Review of A Diary for Timothy (1945) by Emily B — 23 May 2008

Of all the Humphrey Jennings films I've seen so far this one may well be my favourite. "A Diary For Timothy" traces the final days of the War. This is told through the form of a visual diary for the newly born Timothy James Jenkins. Like the earlier "Words For Battle" we have a fine British actor of the day as the voiceover, this time being Michael Redgrave. Redgrave tells of the final days of the war through the eyes of ordinary people such as the miner, the train driver and the injured airmen. We are shown how as the war is drawing to a close things are getting back to normal, mines and barbed wire can be removed from the beaches, the home guard is no longer needed and blackout regulations no longer need to be so strict.

At the end of the film we told that even though the war is over there will still be problems ahead for the young Timothy. This really is a great snapshot of Britain at the time and again leaves you thinking. Highly recommended if you get the chance to see it.