They Came to a City

1944

Drama / Fantasy

4
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 465 465

Director

Basil Dearden Photo
Basil Dearden

Top cast

Ralph Michael Photo
Ralph Michael as Sergeant Jimmy
Googie Withers Photo
Googie Withers as Alice Foster
Raymond Huntley Photo
Raymond Huntley as Malcolm Stritton
Renee Gadd Photo
Renee Gadd as Dorothy Stritton
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
715.66 MB
1280*974
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
24 fps
1 hr 17 min
Seeds ...
1.3 GB
1420*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
24 fps
1 hr 17 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by richardchatten 6 / 10

City on the Edge of Forever

The main title actually says 'J. B. Priestley's They Came to a City', and the film constitutes the second of three brief wartime flirtations with fantasy by Ealing Studios.Coming late in the war when enlightened opinion was already contemplating what was to come next, the ideals it expressed had already found voice in the Boulting Brothers short 'Dawn Guard' and thematically owed a lot to Sutton Vane's 'Outward Bound', James Hilton's 'Lost Horizon' and Priestley's own 1937 fantasy 'I Have Been Here Before'; while the striking production design seems to show the influence of German silent cinema.Beginning and ending with the genial figure of Mr Priestley ambling on and off, it's not for all tastes, but is certainly quite unlike any other British film before or after.
Reviewed by keithhmessenger 7 / 10

Intriguing And (Probably) Overambitious

Reviewed by Xyler852 7 / 10

Nine strangers mysteriously transported to a unique city.

Nine disagreeable Britons representing different social/economic classes are mysteriously transported to a place with a door. As they wait for the door to open, we get to know them better. Eventually the door opens, and they go explore a city which the audience never sees. T The idea is that post WW2, England should become a more fair and equitable society with people who treat each other well. When the characters find themselves in such a city they have different reactions. It's interesting how some of the selfish ones try to emotionally drag those who want to live in the city back to their miserable lives. There is an episode involving a mother and daughter that is very similar to an episode in C. S. Lewis' novel "The Great Divorce" written 12 years later. It made me wonder if Mr. Lewis ever saw the film. Note: "They Came To A City" is similar to watching a stage play. At only 66 minutes long it's worth a look.
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