Description: Of all the propaganda films produced by Britain during the war, no motion picture was as shattering as this fictional — yet frighteningly real — story of heroes, traitors and graphic homeland terror. In the spring of 1942, the quaint rural village of Bramley End is occupied by a German platoon expertly disguised as friendly British troops. In the days that follow, the men, women and children of the isolated town must single-handedly outsmart and destroy the Nazi force before their invasion can spread to the rest of an unsuspecting nation. Leslie Banks, Thora Hird, Mervyn Johns and Basil Sydney star in this chilling thriller adapted from a short story by Graham Greene and produced by the legendary Ealing Studios that would later inspire both THE EAGLE HAS LANDED and RED DAWN. Rarely seen in America — where it received limited release under the title 48 HOURS — it remains as explicit and shocking a movie experience today as it was to wartime audiences more than 60 years ago.
You had better watch out... This story takes us to a part of England in the early stages of the Second World War where a small village suddenly receives a visit from the troops - that is an army on manoeuvres just around of the time last days of peace. It is summer, it is calm and all go about their own chores. As usual we meet the reverend, the pub owner, the milkman and the local Dad's Army. The visiting troops turn out to be something quite other than expected and display manners very unEnglish and sometimes rather brutal... reminding us of the threat that lay present those last free days of a Free Europe.. This is certainly a film for those of us who where to young to have been there, to remind to not always take freedom for granted, nor the freedom of speech, still regardless of age this is a film for all of us. It is entertaining, with Classic English humour and just like any good English detective story you don't know the killer until the very end...or your Army, for that matter..
Bad movie Hardly worth the effort to watch. Should not have spent my money on this.Be when reading reviews, they make it sound much better then it really is. This is a problem!
Good good movie Went the Day Well is a historic and popular concept occuring during WWII. The invasion of England by Germany should it occur. It supposes that Germany indeed lands on English soil and the possibilites this would create.
It is an excellent film. Yes five stars...ten!
Brutality and everyday people "Went the Day Well?" is incredibly suspenseful, historically fascinating, and surprisingly harsh. It is a no-nonsense film made for a wartime populace. While it incidentally packs in a lot of propaganda advice (how to spot suspicious activity, what to do in a military emergency, the importance of "doing your bit" for the country), the major drive of "Went the Day Well?" is to psychologically adapt a everyday people to wartime violence. This means that terrible things happen to kind and lovable people, and--what is perhaps more upsetting--that kind and lovable characters kill people brutally. It is a kind of cinema violence which I don't think that current cinema prepares us (the one contemporary film it reminds me of is "A History of Violence," in that both films take violence seriously). It probably owes a great deal of its touch to Graham Greene.
I'm surprised that one reviewer found the Germans portrayed sympathetically. I would say the film's single identifiable flaw is that all of the Germans are shown to be heartless pigs. It is always a shame when even propaganda that is "in the right" can't allow the fact that most people, even enemies, are fairly decent and civilized on a person-to-person level (the great message of Vonnegut's Mother Night).
"Went the Day Well?" is that really very rare thing, a genuinely troubling film. *And* it's exciting.
Very Good This film is a very well made 2nd World War story, which is based on a short story by Graham Greene.
The acting was generally very good, although there was one officer who struck me as being particularly wooden, but his was a small part and of little consequence. There are quite a few memorable scenes in this film which (for 1942) are very tense. Interestingly it is the British who commit the more horrible acts of violence, whereas the Germans are mostly portrayed in quite a good light.
Unlike a modern film the acts of violence in this film were never shown in graphic detail, but surprisingly the film made it quite obvious what was about to happen, even if they couldn't show the detail. In this respect another aspect of the films strengths was the cinematography.
My only other criticism is that the surprise element in the film is removed by the introduction by one of the villagers at the start of the film. Overall though this is one of the very best 2nd world war films made at the time I have ever seen. Strongly recommended.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
