I was looking forward to seeing this because of its high reputation and wasn't disappointed - an excellent, moving account of a platoon of conscripts in Britain during the early (ish) days of the war. It feels so real and authentic - the un-selfconscious "jolly good" dialogue, the faces of real people (yes, played by actors, I know, but they seem real), the semi-documentary presentation (differing attitudes towards the war, training, leave, concerts, drills).
David Niven gained stardom in Hollywood as a Ronald Colman substitute, a sort of dashing young man - but in English films in the 40s he mostly played a nice young man, someone who had seen death and destruction (his character was at Dunkirk) but who is trying to move past it and do the best he can. It's one of his best performances.
There's an excellent cast of support actors: James Donald (as a torn, resentful soldier), Stanley Holloway (cheerful old sort), James Lauren, Peter Ustinov (funny as an Arab). There are some effective action sequences - a fire on board ship, the final attack on a bunker - but you're more likely to remember the quiet moments: farewell at a train station, visiting a little old lady's house to have a bath. I could have done without the Greek chorus of old soldiers but it's extremely effective propaganda.
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