This film is part of Rentals
They Came to a City
Long-unavailable Utopian fantasy (or 'socialist propaganda'?) - a true oddity from the wartime Ealing Studios.
Director: Basil Dearden
Overview
This idealistic wartime fantasy was one of the strangest films to be released during the glory years of Ealing Studios. Until recently it was also one of the hardest to see. Adapted by JB Priestley from his own stage play, it follows nine characters - among them a sailor, a charlady, an aristocrat, a businessman and a barmaid - drawn to the gates of a mysterious city. We have only their accounts to tell us what lies within: either an earthly paradise of equality and collective endeavour, or a hell in which individualism, personal profit and social status are cast aside.
Schematic and portentous, to be sure - but heartfelt and surprisingly fun, too - They Came to a City is a fascinating product of the tail-end of WWII, when Britain was asking itself what kind of a country it wanted to be once the peace was won. It's directed with conviction by the prolific Basil Dearden, and features Ealing regulars John Clements, Raymond Huntley, Ralph Michael and the great Googie Withers; Priestley himself appears in the framing sequence.
Related
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
The BFG The BFG
Children's 2016 117 mins Director: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielbergβs luminous Roald Dahl adaptation boasts an enchanting performance from Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant who befriends a little girl (Ruby Barnhill).
Lost River Lost River
Fantasy 2013 95 mins Director: Ryan Gosling
Ryan Goslingβs directorial debut is a disturbing, visually experimental fairytale about a single mother drawn into a nightmarish netherworld.
The Beast The Beast
Fantasy 2022 145 mins Director: Bertrand Bonello
LΓ©a Seydoux wanders through a maze of past, present and uncertain future in Bertrand Bonelloβs audacious blend of period drama and conceptual crystal-gazing.
La Chimera La Chimera
Action and Adventure 2023 132 mins Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Alice Rohrwacherβs fascinating new drama finds Josh OβConnorβs fish out of water delving into the world of stolen artefacts.
The Queen of Spades The Queen of Spades
Fantasy 1949 95 mins Director: Thorold Dickinson
Thorold Dickinson's most dazzling success, based on Pushkinβs 1834 tale of black magic and gambling.
Mr. Topaze Mr. Topaze
Comedy 1961 97 mins Director: Peter Sellers
Charming character comedy, unseen for decades, starring Peter Sellers as a school teacher corrupted by big business.
Wild West Wild West
Comedy 1993 84 mins Director: David Attwood
Defying opposition from his conservative Pakistani family, Zaf Ayub dreams of becoming Southall's greatest gift to country & western.
The Orchard End Murder The Orchard End Murder
Crime 1982 50 mins Director: Christian Marnham
An old house near a remote, rural railway station provides the setting for this grisly tale of terror set in 1960s England.
Akenfield Akenfield
Drama 1975 98 mins Director: Peter Hall
Peter Hallβs extraordinary, long-unseen work of sublime poetic realism traces three generations of one Suffolk family and their lives in the farming industry.
Long Shot Long Shot
Comedy 1978 82 mins Director: Maurice Hatton
Deadpan satire about a Scottish film producer trying to make his debut feature.
Extremes Extremes
Documentary 1971 81 mins Director: Anthony Klinger and Michael Lytton
In-your-face 70s documentary exploring the lives of Hell's Angels, hippies, skinheads, rudeboys, mods and drug addicts.
It Always Rains on Sunday It Always Rains on Sunday
Drama 1947 88 mins Director: Robert Hamer
Austerity noir: Ealing's downbeat but compelling East End thriller.
Pink String and Sealing Wax Pink String and Sealing Wax
Crime 1946 90 mins Director: Robert Hamer
Gordon Jackson stars in a seething tale of family conflict, murder and blackmail in Victorian Brighton.
On Approval On Approval
Comedy 1944 79 mins Director: Clive Brook
Splendid lead performances and a well-crafted, witty script make this adaptation of the Frederick Lonsdale play a delight.
The Blue Lamp The Blue Lamp
Police drama 1950 85 mins Director: Basil Dearden
Dirk Bogarde stars as a loose-cannon crook with Dixon of Dock Green (Jack Warner) on his tail, in the classic Ealing policier.
The Goose Steps Out The Goose Steps Out
Comedy 1942 75 mins Director: Will Hay and Basil Dearden
Will Hay's third film for Ealing Studios finds the legendary comic parachuted into Nazi Germany when British intelligence discover that he's the spitting image of an enemy master spy
Sapphire Sapphire
Police drama 1959 92 mins Director: Basil Dearden
A young student with a secret is brutally murdered in this British Academy Award winning thriller about race, sex and jealousy.
Pool of London Pool of London
Crime 1951 85 mins Director: Basil Dearden
Earl Cameron plays a naive Jamaican sailor who's dragged into a botched diamond robbery when trying to help a friend.
All Night Long All Night Long
Drama 1962 91 mins Director: Basil Dearden
Othello is transposed to the 1960s Soho jazz scene as a malevolent drummer sows mistrust between husband-and-wife jazz luminaries.
The Captive Heart The Captive Heart
War 1946 100 mins Director: Basil Dearden
A realistic recreation of life as a prisoner of war in Germany lends credence to this moving account of wartime survival against the odds.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthamiβs gripping, pitch-black satire.