Terry I couldn't agree with you more. People ask me why I tend not to watch Zombie/End of the World Movies and TV shows. I grew up watching Star Trek the original series that portrayed a future without war or poverty. Living in America during an election year I can get depressed enough. I don't choose to believe that the future is without hope.
I watched "They Came To A City" a few months ago on USA Tubi. It sucked me in! I found it to be riveting. I'd stop every once in a while and ponder what they were discussing. Once I'd pondered enough I couldn't wait to get back to it. I've always thought that if the cast, the dialog, the story were strong enough that people sitting in a room could be fascinating. They are few and far between and you have to keep digging to find them. When I've done the work I got the reward. Thoughts in my head that I had previous thought were now in some mysterious way changed. As I watched it the concept reminded me of "The Man From Earth". It also reminded me of how much I liked going to community theaters and seeing a play, Pre-C. Excellent work again Terry . George
Excellent subject! I think utopias get dismissed these days as being impossible and inherently unnatural, vanity projects doomed to be merely some dystopia with a deceptive eerie veneer of superficial beauty, but I believe that the creation and discussion of utopias, done intelligently, can be very gutsy, really spelling out what you want most and best in life. From Looking Backward: 2000-1887 to Lost Horizon, speculations into utopia were once quite popular, and I hope we haven't lost that curiosity. Thanks, Ter.
This is the beauty of your channel undiscovered gems. I thought I knew movies ,but once again you have introduced me to a new experience. I found an ok copy of "They Came to a City" on RU-vid ( which I am about to watch,) for those who don't have access to this on Tubi. I've always liked Basil Dearden. His name rarely comes up as an influential Producer Director , but with a body of work ranging from producing George Formby films, to directing social justice movies like Sapphire and Victim he should. For me his name pops up on "comfort food" Films and TV that make me very nostalgic. The Blue Lamp, Man in the Moon, The Mind Benders and The Assassination Bureau are favourites. He also directed my favourite episodes of The Persuaders a true nostalgic treat for me. Cheers again Terry
I did just see They Came to a City on Tubi(Canada), and loved it. Another great movie on Tubi is All Night Long, with Patrick McGoohan and Richard Attenborough, from Rank in 1962. It's Othello set in the jazz scene in 1962 London. Also in it are Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, and a number of British jazz musicians.I loved that one as well.
Found They Came to A City on Prime but with a Cohen Media Group subscription. And Halfway House is on BFI. Ever saw Went the Day Well? where a small English town deals with an advance party of German soldiers in disguise as part of their invasion of Britain. Made during the war, it's kind of speculation of an event that could have happened. Odd to think of a film made dur8ng an event that wouldn't be resolved for years.
I too caught They Came to a City on Tubi and thought it was terrific. Really well done at showing the possibilities following the war. And of course, it was so possible to be in Britain and feel optimistic, which I think was part of the reason that Churchill got the boot and Labour became the new government. As distinct from people in Germany at the same time. Pity it didn't really work in Britain, I think it was much better here in Australia. They Came to a City is available from BFI as a dual-format DVD/Blu-Ray. I vaguely recall having seen The Halfway House (also available from BFI) but not Dead of Night so will try to soon remedy that. As for what I watch on Tubi I'm working through as many silents as I can find, they've got a pretty good selection (under Classics mainly) and regularly add new ones. Many of the old classics are there (Phantom of the Opera, Metropolis, etc) but they've had some really good films. 7th Heaven, Asphalt, The Unholy Three, Hands of Orlac, Joan the Woman, Lang's Spiders etc.
The sad thing is that things really improved for the common people of Britain after WW2, but the old Establishment didn't like losing power and, over the last 75 years have been waging a war of propaganda and deception against us. I grew up in a Britain which had abundant social housing, an excellent free at point of access NHS, free higher education and a decent safety net for if you fell off the work ladder at any point. Compared to the UK of today, it was Utopian, and what we've been conned into by decades of elitist crap stinks. It's the same in other places too, especially the US.
I've had the very same thought for quite a while now... that we've had quite enough of dystopia and bleak futures in pop culture. We need some hope. Of course art reflects reality and the concerns that we have on our minds in the moment. But it can and should be used, also, to uplift and bring us back out of the pits of cynicism. Nothing wrong with some healthy cynicism... but like anything else, too much of it can cause great harm in the long run. The survival of society and civilization requires optimism. We need that fuel for our minds and souls.
Greetings; I saw Dead of Night many years ago and was enthralled by it and now I have finally seen it again. I have also learned it was the inspiration for Fred Hoyle's steady state model of the universe, I haven't seen Luna for quite some time. How is she doing?
