Review of Love on the Dole (1941) by Geraint O — 26 Nov 2008

Interesting that this film was released literally days after the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union- the point in which the whole of left was united behind the war effort.

Based on a book by then 8 years old, this is a great Socialist Second World War propoganda film. This was made during the war, but set before it, but was really about what the world should be like after it. Set totally in the pre-war period, some pretty subversive and for and for many an uncomfortable point becomes clear to people watching this. Even in the grim days of 1941- life was better for many working class people than 1930s peactime- because at least you had work and food on your table, and the implication of this was the post war world had better not be like the 1930s. Working Class people, and the Left were not fighting to bring back the "England" of 1939, but something new, something better. Clearly this is not "This Happy Breed", "In Which We Serve", (or for that matter the post war "Chance of a Lifetime") which offered a more consensusual and comfortable view of "class". This is a demand for fairness for working people, not a vague statement that it's a nice idea. Also very different role than we are used to seeing from Deborah Kerr too, the star of the film- in a gritty role.