Their Finest * * * 1/2

  

Is that bombs?
No, it's just Phil reviewing us.

There are a few stories going on In this light hearted drama of an English film production company in 1940.  One of them is the propaganda drama they are making, “The Nancy Starling”, which has some of the most contrived and corny scenes you are ever likely to encounter.  

    But despite that, what we see of “The Nancy Starling”  is often more exciting than the real film - Their Finest -  which seems to be searching for a direction.

    Like most films produced in ‘’WWII, “The Nancy Starling” has to be on a limited budget, it has to make a contribution to the war effort, it has to have mass appeal, and it has to be very uplifting and reassuring to the people of England.  They also want it to appeal to the Americans to encourage their involvement in the war. Consequently the writers of “Nancy Starling”, as portrayed in Their Finest need to get sharp!

    Gemma Arterton plays Catrin Cole, a Welsh girl with limited writing experience, brought in to write “slop” dialogue, which is the most unflattering term they had for the lines given to women in films. They soon discover she has much greater skills as she begins to reformulate scripts and finds ways to work around  impositions put upon "The Nancy Starling" by the War Office and the Ministry for this or that, who apparently all fancied themselves as experts on cinema during the war.

    Their Finest is quite an informative film in that respect.  It also lets us know that Cinema attendance virtually doubled during the second World War as folks sought reprieve from the daily hardship and worry.

     Working in crowded smoky script department, she and her colleagues often ignore the blitz sirens to get the script done. Catrin Cole lives with her husband an artist, but she is developing feeling for her fellow scriptwriter.

     At times there is a sense of meandering and lack of direction in Their Finest, and you wish it was subject to the same discipline as "The Nancy Starling", but that is a small complaint, as it’s lack of a strong storyline is compensated by the highly amusing characters that come with it.  Plus it looks fabulous!  Bill Nighy playing a tired and vain old actor who doesn’t understand his better days are behind him is especially good.