Review of the DVD 'Went the Day Well?' .
About the DVD
The DVD has a run time of 88 minutes, carries a PG certificate and was produced in black and white. The film was first released in cinemas in 1942 by Ealing Studios. Released on DVD in 2006 by Optimum Home Entertainment
The cast ... Read review
On the Whitsun weekend of 1942 in the idyllic village of Bramley End German paratroopers ... more
disguised as sappers attempt to set up equipment to disrupt Britain's radar defences yet haven't counted on the indomitable spirit of the English villagers! Dire...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Ealing Studios' output from the 1940s and 1950s helped define what was arguably the golden ... more
age for British cinema. It fostered great directors such as Alexander Mackendrick and Robert Hamer, while giving stars such as Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers th...
I Was Monty's Double - The situation was desperate. How could Nazi Intelligence be ... more
diverted during the North African campaign of World War II? There was only one way. Persuade an actor to pose as Field Marshall Montgomery to fool the German spies. But who could rise to such a dangerous acting challenge? And who could give the performance of a lifetime knowing the final curtain call could be their last?Ice Cold In Alex - A tense, engrossing adventure set in 1942 Libyan was zone in the hot Western desert. John Mills stars as the British ambulance officer who dreams of an 'ice cold' glass of beer in Alexandria.Went The Day Well? - Snug little Bromley End seemed safe from World War II, and the villagers welcomed the lorry loads of Royal Engineers rolling onto their quiet green acres. They didn't know they were disguised German parachutists installing radar apparatus to disrupt England's entire network. Nor did they suspect their community leader was a traitor.
While horror conventions may change from generation to generation, there are ideas that ... more
will scare us no matter what time period we inhabit.Dead of Nightis a classic horror anthology that effectively plays on those timeless fears. Mervyn Johns stars as a man who has been summoned to a house with a group of strangers he has never met but has seen in his dreams. As they convene, he predicts certain events will happen as they do in his dreams and when they do, the other guests relate their own experiences with the supernatural, including tales of a possessed mirror, a sinister ventriloquist's dummy and an eerie premonition of death. Throughout the group meeting, the protagonist fears something horrible will happen to him and we are left to wonder what it might be. The film's final, revelatory sequence offers an unexpectedly horrific surprise. It may have been made in 1945 butDead of Nightis still spooky.--Bryan Reesman
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Advantages: A splendid piece of British cinematography Disadvantages: Black and white may put some viewers off
Review of the DVD 'Went the Day Well?' .
==About the DVD==
The DVD has a run time of 88 minutes, carries a PG certificate and was produced in black and white. The film was first released in cinemas in 1942 by Ealing Studios. Released on DVD in 2006 by Optimum Home Entertainment
The cast includes Leslie Banks, Mervyn Johns, Thora Hird, Marie Lohr, Basil Sydney and Edward Rigby.
The ... ...Cavalcanti.
ASIN B000I5XNJ2. The DVD is a one disc edition and there are no special features or extras included.
==The Plot==
First produced in 1942, 'Went the Day Well?' is based on a short story by Graeme Green. The film was is a classic piece of propagandist entertainment, a warning to British citizens to remain ever alert for the arrival of the enemy. 'Went the Day Well?' was one of ... more
Review of the DVD 'Went the Day Well?' .
About the DVD
The DVD has a run time of 88 minutes, carries a PG certificate and was produced in black and white. The film was first released in cinemas in 1942 by Ealing Studios. Released on DVD in 2006 by Optimum Home Entertainment
The cast includes Leslie Banks, Mervyn Johns, Thora Hird, Marie Lohr, Basil Sydney and Edward Rigby.
The film was produced by Michael Balcon and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti.
ASIN B000I5XNJ2. The DVD is a one disc edition and there are no special features or extras included.
The Plot
First produced in 1942, 'Went the Day Well?' is based on a short story by Graeme Green. The film was is a classic piece of propagandist entertainment, a warning to British citizens to remain ever alert for the arrival of the enemy. 'Went the Day Well?' was one of many movies released to cinemas during the second world war, at a time when the English film industry was making propaganda films for the War Ministry. 'Went the Day Well?' was designed to be a moral boosting and patriotic drama, in a time when the outcome of the second world war was still uncertain.
The movie is set in the fictitious village of Bromley End, a typical middle England village, complete with picturesque church, village green and a full complement of stereotypical of rural characters. We meet the no nonsense lady of the manor type, the fragile, yet brave vicar's daughter, sturdy land army girls and some very macho males. All very well spoken with the perfect Queen's English of the time.
Bromley End is delighted when a several lorry loads of soldiers, Royal Engineers arrive in their village. The villagers welcome the soldiers and are pleased to be hospitable and welcoming to the men who are fighting for Britain in the war.
