Rent They Came to a City (1944)

3.4 of 5 from 77 ratings
1h 18min
Rent They Came to a City Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
Nine disparate Britons are transported to a mysterious city where, according to their class and disposition, they find themselves either in an earthly paradise of peace and equality or a hell starved of ambition and riches. From the pen of JB Priestley, this fantastical allegory is a striking expression of post-war utopian impulses and among Ealing's most unusual features.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Sidney Cole
Writers:
J.B. Priestley, Basil Dearden, Sidney Cole
Studio:
BFI Video
Genres:
Classics, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Collections:
Drama Films & TV, Fictional British Prime Ministers On Screen, Films to Watch If You Like..., Pig Power: Animal Farm At 70, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Basil Dearden, Top 10 British Actresses of the 1940s, Top 10 British War Films (1939-45), Top Films, Topping the Music Hall Bill, What to Watch Next If You Liked Dracula
BBFC:
Release Date:
23/04/2018
Run Time:
78 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.37:1
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Michael Balcon NFT Lecture (audio only, 1969, 59 mins): the producer discusses his career
  • We Live in Two Worlds (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1937, 14 mins): a GPO film about communications technology, narrated by JB Priestley
  • Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940, 7 mins): a wartime morale-booster narrated by JB Priestley
  • A City Reborn (1945, 22 mins): a propaganda film written by Dylan Thomas, highlighting plans for post-war reconstruction
  • Charley in New Town (Joy Batchelor and John Halas, 1948, 9 mins): an animated short on post-war new towns
  • Our Very Good Health (Joy Batchelor and John Halas, 1948, 9 mins): an animated short on the new National Health Service
BBFC:
Release Date:
23/04/2018
Run Time:
78 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:
B
Bonus:
  • Michael Balcon NFT Lecture (audio only, 1969, 59 mins): the producer discusses his career
  • We Live in Two Worlds (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1937, 14 mins): a GPO film about communications technology, narrated by JB Priestley
  • Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940, 7 mins): a wartime morale-booster narrated by JB Priestley
  • A City Reborn (1945, 22 mins): a propaganda film written by Dylan Thomas, highlighting plans for post-war reconstruction
  • Charley in New Town (Joy Batchelor and John Halas, 1948, 9 mins): an animated short on post-war new towns
  • Our Very Good Health (Joy Batchelor and John Halas, 1948, 9 mins): an animated short on the new National Health Service

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Reviews (4) of They Came to a City

Astonishingly relevant today! - They Came to a City review by TE

Spoiler Alert
02/05/2019

What a superb discovery! This is a spellbinder of a film.

The post-WW2 concerns about the future of society and the planet are just as relevant today (maybe even more so) and this film is a basic primer in the archetypes of capitalism, social democracy and revolutionary politics.

Some of the stylings might have dated, but this is a great, timeless movie.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Intriguing - They Came to a City review by CB

Spoiler Alert
21/12/2021

J B Priestley is an underrated writer and whilst this concept isn't worked out to my entire satisfaction the basic notion is simple and subtly clever, so the film is a real find. Some of the acting is overly dramatic and the music sometimes too heavily obtrusive but still I am surprised this film isn't better known. There are more extras to the DVD than I have ever seen, all of which are very interesting at the very least. The film is loaded with scene selection capability but scene selection isn't listed on the opening menu. If you like old British films you should definitely watch this one and set aside the time to watch or listen to all the extras.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Political Fantasy. - They Came to a City review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
13/04/2023

Tolerance of this surreal comedy of ideas is inevitably tightly bound to how sympathetic the viewer is to its politics. It's 1944 and the end of the war is in sight and thoughts are turning to what sort of regeneration will await the survivors.

Ealing Studios supported the radical ambitions of the left. Basil Dearden's adaptation of JB Priestley's play doesn't really examine what socialism would mean to Britain, other than it would be a revolution and would put power within the grasp of ordinary people. Vast inequalities based on birthright would be consigned to memory...  

The film examines how people may respond to this change. It assembles nine contrasting archetypes at the gates of a modern city and listens to how the new deal will impact them. There is a fusty aristocrat (AE Matthews), a complacent capitalist (Norman Shelley), a worn down waitress (Googie Withers), a disillusioned machine worker (John Clement)...

The situation is unrealistic, and the expressionistic photography is dreamlike, but the the dialogue is naturalistic and captures the typical hopes and fears of the public. Enthusiasm for the project is over indulged but it's a fascinating insight into the psychological state of the nation in the final act of WWII, at a crossroads in history.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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