London Can Take It!

Interesting look at how Londoners managed to keep to their workaday routine despite daily bombings at night from the Gerrys during World War II.

Quentin Reynolds narrates the short documentary which shows Londoners eager to get home from work before the nightly air raids started, ready to go to air raid shelters where they spent the night until the bombings were over.

Meantime, above ground, firemen, air raid wardens and policemen coped with the bombings with searchlights and blazing gunnery in what Reynolds calls "a symphony of war".

The all clear signal would come at 6:00 a.m. and people would go outside to view the damage of structures struck during the raids. We're given a glimpse of the Queen Mother walking among the common folk and providing the much needed morale.

Five centuries of labor would be destroyed in five seconds, says the narrator, but the people of Great Britain remained determined, courageous and confident in the face of the enemy. Quentin Reynolds sums it up: "They cannot kill the spirt and courage of the people of London."

Summing up: Good propaganda film probably did a lot for the morale of Americans and Europeans at the time of release.

It's a propaganda piece from wartime British government. It's probably mostly intended for the American audience. Its main goal is to rally support and show the resilience of the people in the face of overwhelming force. It's narrated by war correspondent Quentin Reynolds who gives the tone of an old fashion cigar chomping reporter. The main question is whether this actually worked. It probably was very effective in creating sympathy for the British side in America. That is all that matters at this time.

London Can Take It! (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

WW2 era short talks about how the people of London prepare for a possible attack by the Nazis. This is a pretty interesting short that shows up the people train themselves and in some cases plan to fight back. There's nothing too special here but it's still interesting for the time.

You have several viewing options for this one including it being shown on TCM countless times a year and Warner has also released it in their James Cagney Collection.

Timeless,.impersonal semi-propaganda documentary short marked by advanced editing.

The dispassionately toned narrative by the 'independent' correspondent underlying a poetic cascade of remarks imposed on stirring real footage and sound, makes for an engrossing dive into people like us drawn together by unimaginable circumstance. London Can Take it enjoyed wide distribution in the states and was said to have influenced the United States decision in entering World War II.

My rating, 5 out of 5.

For most British citizens, the piercing cry of the air raid siren is the sound that best summarizes World War 2. During what is known as The Blitz, Nazi Germany's bomber aircraft killed over 40 thousand people and decimated millions of homes (most in London) between September 1940 and May 1941. This short, produced before America entered the war, is one of the most haunting ww2 films as it shows how even when faced with total destruction of their country, the british decide that it's better to die standing up to Hitler than to live in servitude to him. It begins by showing a group of people entering a shelter for the night. During this time, they would crowd into any place that would appear sturdy enough to withstand bombs, including subways. Footage is then shown which depicts crewmen getting ready to take their positions at batteries of anti-aircraft guns. Although they have absolutely no chance of shooting down all the German planes, they do what they can, night after night, to defend their country. As the bombers approach, they drop loads of explosives on any targets they can find, not caring about the deaths of those uninvolved in the war. At 6 in the morning, another signal is sounded, this time to let everyone know the planes are gone. Even after a night like that, sunlight eventually comes. As expected, a few dozen more people are killed and some buildings destroyed, but London will never submit. In fact, attacking them only intensifies their defiance, as the survival of the UK depends on not giving up. The nazis thought their bombing campaign would bring britain to its knees, but they got one part wrong; bombs can only destroy buildings and kill people. They can never touch the spirit of the city of London. The RAF then retaliates by bombing Berlin. This is a great short. It's not overly long, but it manages to move you over 80 years later. There is a subtle detail in the film that the narrator draws no attention to, but it's there if you pay attention: King George VI and the Queen are out in public helping citizens among the ruins of buildings in the aftermath of the air raid. It shows how royalty or not, leader and commoner were in this whole thing together. While undoubtedly propaganda, it's debatable whether the film succeeds in this aspect, as it was intended to shock America and persuade them to enter the war. It wouldn't be until Japan made their move at Hawaii that the US finally got involved. Even though it may have failed in its mission to get FDR's attention, London Can Take It remains a powerful reminder of what people had to go through basically every day in certain parts of the world all under a century ago.