Britain and The Blitz Movie Review: This nuanced take on war is devoid of jingoism

Filmmaker Ella Wright's documentary film Britain and The Blitz captures the eight-month bombing campaign, The Blitz, against the United Kingdom perpetrated by the Nazi German forces from the September of 1940 till May 1941. Contrary to several films that depict war with some form of romanticisation, Britain and The Blitz is deeply nuanced.

Primarily targeting the capital city of London, the air raids resulted in the dropping of over 40,000 tons of bombs across England. Ella conveys her anti-war message by carefully picking stories of certain people, without making any ostensible attempt through narration. Moreover, even in a film about a particular episode from World War 2, she has managed to share relevant details about the social life of England back then. Not just the bigger picture, but all the smaller pictures too, matter. The man-made disaster was given a nuanced portrayal with real accounts of economic breakdown and the making and breaking of love stories. While it is ideal for a nation to unite in the face of an external challenge, the film shares the bitter truth that a nation will turn against itself during war. As mentioned earlier, London was the biggest casualty of Hitler's wrath, resulting in people migrating to safer towns and villages to escape death. This migration turned the local inhabitants against the Londoners and the British government. The film gains from such minute takes on a country in turmoil.

Director: Ella Wright
Cast: Edith Heap, Charlotte Salkind, King George VI, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler

The 21-year-old Royal Air Force (RAF) radar plotter Edith Heap, in her account, adds that the silver lining in this crisis is the emancipation of women, as they stepped out to wear the uniforms in large numbers in support of their country. Ella perfectly pictures these moments as not something worth hooting and cheering. Instead, she uses them as a dig at the hypocrisy that it took Hitler and The Blitz for British men of the 20th century to respect women. It was a moving juncture when she said she realised, without anyone pointing out, that her fiance Dennis' aircraft—who was also in the RAF—was shot down by the Germans.

Ella's narrative style and intent get more dignified as she also chooses to include the perspective of some German soldiers, who also disdained the war. One of Hitler's Air Force pilots says, "The very moment the flight took off, I wondered if I will ever go to my home again," precisely accentuates the argument that it is natural for humans not to harm others and that hatred is something learned. This dilemma of whether to stick to your innate humanistic nature or embrace brinkmanship is aptly captured when an old man says, "Berlin has to be bombed. I am sorry for the women and children of Germany, but what about the women and children in England?"

The colourisation of the events allows some semblance of modernity but it would have been a better experience if the footage were restored and retained the monochrome tone to achieve authenticity. However, this doesn't undercut the noble thought Ella wanted to share with the rest of the world that war should only be a last resort that you grudgingly agree to get involved in and not be welcomed with excitement.