OK the spoiler first, Germany looses! Now I am sure if John Cleese was around at the time he would have written something like this. 1940 and the Phoney War was over, but Britain still had years of hardship ahead. This is a quaint view of things with the totally useless Hampden bomber flown nonchalantly over Germany with John Mills munching sandwiches whilst ably directing Michael Rennie to the target and actually hitting it. In reality the film contains a fundamental truth, the economic blockade of Germany did have a very real impact on the final outcome. Now it is a classic piece of propaganda that only the British could do. Amusing and of historical interest.
5 Reviews
The Ealing Blockade.
morrison-dylan-fan30 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Earlier this year having seen the excellent war film The Captive Heart (1946-also reviewed),I was happy to find Talking Pictures free online catch-up service Encore feature another war movie from Ealing studios that I had not heard of before, leading to me discovering how big this blockade is.
View on the film:
The only non-Comedy title he appeared in, Will Hay gives a jolly performance as Royal Navy: Skipper, capturing the focused determination of the Navy crew, whilst John Mills and Michael Rennie bring out a dash of stiff upper lip bravery as Royal Air Force team members Tom and George.
Made with the full corporation of The Ministry of Economic Warfare, The Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force, the screenplay by co-writer (with Ealing regular Angus MacPhail, joined here by Evening Standard editor Frank Ocean) / director Charles Frend sadly never shakes off the impression of being a patchwork, due to sparks where the writers close in on character moments following those making the blockade hold, being wiped away with a dry narration, and debut director Frend lingering a bit too long on the exploding model work set-pieces, rather then the crew behind the big blockade.
View on the film:
The only non-Comedy title he appeared in, Will Hay gives a jolly performance as Royal Navy: Skipper, capturing the focused determination of the Navy crew, whilst John Mills and Michael Rennie bring out a dash of stiff upper lip bravery as Royal Air Force team members Tom and George.
Made with the full corporation of The Ministry of Economic Warfare, The Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force, the screenplay by co-writer (with Ealing regular Angus MacPhail, joined here by Evening Standard editor Frank Ocean) / director Charles Frend sadly never shakes off the impression of being a patchwork, due to sparks where the writers close in on character moments following those making the blockade hold, being wiped away with a dry narration, and debut director Frend lingering a bit too long on the exploding model work set-pieces, rather then the crew behind the big blockade.
Wizard Prang
Spondonman13 April 2008
All media propaganda appears shallow in hindsight, and more especially to todays enlightened cynical generations. Todays propaganda usually has to be far more subtle and careful than that of WW2 to get the government line out, but ultimately it's the same: America good, China bad etc. My line is: every country good, every country bad.
This episodic film starts with T for Tommy (keen as mustard Michael Rennie and nonchalant John Mills) flying out to night bomb Hanover, later doing it and returning. In between there's lots of various naval action and detailed earnest explanation of the how and why of the British economic blockade of Nazi Germany. We're repeatedly shown how useless and demoralised the Germans were getting under War conditions, when the Blockade was taking effect and even their ersatz products were failing them. Sadly though Hitler hung on for another savage 5 years. Lots of big and little British stars have bit parts here: Leslie Banks as a super organiser at the Minstry of Economic Warfare, Michael Redgrave as a humorous Russian in Germany, Will Hay and Bernard Miles have an intense 3 minutes fighting off the Luftwaffe from on board ship, Robert Morley as a frothing Nazi officer, Ronald Shiner has 2 seconds as a shipping clerk in a phone box, George Woodbridge as half the man he later became. And many others. Was that a woman's voice dubbed onto the man at the Bunawerke production meeting, and if so why?!
The "vicious intrigues of the Capitalist-British-Jewish Empire" are still a major concern to a lot of people today mainly British passport holders though! This was a film made solely for 1940, and is a great window on the thought-processes of the time, if not the truth. Also it's useful to bear in mind that if the War they were all supporting in here had been lost I wouldn't be here writing this nor you reading it.
This episodic film starts with T for Tommy (keen as mustard Michael Rennie and nonchalant John Mills) flying out to night bomb Hanover, later doing it and returning. In between there's lots of various naval action and detailed earnest explanation of the how and why of the British economic blockade of Nazi Germany. We're repeatedly shown how useless and demoralised the Germans were getting under War conditions, when the Blockade was taking effect and even their ersatz products were failing them. Sadly though Hitler hung on for another savage 5 years. Lots of big and little British stars have bit parts here: Leslie Banks as a super organiser at the Minstry of Economic Warfare, Michael Redgrave as a humorous Russian in Germany, Will Hay and Bernard Miles have an intense 3 minutes fighting off the Luftwaffe from on board ship, Robert Morley as a frothing Nazi officer, Ronald Shiner has 2 seconds as a shipping clerk in a phone box, George Woodbridge as half the man he later became. And many others. Was that a woman's voice dubbed onto the man at the Bunawerke production meeting, and if so why?!
The "vicious intrigues of the Capitalist-British-Jewish Empire" are still a major concern to a lot of people today mainly British passport holders though! This was a film made solely for 1940, and is a great window on the thought-processes of the time, if not the truth. Also it's useful to bear in mind that if the War they were all supporting in here had been lost I wouldn't be here writing this nor you reading it.
The Biter Bit
richardchatten1 June 2020
Initially called 'Siege', this elaborate Ealing propaganda feature from early in the war anticipates Disney's 'Victory Through Air Power' in it's emphasis on sabotaging German lines of supply once the Wehrmacht had lost control of the Channel after the Battle of Britain.
With a cast that ranges from Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton to Will Hay; most of the performances, friend and foe alike, are inclined to be rather broad, from Michael Redgrave as a cherubic Russian to a young Robert Morley as a particularly swivel-eyed Nazi.
With a cast that ranges from Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton to Will Hay; most of the performances, friend and foe alike, are inclined to be rather broad, from Michael Redgrave as a cherubic Russian to a young Robert Morley as a particularly swivel-eyed Nazi.
Actually it was the other way around
malcolmgsw9 November 2021
When this film was being made the U boats were sinking vast amounts of allied shipping,so it was more likely at this time that Britain would be starved into submission. It is interesting to see so many stars doing cameos.
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