Listen to Britain main backdrop
Listen to Britain main poster

Listen to Britain

Visit website

6.1/10 • 61

1942-02-010h 20m

Documentary

A depiction of life in wartime Britain during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.

Directors
Humphrey Jennings, Stewart McAllister
Writters
Stewart McAllister, Humphrey Jennings
Editors
Stewart McAllister, Humphrey Jennings, Humphrey Jennings

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Leonard Brockington

    Leonard Brockington

    Self - Foreword by

  2. Joseph Macleod

    Joseph Macleod

    Self - BBC Newsreader (voice)

  3. Bud Flanagan

    Bud Flanagan

    Self - Flanagan & Allen

  4. Chesney Allen

    Chesney Allen

    Self - Flanagan & Allen

  5. Myra Hess

    Myra Hess

    Self - Pianist

  6. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

    Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

    Self - in Audience (uncredited)

Reviews1

View Reviews
CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 10, 2025

7/10

There’s something about the communality here that’s quite striking. From masses of people eating in the work’s canteen whilst listening to Flanagan and Allen through to a more demure concert in the National Gallery in the presence of HM The Queen, people of all shapes and sizes, classes and ranks gather together to eat, to dance, to sing and to work - and with no narration, we watch and listen for a twenty minutes that is quite poignant. From the land army, the spotters, the fire wardens and those working on the railways and in heavy engineering, we see women of all ages carrying out the crucial work of feeding and arming the country whilst all try to carry on regardless. What we don’t really see is any actual warfare. There are plenty of signs of it’s devastation, but this isn’t a film that shows a people cowering underground in air raid shelters or racing to put out endless fires; indeed it’s its very obvious attempt to convey an industrious normality that works well here. Sure, there is the odd bit of rousing patriotism but for the most part I think this displays a remarkable lack of wartime propaganda and showcases, instead, a variety of archive that shows us more the ordinary people who would win this war.

Media

  • Listen to Britain poster
  • Listen to Britain poster

Recommendations

  • Europa Report main backdrop

    Europa Report

    6.3

  • Ikiru main backdrop

    Ikiru

    8.3

  • Fires Were Started main backdrop

    Fires Were Started

    6.0

  • The Fatal Glass of Beer main backdrop

    The Fatal Glass of Beer

    5.9

  • Ghost in the Shell main backdrop

    Ghost in the Shell

    6.1

  • La La Land main backdrop

    La La Land

    7.9

  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull main backdrop

    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

    6.0

  • Snow White and the Huntsman main backdrop

    Snow White and the Huntsman

    6.0

  • Inception main backdrop

    Inception

    8.4

  • The Dark Knight Rises main backdrop

    The Dark Knight Rises

    7.8

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron main backdrop

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    7.3

  • Fight Club main backdrop

    Fight Club

    8.4

  • Suicide Squad main backdrop

    Suicide Squad

    5.9

  • Wonder Woman main backdrop

    Wonder Woman

    7.2

  • Trainwreck main backdrop

    Trainwreck

    5.8

  • Whiplash main backdrop

    Whiplash

    8.4

  • The Empire Strikes Back main backdrop

    The Empire Strikes Back

    8.4

  • Deadpool main backdrop

    Deadpool

    7.6

  • Captain America: Civil War main backdrop

    Captain America: Civil War

    7.4

  • X-Men: Apocalypse main backdrop

    X-Men: Apocalypse

    6.5

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
No keywords have been added.