I purchased the DVD because it covered a period of history fascinating to me. The fact that it starred Richard Gere was incidental. In the week since I first viewed the film, I have watched it about ten more times. I just couldn't get enough of Lisa Eichhorn. The other players also gave outstanding performances, even Richard Gere!
Strangely, the part of the film I find most gripping is the closing credits where they flash still pictures of the cast in group scenes. I didn't understand why this should be so at first, then I realized that the film created such a realistic family atmosphere that I wanted these film relationships to be real. It was like opening the family photo album to renew mental images of beloved relatives, since departed.
This film resonates for me because I have been in the shoes of Matt and Danny. A young serviceman overseas and desperately lonely for my family. In the film, the fact that the local people speak a language close enough to American English to allow communication is a huge bonus. The fact that some of these troops are stationed in England for close to 3 years and have no hope of returning to the United States leads to the strong tendency to build a life in the local area. The men start to build a family relationship to the local people they are most in contact with. Later arrivals tend to get included in the gradual merger of the two parallel societies in such close contact.
It occurred to me that the bizarre set of social conditions portrayed in the film, never to be repeated, would be a unique opportunity for sociologists to study the relationships established in these garrison towns.
Colin Welland wrote the screenplay from the British point of view. The fact that he treated the Americans so favorably spoke well of the image of these men several decades after their departure. He was perceptive in outlining the mutual bewilderment of the two sides on their first encounter. The fact that good relations developed over the months was a testament to the upstanding character prevalent on both sides.
The film score was superb! It really enhanced the film scenes and drew you into the flow of the story. I have replayed many scenes of the film because I so enjoyed the musical score. The tune played during the closing credits is my ultimate favorite. I never tire of watching this wonderful film.
The scene where Ken, the British Beau of the Lisa Eichhorn character Jean Moreton returned on leave was very poignant. The two were supposed to become engaged at this time and did so. I missed the significance of their engagement party at first, since it was never explicitly declared as such in the film. Ken departs back to the war in Burma after two week's leave and Matt and Jean take up as before. Jean is only slightly inhibited in her relationship with Matt after her engagement to Ken. Jean's affections were clearly gravitating more and more toward Matt. It is clear Jean only went through with the engagement to keep peace in her family. Jean's gravely ill mother strongly supported her engagement to Ken and she did not want a fight to develop at such a sensitive moment.
The scene of the 1944 New Year's Dance was the most emotional point of the film. Everyone there knew that the prospective invasion of the continent would soon be coming. The soldiers knew that it was quite likely they would not survive the year. All the girls and other local friends who had come to love these men knew it too. Under such conditions, men and women tend to try to cram lifetimes of experiences into weeks.
The racial outrage that developed at the dance was difficult to watch. The screenplay showed the British Girls displaying remarkably benevolent attitudes toward the Black troops. I have no idea if this was a realistic portrayal of British racial policies of that period. If this film was accurate, America was far behind Britain in this department.
Matt and Danny were condemned by the British Girls for their passive acceptance of a near lynching. Matt and Danny couldn't see anything remarkable in their attitudes. The mutual incomprehension of the two sides was very nearly complete. The two couples managed to overcome their problems and restore the strained relationships.
It struck me as odd that the name of the town where all these events occurred was never mentioned. I suppose that the screenplay envisioned a generic town in Northern England as a stand-in for all the towns who faced this peaceful invasion.
As other comments have noted, the cooling towers for a nuclear power plant are prominent in the background of several scenes in the film. These power plants certainly never existed in 1943 England! I imagine that the film makers hoped we would overlook this glaring inconsistency.
The final scenes of the film had the troops boarding trains to be transported to their invasion embarkation points. A large portion of the young female population was there to tearfully see them off. It struck me that the local people had embraced these young men and were anguished to see them depart to possible death. It was like losing half their community to the war. The deserted streets in the town as the troops prepare for departure must have been unnerving to the town folk. I am sure that many of the troops were equally heartbroken to lose contact with dear friends and lovers. The horror of war really sank in from that scene.