These late war utopian British movies point to a real social revolution sweeping through Britain. The intermixing of social classes under wartime duress and the the publication of the Beveridge Report putting the case for a post-war welfare state were a big part of this. Another very good movie (imho) similar to 'They Came to a City' is 'The Way We Live'. This is a docudrama about the hopes and dreams of Plymouth residents and public planning officials seeking to rebuild a better city from bombed out remains. Very powerful, optimistic, and yet poignant.
Thank you Terry for your insightful commentary! The consequences of writing have been so powerful, one wonders how we'll ever escape our past with immersive film?
It's possibly because I'm a sucker for English thesps talking in capital letters, but I love all three of these movies. My favourite, for the very simple reason that the first time I saw it, in my late teens, is 'Dead Of Night' - it scared the living shit out of me - and by that time I had seen a lot of horror movies, but this creeped me out, big time. It got under my skin, and stayed there for ages - even the lesser segments have a tangible darkness about them. The bridging story, unusually, is the darkest of all - it's cyclical nature means that whatever Mervyn Johns' character does - he's locked into that nightmare. Forever. And that's utterly terrifying. It's a beautifully made movie, and I don't think that many folk who were fond of Ealing's witty comedies, and well made dramas, were expecting something so shockingly dark - each segment gets a little more grim, as the movie progresses - and you cannot look away. It's genuinely awesome, and I have watched it many times, over the years, and it never fails to make my flesh creep. Every damn time. And that's a good thing. Cheers, Terry. 👍👍👍
Utopia is an underused theme in fiction and even more so in films. Dystopias may be uncomfortable to live in, but they're dead simple to write and film. (Bad guys iz bad.) Utopian fiction requires a lot more thought and effort.
Just watched They Came to a City. I liked it. Like JBP says, some people will like it and some people will hate it. At least its there for those who are open to it.
There is a lot that work against utopian movies. There's a strong belief it's a zero sum game. If there's a utopia, it must be at the expense of others. A conflict is required. Stories tend to be an advanced society and the protagonist tries to rock the boat.
Written science fiction has some good utopias and Kim Stanley Robinson writes the best ones. There's still conflict and disagreement, but in a utopian context.
I viewed the movie 'The Blood of Jesus' 1941, written, directed and produced by Spencer Williams one of the few African American directors back then. It's considered a 'race film' meant for a predominately African American audience. The film is a fantasy. For further info you can google the movie and director.
THEY CAME TO A CITY is on US Tubi, as well as Amazon Prime. I'll check it out when I have some time, because it sounds interesting, and not the kind of movie I normally see.... You commented on how things went right back after the War, but there was a generation where the UK adopted National Health Care, public welfare, and Trade Unionism. It was like the powers that blocked all that were to exhausted after WWII to try, and maybe felt a bit guilty about being such assholes about it all. Of course, they got their wind back with Thatcher, may she roast in Hell forever! Now I wouldn't trust the Labour Party to put up a fight for the NIH, let alone giving the greed heads what-for....
3 good movie choices for discussion here, Terry. One movie is simply brilliant, another is a proper hidden gem, the third is an interesting wartime political statement. They Came To A City - I only discovered this movie about a month ago. As it began, I felt sure I was about to see a movie in the style of 'The Halfway House'. The supernatural plotting never quite materialised. But it remained thought provoking and interesting throughout. I did conclude it was JB Priestley's hope for radical social change in a post-WW2 England. He foresaw that alright. Sad that our current Conservative Govt has spent the last 14 yrs trying to undermine those post-war ideals. The Halfway House - I love this movie. A proper hidden gem. My favourite characters, the grieving sea captain and his wife. The sceance scene, with a twist, is a standout. And Mervyn Johns is great, as he is in ... Dead Of Night - Brilliant 1940s horror. Comfortably in my Top Ten horror movies of all time. Yeah the vent dummy story is legendary, but also the haunted mirror segment creeps me out every time I see it. And of course, Dead Of Night has a chef's kiss frame story that is light years ahead of any other frame story in all the movie horror anthologies that followed. Thanks Terry for reviewing three wonderful British 1940s films.
Tubi...also has lots of really cheap and bad U.S.-produced Cynthia Rothrock movies! Tammy kept trying to watch them because an American woman good enough to be a Chinese martial arts star? Should be able to kick down the gender barrier in the U.S., right? Sadly, no-she was relegated to ultra-cheap, direct to home video features done by studios which made Roger Corman's Concorde Pictures look like Golden Age MGM by contrast! She kicked ass alongside Michelle Yeoh, Sammo Hung, Cory Yuen, Sibelle Hu, and Kara Hui in Hong Kong, but in the U.S. she was in Leo Fong movies and co-starring with Corey Haim. (Mind, I love Leo Fong movies for Fong's IDGaF version of "slo-fu", but they're definitely a acquired taste.)
Honestly, the only difference I noticed between the April Fool's video and this was that your cheeks looked a bit redder! MiniDV holds up surprisingly well, all things considered….
