They Came to a City (1944)

[A Pemberton]

BBC News - Today - 80 years of Ealing Studios

Interesting piece on Today radio 4 this morning

Is it any good? it sounds intriguing, does it exist outside the BFI,you normally cant beat a socialist utopian melodrama
though it does have a FF in Hunters and it is an Ealing

[DB7]

Is it any good?

No, it's as stiff as a board and not very cinematic so I'm presuming Priestley dictated the direction of the adaptation. There are copies floating about.

[dpgmel]

Yes agree with DB7, this was a major disappointment for me and I'm a Priestley and John Clements fan.

[CaptainWaggett]

Hunters is great but John Clements wouldn't be my first choice to play a loveable Cockernee sailor

[dpgmel]

Hunters is great but John Clements wouldn't be my first choice to play a loveable Cockernee sailor

I thought Sir John's performance was the most entertaining thing about the film.....

[CaptainWaggett]

I thought Sir John's performance was the most entertaining thing about the film.....

I did like Hunters and Googie. I get it confused with Halfway House which uses some of the same archetypes (and it's a rare chance to see AE Matthews as a villain ) . It's more or less a straight filming of the stage play wiith most of the same cast I think. But it's not strong on humour

[Johnallan]

I find it helps to imbibe a couple of stiff whiskeys before watching this film in the fervent hope that one falls asleep after 5 minutes and wakes up to see the credits.

[CaptainWaggett]

Dr Keith M Johnston: The Great Ealing Film Challenge 29: They Came to a City (1944)