Millions Like Us: How Cinema Won the War for Britain

Will Robinson
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1940, and Britain stands alone. Now more than ever, the country had to be united. How did film kick down class boundaries? How did it shine a light on gender equality? How did it make us laugh, when we needed laughter more than ever before? 75 years on, discover for the first time how film inspired unity, humour, and defiance when we needed it most, and how, at a time of unparalleled national crisis, this, was their finest hour.

Episodes

  1. 05/22/2020

    3: The 'Stiff Upper Lip'

    The British stiff upper lip. Be it fact or fiction, it became a defining characteristic for Brits during the war. In this final episode, hear how cinema dealt with the brutal realities of war, and how the public were convinced that their sacrifices were worth making. Films include: Diary for Timothy (1945, Crown Film Unit); Fires Were Started (1943, Crown Film Unit); In Which We Serve (1944, Two Cities Films); Millions Like Us (1943, Gainsborough Pictures); One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942, Archers Film Productions); The Way Ahead (1944, Two Cities Films); The Way to the Stars (1945, Two Cities Films) and more. Twitter: @WillRobinsonUK Title music: For the Fallen by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3772-for-the-fallen License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  2. 05/15/2020

    2: WHY we fight

    With no end to the war in sight, how did cinema convince the public that it was a war worth fighting?  Cinema turned its focus towards Nazism, dismissing any desire for compromise. It retold the great historical victories of Britain, and eulogised the countryside, but with one clear underlying message: Nazism must be stopped, and Britain was the nation to do it.  Films include but not limited to: 49th Parallel (1941, Ortus Films); In Which We Serve (1942, Two Cities Films); Millions Like Us (1943, Gainsborough Pictures); The Gentle Sex (1943, Two Cities Films); The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943, Archers Film Productions); The Way Ahead (1944, Two Cities Films); Went the Day Well? (1942, Ealing Studios) and more. Twitter: @WillRobinsonUK Title music:  For the Fallen by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3772-for-the-fallen License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  3. Trailer

    Millions Like Us: Trailer

    It’s 1940. Forced to retreat from Dunkirk as Europe fell to the Nazi advance, Britain stands alone. With no old-fashioned heroes to look to, British cinema turned to a new type of leading man – the general public at home. 75 years on, discover for the first time how film inspired unity, humour, and defiance when we needed it most, and how, at a time of unparalleled national crisis, this, was their finest hour.

  • 1 Trailer
    2 Episodes

Trailer

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1940, and Britain stands alone. Now more than ever, the country had to be united. How did film kick down class boundaries? How did it shine a light on gender equality? How did it make us laugh, when we needed laughter more than ever before? 75 years on, discover for the first time how film inspired unity, humour, and defiance when we needed it most, and how, at a time of unparalleled national crisis, this, was their finest hour.

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