July 1, 2022

Ostensibly, this is just a wartime morale-booster as a group of ladies in a small English hamlet are told of the impending visit of a VIP. With just 24 hours before her arrival, they must spruce up their village and put together some exhibits to demonstrate to their visitor. It's not just about the visit, however - that serves as a lens through which we have a look at a couple of more interesting sub-plots that deal with the lives of the non-mili… read the rest.

Ostensibly, this is just a wartime morale-booster as a group of ladies in a small English hamlet are told of the impending visit of a VIP. With just 24 hours before her arrival, they must spruce up their village and put together some exhibits to demonstrate to their visitor. It's not just about the visit, however - that serves as a lens through which we have a look at a couple of more interesting sub-plots that deal with the lives of the non-military "combatants" of WWII - notably a rather sad scenario with Flora Robson and her husband Eric Porter in which he struggles to feel valued and relevant, and another with their daughter (Sheila Sim) and her marriage opportunities. It's not a perfect film, by any means, but Portman and Robson offer up good performances of what passed for normality during the war for so many people still at home, and though maybe it's a bit slow, it's still a characterful observation well worth a watch.

show less