THE WAY AHEAD
UK, 1944, 115 minutes, Black and white.
David Niven, Stanley Holloway, James Donald, John Laurie, Leslie Dwyer, Hugh Burdon, Jimmy Hanley, William Hartnell, Leo Genn, Renee Asherson.
Directed by Carol Reed.
The Way Ahead was one of the most significant of Britain’s World War Two morale-boosting films. It appeared in the final year of the war. It began as a training film written by Peter Ustinov and novelist Eric Ambler, The New Lot. It was about recruits. However, it is said that some of the army officials were upset by the directness of the film and it was not released.
David Niven then came into the production, from active service, and a feature film was created.
The film was directed by Carol Reed who had established his career with such films as Kipps and The Stars Looked Down. He was to go on to make some classics including The Fallen Idol, The Third Man, Outcast of the Islands. He made several films during the 1960s – but none like the films of his 1940s and 1950s period. However, he did win the Oscar for best director and best film with a non-typical film, the musical, Oliver.
1.The origin of the film? Training and instruction for recruits during World War Two? A feature film? Morale-boosting? Its impact decades later?
2.The skills of Carol Reed, the writing of Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov? The contribution of the cast? The quality of the production?
3.The black and white photography, the British setting, names and dates? North Africa and the Mediterranean? The editing and pace? The songs and the musical score?
4.The end – the beginning? Morale-boosting and propaganda? How effective?
5.The old soldiers, the chorus, amusement, the point?
6.The focus on the one platoon, the introduction to the men, the variety of jobs, the call-up etc? The establishing of the bonds between the men?
7.The call-up, the needs, the effect? Meeting? Fletcher and his being the sergeant? Hard, drill and drill? The jokes about the drill? Perry, the concert, the visit and the baths? The leave, the return? The details of the training, a sense of belonging, change in their attitudes? The sing-song, the ship? The torpedo? The café? Seeing the men finally in action?
8.The group: travel and the poem, the translation? Davenport and the store, fastidious? The young man and his complaints, play? Lloyd and the rent, complaining? Brewer and parliament, whingeing? Parsons and his wife? Luke and the farm?
9.Perry as the officer, his relationship with his wife and daughter? The concert, the bath? On the ship – and service in Africa?
10.Fletcher, his character, hard taskmaster, the complaints? His relationship with Perry? The injury?
11.The portrait of the officers, in charge, attitude towards the privates? Their presence everywhere?
12.The subplot of the wives, their relationship with their husbands, war wives, the hardships? Their solidarity as a group?
13.Morale, towards the end of the war, the experience of five years? Africa, the battles in Africa? The ultimate defeat of the Nazi powers? The film seen and judged in retrospect, from the perspective of Britain after the war, from Germany?
