Two soldiers on leave and a "Land Girl" cross paths in a small village outside Canterbury and unite to solve a local mystery.
Englishman Michael Powell and his collaborator, Hungarian Emeric Pressburger were responsible for some of the British film industry's greatest works during the 1940's and 50's. Primarily known for their bold Technicolor marvels The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, the duo (who always shared writing, directing, and producing credits) were just as effective in black and white for this strange hybrid of whodunnit/wartime propaganda/mythical travelogue.
Powell & Pressburger had already looked at World War II from various viewpoints in five previous films since the beginning of the decade, and this work (filmed in 1943 while England was still under constant air attack from Germany) steps back from the action to explore the times on a more human, pastroral level and show the public what they were actually fighting for. Powell was born in the County of Kent, where Canterbury is located, and the film stands as the director's love letter to not only his own local roots, but to English culture, history, and the land itself.
While not an adaptation of Chaucer's famous collection of stories The Canterbury Tales, the film pays tribute to that work with its consideration of how the idea of "pilgrimage" might apply to modern people, specifically the young and impressionable. The small amount of propaganda promoting Anglo-American relations gives way to something more timeless: a look at small-town community and its resistance to outsiders and change, the importance of preserving natural treasures and traditions, and how a sense of place can seduce the cynical or restless traveler.
In addition to Eric Portman (a Powell & Pressburger veteran), the film stars young actors Sheila Sim, Dennis Price, and real-life American soldier John Sweet. And in a touch of irony, the cinematography and production design were both done by Germans: Erwin Hillier and Alfred Junge, respectively.
The film broke the duo's string of successes, the viewing public perhaps not in the right frame of mind for the film's message. It is now recognized as one of Powell & Pressburger's very best and a testament to the country from which it sprung.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs.
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