| The Bells Go Down | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Basil Dearden |
| Written by | Roger MacDougall and Stephen Black (novel) |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Starring | Tommy Trinder James Mason |
| Music by | Roy Douglas |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Bells Go Down is a 1943 British black-and-white wartime film made byEaling Studios. The reference in the title is to the alarm bells in the fire station that "go down" when a call to respond is made. The film is anensemble piece that covers the period between 27 August 1939 and 9 September 1940, whenWorld War II began and London was subjected to aerial bombing, and is a tribute to the solidarity of not just those engaged in service, but among the British people as a whole.[1]
It was produced byMichael Balcon and directed byBasil Dearden and was intended to give praise to the BritishAuxiliary Fire Service (AFS). Although the plot employs fictitious landmarks and localities, many of the incidental shots were taken at actual fires caused by theair raids on London in the previous two years. A sub-plot depicted the rivalry between the part-time AFS and the full-timeLondon Fire Brigade (the two brigades merged into theNational Fire Service in 1941). The reasons for joining the service, the training and finally the work and tragedy duringSeptember 1940 Blitz on London were shown for several characters. The backgroundnarration was spoken byLeo Genn.[1]
The film was released at nearly the same time as the similarFires Were Started, a fictional "documentary" that used actualfiremen instead of professional actors, and as a result was sometimes reviewed unfavorably by comparison.
The score was originally offered toWilliam Walton, but for various reasons (possibly including that he had lost his own home in the Blitz) he offered it to his musical assistantRoy Douglas.[2]
On 3 September 1939, at the start of World War II, severalEast End Londoners join theLondon County Council Auxiliary Fire Service. Tommy Turk (Trinder) is a light-hearted gambler who avoids work, living with his mother (Varley) who runs a localfish and chip shop. Tommy has bought agreyhound pup he names "Short Head" and hopes to race. Bob Matthews (Friend) is a newcomer to the East End who just lost his job and has to postpone his wedding to Nan Harper (Hiatt) as a result. Tommy and Bob meet in The Hopvine, apub run by Ma and Pa Robbins (Muriel George and Pierce), whose son Ted (Mason) is a fireman with the London Fire Brigade. Ted's girl Susie has just joined the brigade as adispatcher, but Ma Robbins cannot hide her thinly disguised disapproval of Susie's love ofdance halls. The Army won't accept new enlistments, so Tommy persuades Bob to join the AFS with him. Sam, a small-time thief of barrels ofGuinness, inadvertently joins the service while trying to avoid the clutches of Eastchapel Police Constable O'Brien (Richard George), who dogs him with the persistence ofJavert. The three are assigned immediately to the "Q" sub-station of the East End's District 21, set up in a school to train under Ted.
"Q sub" responds to its first call at Christmas. Although the fire is out when they arrive, crusty District Officer MacFarlane (Currie) is impressed with Ted's efforts and posts him, along with Tommy, Sam and Bob, as a crew at District 21's superintendent's station. Nan and Bob finally marry and take aflat near Benjamin's Wharf. She becomes pregnant, suffering fainting spells, and befriends Ma Turk. Ted is reluctant to marry, so Susie goes dancing with ladies' man Tommy as a means of making Ted jealous, while Ted rides Tommy for his apparent aversion to fighting fires. Tommy races Short Head, who perpetually loses, costing not just Tommy, but his fellow firemen who have wagered on her. Sam continues to steal barrels of Guinness, but O'Brien begins to close in.
In August 1940 theBattle of Britain is raging, but London has not yet been bombed. The 21-Q crew have yet to fight a serious fire and have become sensitive about it. Tommy discovers Short Head has been losing because Ma Turk has been feeding herdoughnuts, and he enters her in a high-stakes race on 7 September, planning to wager all his money. His plans are interrupted that afternoon by the first massive German air raid on London, which targets the East End Docks. The widespread fires cause chaos as water lines are broken and AFS crews are pressed into front-line service. Ted saves Tommy's life by using a high-pressure hose to knock him away from adelay-action bomb just before it explodes. The second night of the blitz, the 21-Q crew, still struggling to bring the docks fire under control, have forged bonds with their full-time counterparts and officers in action. Ted's parents are unaccounted for, and Susie goes to find them. The Hopvine has been bombed, but through Susie's persistence, they are found in the cellar and rescued. The next morning, during a break, Tommy learns that Short Head won her race—but he forgot to place the wager.
The third night German bombers return again, creating a huge fire at Benjamin's Wharf, and the District 21 crews are shifted there. Bob finds himself fighting a warehouse fire from inside his own burning flat, which has been declared expendable. However he takes comfort in the knowledge that Nan, about to give birth, is safe with Ma Turk at St John's Hospital. P.C. O'Brien arrives to arrest Sam, but a bomb explosion blows him into theRiver Thames, where Sam rescues him from drowning. Soon they learn that St John's Hospital is also on fire. Chief MacFarlane transfers Ted's crew to the hospital fire and enters the burning building to direct efforts to save the main building. Bob learns that Nan is safe and he has a new son. Another bomb strikes the hospital, trapping Chief MacFarlane. Tommy beats Ted to the ladder and finds the chief, but the building collapses, killing both. Some time after the fire is out, all the survivors and their families gather in the bombed local church to christen the baby, who Nan and Bob have decided to name "Tommy".