CHRISTMAS UNDER FIRE [Main Title]

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  • Title: CHRISTMAS UNDER FIRE [Main Title]
  • Film Number: MGH 633
  • Other titles:
  • Summary:
  • Description: The film begins with a darkened shot of the ceiling in a large church, with 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' begins sung in the background. Narrator Quentin Reynolds, seated at a desk in what appears to be his study, tells us that it is Christmas Day in 1940, the year of the Blitz, and that he will shortly be leaving for America, taking the film with him. The singing continues as we see people gathering small Christmas trees - which we are told will be necessary as this Christmas will, like the first Christmas, be celebrated underground. Children are then shown happily gathering branches, and we are assured that - despite the war - England's children "will not be cheated out of the one day they look forward to all year", and that for them at least this Christmas will be as normal as possible. In a continually optimistic tone, Reynolds points out that the absence of countless fathers and sons who are fighting will lessen the degree to which the celebrations are family-oriented, as we are given glimpses of soldiers marching, planes taking off, ships sailing and vehicles in the desert. After drawing attention also to the ambulance men, firefighters, police officers and wardens who remain at their posts within these shores, it is with a slightly graver voice that Reynolds reminds us that not even Christmas Eve will cause the war to stop. The ironic nature of the celebration is conveyed through striking images of "Holly and barbed wire" and "Guns and tinsel". In a defiant yet calm manner, the belief of Napoleon - England's worst enemy long before Hitler - that "England is a nation of shopkeepers", is referred to before England's shopkeepers are praised for the continuation of their professional conduct despite all they have to endure: blasted-out windows; ruined goods; even customers who have been killed. We subsequently witness the shopkeepers putting up old Christmas decorations in their shattered windows. The awareness children have of the changing nature of warfare is demonstrated by the sight of model frontline forts gathering dust on the top shelves while parents buy model aeroplanes as Christmas presents for their children. These scenes are presented with a passing reminder that it is for the children's future that the war is being fought, and with the poignant fact that their familiarity with the planes gives them the pride of being able to distinguish British aircraft from those of the enemy. Cheerful marching music begins as we see boys running around, dressed in pretend uniforms, playing games that mimic what their fathers and elder brothers are genuinely engaged in. Additional ironic contrasts are shown in the form of children rehearsing for pantomimes, to be performed in small theatres untouched by bombing, while above them "spotters watch for aircraft". Reynolds points out that this Christmas will not be England's most cheerful Christmas, but assures us that everyone is endeavouring to make it as cheerful as possible. At this point America's refusal to enter the war is neutrally referred to through relation of the fact that American children will enjoy a normal Christmas - but as a small group of English children decorate a tree, the fact that even they understand the most basic cause for which England fights is emphasised. This Christmas will be a strange one, we are told - but also in many ways a satisfactory one. A girl smiling as she writes a note to her father, surrounded by other children playing happily, makes good the fact that "England has much to be cheerful about". The sad fact that under wartime law church bells cannot ring is explained as we are shown four shots of church towers against the backdrop of the early evening sky. These are followed, firstly, by views of stars shining brightly in the firmament, secondly by a brilliant sunset - with two spotters then silhouetted against the diminishing light. Such images, says Reynolds, are typically associated with Christmas. This Christmas, however, "people will be praying for a dark and windswept night" as "on nights like these, the German bombers stay at home". Various countryside settings are displayed in relative darkness as we are told that such nights are extremely valuable allies. While we watch shepherds tending their sheep, we are reminded that shepherds watched and guarded on the night of Christ's birth. Then we see a shepherd armed and in uniform, watching and guarding over more than his flock. Views of a factory with a smoking chimney followed by the Houses of Parliament, both silhouetted, accompany the assertion that America has no reason to feel sorry for England - as England is not feeling sorry for herself, on the grounds that it was her destiny to hold "the Torch of Liberty", "and she has not dropped it". As a family is reunited in the warmth and comfort of its home, we are assured that the terror sweeping the world will not "let that bright light even flicker". The final message is, firstly, that we should be thankful for having the courage to meet the challenge with which we are faced, as servicemen stand ready for whatever may come their way - representatives of a nation that is "unbeaten, unconquered, unafraid". Secondly, and most importantly - as evening falls - in a warm tone it is affirmed that "England does what England has done for a thousand years. She worships the Prince of Peace". Upon these last words we see a choirboy leading his fellow choristers in 'O Come All Ye Faithful', and as the carol continues the camera descends an escalator onto the platform of an underground station, with a small Christmas tree at that end and many people asleep (calling to mind the fact that on the night of Christ's birth there was no room at the inn). Particularly resonant is the image of a young mother wrapping her blanket around her baby as they lie on the platform - in conditions similar to those endured by the Holy Family. The organ rises to a triumphant crescendo, then the captions 'The End' appear.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: MGH 633
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: Attribution: © IWM (MGH 633)
  • Featured Period:
  • Production Date: 1941
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor) Crown Film Unit (Production company) Watt, Raymond Egerton Harry1906-10-181987-04-02British documentary film maker (Production individual) Hasse, Charles (Production individual) Reynolds, Quentin (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 872 ft; Running time: 8 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MGH 633

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