A Call for Arms
A Call For Arms is a short propaganda film made for the British Ministry of Information in 1940. It was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starred Jean Gillie and Rene Ray as two 'nudes' (showgirls) who do their bit for the war effort by going to work in munition factories.[1] It was co-written by a Sgt. Terence Young who worked for Hurst on many projects before, during and after World War II.
| A Call For Arms | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Brian Desmond Hurst |
| Written by | Rodney Ackland Screenplay Brian Desmond Hurst and Sgt. Terence Young |
| Produced by | Brian Desmond Hurst |
| Starring | Jean Gillie Rene Ray Kathleen Harrison Colleen Nolan |
| Edited by | Ralph Kemplen |
Release date | 1940 |
Running time | 8 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
The film opens with the two showgirls coming across a collapsed munitions worker outside the theatre door. "Twelve hour shifts take it out of some of these young 'uns" observes a nearby news-seller. Alongside a billboard gets the message across "Latest War News. Bigger Arms, Speed up. Go For It". The plots follows one of the showgirls signing up at the Labour Exchange for munitions work and tracks her working day. Seeing her friend exhausted the other showgirl signs up. "We've got to win the war you know".
Cast
- Jean Gillie as Irene
- Rene Ray as Joan
- Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. James
References
- Saunders, Tristram. "Betty beats the Nazis: how war propaganda launched a golden age of British film". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 September 2020.