russell_brown
Joined Oct 2000
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russell_brown's rating
Curiously enough, I first came across this film in Halliwell's Film Guide. Idly leafing through the pages, I came across this comment: "..One of the few films which instantly bring back the atmosphere of the war in Britain for anyone who was involved." While the Second World War ended many years before I was born, it sounded interesting and I made a mental note that it might be a good film to watch if ever I had the chance.
Months later, I was looking through my local tv guide in the list of movies that were on. I noticed "The Way to the Stars", and some little bell in the recesses of my memory began to toll. I looked up the movie in my film guide -- and decided that I had to see it.
As it turned out, that was a very happy decision. Others of the Second World War generation might be able to identify with the people and the setting of the film. I cannot, but I loved this movie for all the other reasons -- it really is a wonderful movie, a sad (and heroic) story of people during the war. Critics might provide an analysis of plot, characterisation etc, as a reason why it's such a good movie. I won't bother. I'll merely give this summary: It's one of my favourite films, it deserves to be better known, and you should see it if you get the chance.
Months later, I was looking through my local tv guide in the list of movies that were on. I noticed "The Way to the Stars", and some little bell in the recesses of my memory began to toll. I looked up the movie in my film guide -- and decided that I had to see it.
As it turned out, that was a very happy decision. Others of the Second World War generation might be able to identify with the people and the setting of the film. I cannot, but I loved this movie for all the other reasons -- it really is a wonderful movie, a sad (and heroic) story of people during the war. Critics might provide an analysis of plot, characterisation etc, as a reason why it's such a good movie. I won't bother. I'll merely give this summary: It's one of my favourite films, it deserves to be better known, and you should see it if you get the chance.
I first saw it on tv. I decided to tape it for no reason at all, other than that I'd never watched a Hitchcock film. Next day, I sat down to watch it, and was near the end of the film, and Mr Memory was saying "Facts from history, from scientific books--" when the tape ran out! I didn't know how it ended.
A couple of years later it was playing in a Sunday double with "The Lady Vanishes" at a local cinema, and I went to see it. It was worth the wait. It was just as good as I remembered, if not better. The suspense, the humour, the rapid changes of scene, have not really been done better before or since. At least one much-overused plot device occurred for the first time in this movie, but here it's still fresh. It might not be the greatest film ever made, the wittiest, the most suspenseful, but for maintaining a fair average on all these counts and more, it's up there with the best of them. My favourite.
A couple of years later it was playing in a Sunday double with "The Lady Vanishes" at a local cinema, and I went to see it. It was worth the wait. It was just as good as I remembered, if not better. The suspense, the humour, the rapid changes of scene, have not really been done better before or since. At least one much-overused plot device occurred for the first time in this movie, but here it's still fresh. It might not be the greatest film ever made, the wittiest, the most suspenseful, but for maintaining a fair average on all these counts and more, it's up there with the best of them. My favourite.