Went The Day Well?

This bit of wartime propoganda from the Brazilian Cavalcanti, hugely influential in the Ealing studios, is a good enough diversion for a while, and maybe it is even a little more.
The framing device and surrounding atmosphere comes across now as almost a parody of stiff upper lip England, with throwaway sexism and some nearly absurd accents. This is fun enough, but the general aesthetic in general does a good job of creating the particular time. The black and white photography is largely a technical excercise, but a few images, notably of the forest, the graveyard, and the lightening, stick out of the generally serviceable rather than interesting direction.
Thematically we have a pretty obvious tale of plucky British heroism, the story it is based on being an excellent one. The most interesting aspect of this film is perhaps the violence, which gives it an almost league of gentleman-ey edge. When we see a housewive smash in a Nazi with an axe we are at once shown how eager the propogandists were to bring the danger very much home, and also straight up given a view on what happens when ordinary people turn to violence, in a non moralising way. Interesting. The violence and death of central characters is also a refreshing and new element; probably only possible to do in wartime.
The pace is rather slow, over deliberate, and there are some dodgy plotholes. Despite these, this film is a decent way to spend the time if one is a conneiseur of such things.