The Bells Go Down (1943)
May 16, 1943Release Date
The Bells Go Down (1943)
May 16, 1943Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Tommy Trinder
Tommy Turk
James Mason
Ted Robbins
Philip Friend
Bob
William Hartnell
Brookes
Mervyn Johns
Sam
Basil Dearden
Director
Finlay Currie
District Officer McFarlane
Philippa Hiatt
Nan
Roger MacDougall
Writer
Meriel Forbes
Susie
Beatrice Varley
Ma Turk
Michael Balcon
Producer
Roy Douglas
Composer
Norman Pierce
Pa Robbins
Muriel George
Ma Robbins
Ernest Palmer
Cinematographer
Julian Vedey
Lou Freeman
Richard George
P.C. O'Brien
H Victor Weske
Peters
Leslie Harcourt
Barman
Lesley Brook
June
Frederick Culley
Vicar
Stanley Lathbury
Verger
Johnnie Schofield
Milkman
Leo Genn
Off-Screen Narrator (uncredited)
Andreas Malandrinos
Mr. Vanetti (uncredited)
Frederick Piper
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Charles Victor
Bill - Dunkirk Survivor (uncredited)
Ralph Michael
Dunkirk Survivor (uncredited)
John Salew
Landlord (uncredited)
Ben Williams
Head of the Rescue Squad (uncredited)
Stanley Escane
Choirboy (uncredited)
Media.
Details.
Wiki.
The Bells Go Down is a 1943 black-and-white wartime film made by Ealing Studios. The reference in the title is to the alarm bells in the fire station that "go down" when a call to respond is made. The film is an ensemble piece that covers the period between 27 August 1939 and 9 September 1940, when World War II began and London was subjected to aerial bombing, and is a tribute to the solidarity of not just those engaged in service, but among the British people as a whole.It was produced by Michael Balcon and directed by Basil Dearden and was intended to give praise to the British Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS). Although the plot employs fictitious landmarks and localities, many of the incidental shots were taken at actual fires caused by the air raids on London in the previous two years. A sub-plot depicted the rivalry between the part-time AFS and the full-time London Fire Brigade (the two brigades merged into the National Fire Service in 1941). The reasons for joining the service, the training and finally the work and tragedy during September 1940 Blitz on London were shown for several characters. The background narration was spoken by Leo Genn.The film was released at nearly the same time as the similar Fires Were Started, a fictional "documentary" that used actual firemen instead of professional actors, and as a result was sometimes reviewed unfavorably by comparison.
The score was originally offered to William Walton, but for various reasons (possibly including that he had lost his own home in the Blitz) he offered it to his musical assistant Roy Douglas.