The Bells Go Down (1943)
Directed by Basil Dearden
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
The Bells Go Down is a dramatization of London firefighting efforts during the 1940 Blitz. In structure, the film is very much like any other smoke-eating melodrama, with perhaps more emphasis on comedy than usual. The omnipresence of the Luftwaffe gives the film an urgency that others in its genre tend to lack. Making it all the more remarkable is the fact that most British studios were just as vulnerable as London's burned-down landmarks--a fact not lost on the actors, who perform with heightened credibility. Many of the better composed shots in The Bells Go Down would find their way into TV documentaries of the 1950s and 1960s as "reality" footage.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
firefighter, bombing, danger, fire, volunteer, war, survivor, burn, child, death, honor [recognition], invasion, wedding, police
