London."

Summing up: Good propaganda film probably did a lot for the morale of Americans and Europeans at the time of release.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

London Can Take It!

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

GPO (General Post Office) Film Unit, Ministry of Information

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1