They Came to a City *** (1944, John Clements, Googie Withers, Raymond Huntley, Renee Gadd, A E Matthews) – Classic Movie Review 12,868

Basil Dearden’s 1944 Ealing Studios British black-and-white film They Came to a City stars John Clements, Googie Withers, Raymond Huntley, Renee Gadd, and A E Matthews, and is based on a play by J B Priestley, who appears in a notable cameo as himself.

Director Basil Dearden’s 1944 Ealing Studios British black-and-white film They Came to a City is based on a 1943 play by J B Priestley, and stars John Clements, Googie Withers, Raymond Huntley, Renee Gadd, and A E Matthews.

Nine people from a wide cross-section of British society are transported to the portal of an unknown civilisation; inside the dream city is utopia. What will it contain, who will be allowed in, and how will they react?

They Came to a City is a thoughtful translation to the screen of J B Priestley’s socialist-inclined drama speculating on the then imminent world that would follow World War Two.

The movie is a trifle static, but what it lacks in action is made up for with sharp dialogue and carefully balanced performances from most of the cast of the original London West End stage production, re-creating their roles on screen. So it is a valuable record of play and the performances. The author appears in a notable cameo as himself in this typically intriguing and idealistic product of the Ealing studios.

Also in the cast are Mabel Terry Lewis, Ada Reeve, Frances Rowe, Norman Shelley, Ralph Michael, and Brenda Bruce.

The play opened at the Princes Theatre, Bradford, and then transferred to the Globe Theatre in London’s West End, running for 280 performances between 21 April 1943 and 11 December 1943. John Clements, Googie Withers, Raymond Huntley, A E Matthews and Renee Gadd starred.

They Came to a City is directed by Basil Dearden, runs 78 minutes, is made by Ealing Studios, is released by Ealing Distribution (UK) and AFE Corporation (US), is written by J B Priestley, Basil Dearden and Sidney Cole, based on a play by J B Priestley, is shot in black-and-white by Stanley Pavey (as Stan Pavey), is produced by Michael Balcon and Sidney Cole (associate producer), is scored by Aleksandr Skryabin [Alexander Scriabin], (music selected from The Divine Poem of Scriabin) and designed by Michael Relph.

The cast are John Clements as Joe Dinmore, Googie Withers as Alice Foster, Raymond Huntley as Malcolm Stritton, Renee Gadd as Dorothy Stritton, A E Matthews as Sir George Gedney, Mabel Terry Lewis as Lady Loxfield, Frances Rowe as Philippa Loxfield, Ada Reeve as Mrs Batley, Norman Shelley as Cudworth, Ralph Michael as Sergeant Jimmy, Brenda Bruce as WAAF, Johnnie Schofield as Bert the Barman, and J B Priestley as himself.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,868

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