Best movie of this year hands down!

Sick Product of a Sick System

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This remarkable film was largely the brainchild of Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who had the idea that British ex-patriates in Hollywood donate their services to make a stirring film with a strong nationalistic theme. He rounded up a lot of potential contributors including actors and directors and writers, but by the time he found a home for this at RKO, some of them like Cary Grant and Ronald Colman and Alfred Hitchcock were no longer available. Some Americans and Canadians pitched in their services and the result is the very entertaining tale of two distant cousins and and a house that survives into the blitz told in flashbacks as London is bombed. Hardwicke and Buster Keaton steal the show as two bumbling plumbers, but there are excellent contributions by Sir C. Aubrey Smith, Dame May Witty, Ida Lupino, Charles Laughton, Roland Young, Dame Gladys Cooper and others. Some material was deleted, perhaps because of the length and leisurely pace of the story-telling. For those who love Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, this will appeal. It was a miracle it got made. Most of the contributors gave their time for the war effort. Worth a look.

This is the saga of a house handed down from generation to generation and the stories of each of the owners. The episodes range from good to better-than-good, but the value here is in the all-star cast; virtually any famous or near-famous British star from the 30's and 40's is in this picture, and even a few 'Yanks'. The nominal stars are Kent Smith and Ruth Warrick, she the present (1942) tenant. He stops in to sell it, and they swap stories about the different owners throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.In all, seven directors and 21 writers are given credit for working on the film, as well as 79 actors and actresses. It is a "sentimental story with some amusing and affecting passages, but as the story is somewhat hackneyed it is well-served by some superb performances" (Bosley Crowther, NY Times, 3/43). But I think to arrive at the most satisfactory effect one should necessarily be from the Sceptered Isle. I am a 'Yank' and didn't get that effect, but it was still good entertainment. It was shown at the Columbus,O. Cinevent, 5/12.

This grand 1943 film once again proved that the British were at their best when they kept that stiff upper lip.This magnificent piece tells the story of a house from its inception in England in 1804 until the German blitzkrieg circa 1940.Nothing was spared in this provocative film regarding the cast. Practically everyone known in British films is in it and they all shine.As two people are dickering in selling the house, its rich history is brought back in a series of flashbacks. We go back to the Napoleonic Era and trace the house to Queen Victoria's era, World War 1 and eventually the second world war.The film provides plenty of heartbreak and sadness but is a definite testament of faith to the British people in the tradition of Mrs. Miniver.

In 1943, while the War still raged, an incredible assortment of British performers living in Hollywood got together to make a morale booster of a movie to top all the others. Joining in the production was a first class collection of producers, directors & writers. Although seldom viewed now, FOREVER AND A DAY is a wonderful film, absolutely not to be missed.The story is of 140 years in the life of a London house, right up to the Blitz, and of the two families - sometimes feuding, sometimes merging - that called it home. Its endurance through history's onslaughts becomes a symbol of the British Nation's resolve to fight anything Hitler could throw against them.A partial listing of the cast illustrates its richness: Claude Rains, Ida Lupino, Merle Oberon, Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Dame May Whitty, Dame Gladys Cooper, Dame Anna Neagle, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Sir C. Aubrey Smith & Buster Keaton. Together, with many others, they combine to serve up cracking good entertainment.