This film is a real gem. I am astonished it is not more prominent when great films are mentioned. This is one of the few films I ever felt worthy of a 10 star rating.
Strangely, the part of the film I find most gripping is the closing credits where they flash still pictures of the cast in group scenes. I didn't understand why this should be so at first, then I realized that the film created such a realistic family atmosphere that I wanted these film relationships to be real. It was like opening the family photo album to renew mental images of beloved relatives, since departed.
This film resonates for me because I have been in the shoes of Matt and Danny. A young serviceman overseas and desperately lonely for my family. In the film, the fact that the local people speak a language close enough to American English to allow communication is a huge bonus. The fact that some of these troops are stationed in England for close to 3 years and have no hope of returning to the United States leads to the strong tendency to build a life in the local area. The men start to build a family relationship to the local people they are most in contact with. Later arrivals tend to get included in the gradual merger of the two parallel societies in such close contact.
It occurred to me that the bizarre set of social conditions portrayed in the film, never to be repeated, would be a unique opportunity for sociologists to study the relationships established in these garrison towns.
Colin Welland wrote the screenplay from the British point of view. The fact that he treated the Americans so favorably spoke well of the image of these men several decades after their departure. He was perceptive in outlining the mutual bewilderment of the two sides on their first encounter. The fact that good relations developed over the months was a testament to the upstanding character prevalent on both sides.
The film score was superb! It really enhanced the film scenes and drew you into the flow of the story. I have replayed many scenes of the film because I so enjoyed the musical score. The tune played during the closing credits is my ultimate favorite. I never tire of watching this wonderful film.
The scene where Ken, the British Beau of the Lisa Eichhorn character Jean Moreton returned on leave was very poignant. The two were supposed to become engaged at this time and did so. I missed the significance of their engagement party at first, since it was never explicitly declared as such in the film. Ken departs back to the war in Burma after two week's leave and Matt and Jean take up as before. Jean is only slightly inhibited in her relationship with Matt after her engagement to Ken. Jean's affections were clearly gravitating more and more toward Matt. It is clear Jean only went through with the engagement to keep peace in her family. Jean's gravely ill mother strongly supported her engagement to Ken and she did not want a fight to develop at such a sensitive moment.
The scene of the 1944 New Year's Dance was the most emotional point of the film. Everyone there knew that the prospective invasion of the continent would soon be coming. The soldiers knew that it was quite likely they would not survive the year. All the girls and other local friends who had come to love these men knew it too. Under such conditions, men and women tend to try to cram lifetimes of experiences into weeks.
The racial outrage that developed at the dance was difficult to watch. The screenplay showed the British Girls displaying remarkably benevolent attitudes toward the Black troops. I have no idea if this was a realistic portrayal of British racial policies of that period. If this film was accurate, America was far behind Britain in this department.
Matt and Danny were condemned by the British Girls for their passive acceptance of a near lynching. Matt and Danny couldn't see anything remarkable in their attitudes. The mutual incomprehension of the two sides was very nearly complete. The two couples managed to overcome their problems and restore the strained relationships.
It struck me as odd that the name of the town where all these events occurred was never mentioned. I suppose that the screenplay envisioned a generic town in Northern England as a stand-in for all the towns who faced this peaceful invasion.
As other comments have noted, the cooling towers for a nuclear power plant are prominent in the background of several scenes in the film. These power plants certainly never existed in 1943 England! I imagine that the film makers hoped we would overlook this glaring inconsistency.
The final scenes of the film had the troops boarding trains to be transported to their invasion embarkation points. A large portion of the young female population was there to tearfully see them off. It struck me that the local people had embraced these young men and were anguished to see them depart to possible death. It was like losing half their community to the war. The deserted streets in the town as the troops prepare for departure must have been unnerving to the town folk. I am sure that many of the troops were equally heartbroken to lose contact with dear friends and lovers. The horror of war really sank in from that scene.
This film is a real gem. I am astonished it is not more prominent when great films are mentioned. This is one of the few films I ever felt worthy of a 10 star rating.