Rent Pastor Hall (1940)
3.9 of 5 from 49 ratings
1h 35min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
When the quiet German village of Altdorf is taken over by an SS platoon which proceeds to enforce Hitler's ideals upon its inhabitants, a kindly pastor questions the agenda of 'The New Order' while members of his parish turn a blind eye to the insidious indoctrination. Before long, he is punished for his vocal opposition and is sent to Dachau, where, despite the abuse and brutality which he suffers, he refuses to give in to the madness and inhumanity of National Socialism. Adapted from Ernst Toller's 1939 play of the same name, and based on the true story of Protestant minister Martin Niemöller, 'Pastor Hall' is the impressive third feature from the Boulting brothers (Brighton Rock). Starring Wilfrid Lawson (Pygmalion) as the iconic pastor, and Nova Pilbeam (Young and Innocent) as his formidable daughter, the film was one of the first anti-Nazi dramas ever made and had its original production delayed by British censors who were not yet ready to be openly critical of Hitler's regime. - Actors:
- Wilfrid Lawson, Nova Pilbeam, Seymour Hicks, Marius Goring, Brian Worth, Percy Walsh, Lina Barrie, Eliot Makeham, Peter Cotes, Edmund Willard, Hay Petrie, Bernard Miles, D.J. Williams, Manning Whiley, John Salew, W.E. Holloway, Basil Cunard, Tarva Penna, George Street, Raymond Rollett
- Directors:
- Roy Boulting
- Producers:
- John Boulting
- Writers:
- Ernst Toller, Leslie Arliss, Anna Reiner, Haworth Bromley, John Boulting, Roy Boulting, Miles Malleson
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- People of the Pictures, Remembering Leslie Phillips, Top 10 British War Films (1939-45), Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/06/2022
- Run Time:
- 95 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- The IWM Oral History with Roy Boulting (1980, 96 mins): archival audio recording with the celebrated filmmaker
- Faith BeyondBorders (2022,15 mins): Matthew Hockenos, author of Then They Came for Me: Martin Niemoller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis, considers the true and fictional accounts of the pastor's life
- The Cutting Class (2022,14 mins): ex-BBFC examiner Richard Falcon discusses the film's censorship history
- Niemoller Speaks in Hamburg (1946,3 mins): extract from the Welt in Film newsreel, featuring footage of Niemoller's speech about post-war German guilt
- The Dawn Guard (1941,7 mins): short directed by Boulting, starring Pastor Hall actors Percy Walsh and Bernard Miles as members of the Home Guard
- Minefield! (1944,15 mins): documentary short produced by Boultingfor the Army Film Unit
