A recreation of a World War II incident which occurred in London's Bethnal Green underground station in 1943, in which 173 people died when a panicked crowd stampeded as they were hurrying d... Read allA recreation of a World War II incident which occurred in London's Bethnal Green underground station in 1943, in which 173 people died when a panicked crowd stampeded as they were hurrying down the steps to take refuge from an air raid.A recreation of a World War II incident which occurred in London's Bethnal Green underground station in 1943, in which 173 people died when a panicked crowd stampeded as they were hurrying down the steps to take refuge from an air raid.
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Caught this May 2023 on UK's Talking Pictures channel. From the title I thought it was a musical! However, it's a very moving "docu-drama" that-in places-reminds one slightly of some of Dennis Potter's TV works.
The performances by a largely unknown cast are outstanding; the director should be complimented for conjuring up a totally convincing realistic atmosphere. Anyone coming into the movie after the opening titles would be forgiven for thinking that it was a real-life WW2 event that was captured by a film crew that had happened to be caught up in it.
One can't say that it's an enjoyable film; it's too heart-wrenching for that, particularly with the knowledge that it's based on a 1943 Home Front tragedy.
A humbling watch.
The performances by a largely unknown cast are outstanding; the director should be complimented for conjuring up a totally convincing realistic atmosphere. Anyone coming into the movie after the opening titles would be forgiven for thinking that it was a real-life WW2 event that was captured by a film crew that had happened to be caught up in it.
One can't say that it's an enjoyable film; it's too heart-wrenching for that, particularly with the knowledge that it's based on a 1943 Home Front tragedy.
A humbling watch.
This was a terrific film. I have only ever seen it once on TV when it was first released.It's a terribly sad event and follows the daily lives of a regular London family during the war, and some of the conditions they had to deal with. A typical cockney family with wit and staying power. If I remember rightly, they were also bombed out of their house. They made their way along the street with a pram (stroller) stacked high with what was left of their belongings. The tragedy of the film of course is heart wrenching.It was very authentic both in character and scenery. the casting was perfect. Have tried in vain to buy the film. Anyone out there have it?? I would very much like to have any leads.
A low budget period piece telling of a true-life disaster that happened in WW2 London. This one chimed with me thanks to its understated, realistic, documentary-style approach that has much in common with the later likes of THREADS et al. A different kind of disaster here, familiar to anyone who lived thorugh Hillsborough, but no less effective as a result. The familiar faces from television, Liz Smith and Gwyneth Strong among them, add to the cosy appeal and really this is a character piece, the depth adding gravitas to the climax. I particularly liked the extensive use of music from the era to bring it to life.
Filmed in the style of a WWII film so a bit grainy and dark which didn't really add anything to it. If this had not been based on a real tragedy the review scores would be a lot less as it's not a very good film. I spotted "Cassandra" from Only Fools very quickly who seems to have had the same hairstyle her whole life. Life in the underground could have been portrayed a lot better and given more screen time as it it must have difficult sleeping down there although there were very strict rules about being noisy etc. Not worth watching even as a record of the tragedy so I'm not sure why it was made at all.
I had recorded this on Talking Pictures TV (my favourite TV channel) thinking from the title that it was a sci fi programme and was surprised to find it was a historic world war 2 documentary drama about an incident I wasn't aware off - an underground disaster not involving trains! The Bethnal Green Underground diaster.
Great cast and great quality for a TV movie, also highlights the horror of living during war, having your home and belongings disappear in an instant, but with the immense gratitude that everyone in the family survived. Quite relevant for the horrific situaton in Ukraine today.
Great cast and great quality for a TV movie, also highlights the horror of living during war, having your home and belongings disappear in an instant, but with the immense gratitude that everyone in the family survived. Quite relevant for the horrific situaton in Ukraine today.
Did you know
- TriviaThe title is taken from the song of the same name which was written by Irving Berlin.
- ConnectionsReferences For Me and My Gal (1942)
Details
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
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