Ruth Reeve

Such an opportunity, such a failure. The dominant story was that of an evacuee trying to get back home. The Blitz was merely the backdrop. Whilst some of the cinematography was excellent, and the acting sufficient (given the fine quality of the cast), take out a few unpleasant scenes, and this was little more than a family outing. More ‘Lassie Comes Home’, less Armageddon. Steve McQueen needs to grasp that if every scoundrel is white and every goody is black, all you’re left with is didactic tedium. There’s no-one but adults in the room, so can we have a little nuance please. According to the Imperial War Museum, the black population in Britain was about 9000 mostly in urban port areas. The signs in the shop doors in the East End, prior to WW2 were ‘No Irish, No Dogs, No Jews’. Mr McQueen, your people have their history, other people have their’s. This wasn’t yours. I come from an East End Jewish family: some fought for their country, some worked in munitions, some were evacuated. All were impacted by the Blitz. This film reflected none of their experience, it was far too involved with its own blatant agenda to bother.

What a shame. This adaptation could have been so so much better. The book: insightful, funny, heartfelt. A book that talks to every woman that has ever refused to play the game, has been patronised or abused. The adaptation: watered down by an unnecessary WOKE agenda that clearly didn’t think that women’s stories were enough (well done to the male script writer). An Elizabeth Zott that had little of the original character’s spikiness, so required to make this more meaningful than just a romance. But of course it’s primarily a romance, after all, that’s what us girls want right?