What the villagers do not realise at first is that the soldiers are not what they seem. They are in fact a company of German parachutists, disguised as British soldiers. Their mission is to install radar apparatus to disrupt England's entire communication network. The Germans have a British traitor in their pay, the community of Bromley End is shocked and horrified when the truth emerges, both that they have been hosts to the enemy and just who the traitor in their midst is. The Germans take the entire village hostage and the situation reaches desperate levels.
The tension builds as the plot unfolds and the villagers have a clear choice, to fight and defeat the enemy or comply with their demands. The final outcome of the invasion of Bromley End is fraught with danger as the heroism of the ordinary folk of the village battle with their enemy, their conscienses and the horrors of war, shine through.
There is no gratuitous violence in the actual film, however it is very cleverly produced and leaves the viewer in no doubt as to what is happening to the characters. In some respects, I find this more effective than the 'blood and guts' type of film, as your imagination and the atmospheric camera angles add to the suspense and drama on screen. I also feel that the black and white photography adds to the over all feeling of good winning over bad, in this DVD.
As I have stated this DVD is really a piece of War Ministry propaganda and as such, I am sure you can work out the final conclusion of the DVD, however, I won't reveal more here and will let those who wish to track down this piece of modern history, to find out for themselves!
Availability and Price
'Went the Day Well?' can be found through various online retailers. A quick search shows the following prices:- www.thehut.com £5.63
www.amazon.co.uk £4.58
www.zavvi.com £5.75
My Thoughts and Conclusion
'Went the Day Well?' is a good old Ealing Studios classic. The plot is a little predictable but contains enough twists, turn and surprises to keep viewers interest. The characters are well rounded and believable, the acting is good and the storyline keeps rolling, with no dull or tedious moments. I enjoyed this film for what it was, a British Wartime drama with a strong morale boosting message. Viewers back in 1942 were in the middle of a frightening and life threatening war, ordinary people were on their guard, watching out for wrong doers, spies and enemy invasion. 'Went the Day Well?' showed how a small village of ordinary folk, by pulling together, could defeat the enemy.
It is an excellent film and one that I feel deserves to be watched, yes the speech and acting techniques are dated, but they were very relevant at the time and as such, this DVD is a remarkable piece of British history. I would recommend to others.
Thank you for reading
İbrittle1906 October 2009
NB My reviews may be found on other review sites, under the same user name, brittle1906.
Advantages: Chesney, funny in places Disadvantages: far fetched, drags
I've started watching Coronation Street again, mainly as it tends to be on before I leave the house for night shift. My mam got given a copy of the Coronation Street Out of Africa DVD for Christmas, and we sat and watched it on Boxing day. Well, at least I did, my mam went out to walk the dog halfway through, which I guess goes to show what she thought of it!
I knew about this DVD as it was frequently advertised after episodes of Corrie. Basically we knew that Chesney, Fiz and Kirk had visited Cilla (Chesney and Fiz's mother) in South Africa, but they came back and vowed never to speak about what happened on the trip, so we weren't even given any clues as to what went on when they were out there.
I don't suppose that you would bother to watch this if you weren't a Corrie fan, but I'll give a quick run-down of the characters anyway ...
Advantages: 3 classic full England games in one set Disadvantages: The 1966 disc is narrated by Mr Chormondley-Warner
was 'The Crown' pub Blackheath SE3. Strange game this simply for the fact that it was played at about midday here. But a classic it was. From Michael Owen hitting the post early on to David Beckham's straight down the middle penalty (Won by the ever reliant Michael Owen) we were on the edge of our seats (yeah right, like we got seats!) Anyway, a true story. Just after we scored who walks into the pub? Only Terry 'where's me radiator' Waite (sorry Terry!) He lives in Blackheath and was walking past when he heard the cheer. He came in and asked the bloke next to us at the bar the score and then said (I kid you not) "Oh well done, those Argentinians are dirty players" and off he went on his way. It made our day! So this DVD also contains the entire game from start to finish with, you guessed it, Motty and Brooking commentating. I still smile ...
OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Release date
13/11/2006
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
OPTD 0671
Barcode
5060034577249
Languages
Main Language
English
DVD Description
A could-it-happen propaganda-type film which centres on a small English village invaded by German paratroopers disguised as soldiers of the Royal Engineers.
Compare Went The Day Well? (DVD) to other similar Thriller & Mystery »
![Went The Day Well? [DVD] [1942]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78256645.jpg)
![Went The Day Well? [1942] [VHS]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/71085471.jpg "Went The Day Well? [1942] [VHS]")
![Went the Day Well? [DVD] [1942] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/70474729.jpg "Went the Day Well? [DVD] [1942] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
![Ealing Classics DVD Collection - Went The Day Well?/Dead Of Night/Nicholas Nickleby/Scott of the Antarctic [1945]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/75790206.jpg "Ealing Classics DVD Collection - Went The Day Well?/Dead Of Night/Nicholas Nickleby/Scott of the Antarctic [1945]")
