The Weaker Sex (1948): Wartime Slice of Life Poignancy

[moira finnie]

The Weaker Sex (1948), a small scale English movie shown on TCM early this morning was beautifully crafted by talented hands behind & before the camera. Notably, cinematographer Erwin Hillier, (whose b & w night scenes were beautifully composed and lit here, as was his work in the films in which he collaborated with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger), and a familiar and likable cast headed by Ursula Jeans and Cecil Parker, added to this ironically titled film. Set around the central event of D-Day preparations and the aftermath of all the concentrated activity on the war, it demonstrated the emotional ripples of such events throughout the lives of the characters, centering on the household of Jeans, her children, and the military service personnel who come in and out of their lives as boarders during the war.

While some might dismiss this as a trite movie about inconsequential people in a great turning point in history, the strength of this film is that detailed, largely domestic focus on the wartime anxieties, hard work and, of course, usually stoic British attitudes toward the war. This was heightened by the skilled filmmakers' ability to show the emotional ebbs and tides surging beneath the seemingly placid surface of the characters' lives. One illustration of this was the work of character lead Cecil Parker as a middle aged naval officer and widow Ursula Jeans as they quietly realized that what he, at least, had assumed was their comfy "platonic friendship" was deeper than either had fully realized. Classic character actress Thora Hird, as a hardworking domestic whose brain doesn't seem to be firmly connected to her voice--though that doesn't stop her prattling--even when no one listens or replies to her, creates a vivid little portrait of a flesh & blood woman rather than a walking cliche. A quick glance at Miss Hird's bio, found here, reveals that in her 8 decades long career, (yes, you read that correctly), she brought first hand knowledge of life's ups and downs to her character's life view in this film. Hird's humor and humanity are a delight whenever she comes into a scene.

Overall a minor motion picture, I suppose, but nicely done, and it's delightful to see TCM showing so many more British films of late.

[Erebus]

I too enjoyed this movie very much, only in part for its portrayal of the noble sacrifice of those engaged in the "good fight", much as in Mrs. Miniver. I think I prefer "The Weaker Sex" to "In Which We Serve" in terms of how they are constructed.

Two hours later I got totally caught up in "The Young Lovers", mostly for the romance but also because the Cold War remains so real to me. From 1963-66 my family was stationed in northern France with the U.S. Air Force. During that time two of the reconnaissance planes from our base were shot down over East Germany, having "wandered" over the border. It's easy to forget how hot the Cold War remained even in its more routine aspects.