I'd say it's definitely achieved cult status; my wife recently mentioned Thora Hird with a machine gun in reference to something else. The Secret Village by Humphrey Jennings is another Nazis in Britain film made during the war, transposing the Lidice massacre to Wales. Cavalcanti and Jennings worked together at thr GPO Film Unit.
I find the scene of the Postmistress killing her guard really shocking, even now. I think it still holds up very well overall. And it appears to have heavily influenced/inspired The Eagle has Landed. Bramley End may be a nostalgic romanticised glimpse of a bygone England, but there’s pure evil there!
According to Wikipedia, Philip "Your name vill also go on ze list" Madoc "studied languages at University College Cardiff and the University of Vienna" and "presented an educational 1960s BBC television series, Komm mit! Wir sprechen Deutsch: German by television." He still played the Dad's Army U-boat captain with a Welsh accent, if you ask me.
Have you seen Private Schultz (which went the other way on Germans passing for Britons)? (Trailer here: https://youtu.be/EH4e9vUiftE?si=SafW1ROWimWkBitO This is all YouTube has.) Michael Elphick is parachuted into Southern England along with £5M in notes arrives in a pub at opening time wearing a bowler hat and plus fours and orders a coffee and is immediately rumbled (although he's also been betrayed).
Thanks Damien for bringing this wonderful film back to my attention.
Regarding its cult status, for people of my generation (I am in my mid-60’s) this film has a great deal of resonance. We grew up on British war films of the 1940’s to 60’s shown on TV, and this one stood out as unique in its setting, plot, atmosphere, and message.
I saw it only twice I think in the 1980’s but it made a deep impression on me and my friends who also watched it. We thought it was awesome, especially in its portrayal of women, and it was much talked about.
We would not have thought of it as a ‘cult classic’ because we didn’t think in those terms.
We’d probably all willingly watch it again though.
I'd say it's definitely achieved cult status; my wife recently mentioned Thora Hird with a machine gun in reference to something else. The Secret Village by Humphrey Jennings is another Nazis in Britain film made during the war, transposing the Lidice massacre to Wales. Cavalcanti and Jennings worked together at thr GPO Film Unit.
I find the scene of the Postmistress killing her guard really shocking, even now. I think it still holds up very well overall. And it appears to have heavily influenced/inspired The Eagle has Landed. Bramley End may be a nostalgic romanticised glimpse of a bygone England, but there’s pure evil there!
According to Wikipedia, Philip "Your name vill also go on ze list" Madoc "studied languages at University College Cardiff and the University of Vienna" and "presented an educational 1960s BBC television series, Komm mit! Wir sprechen Deutsch: German by television." He still played the Dad's Army U-boat captain with a Welsh accent, if you ask me.
Have you seen Private Schultz (which went the other way on Germans passing for Britons)? (Trailer here: https://youtu.be/EH4e9vUiftE?si=SafW1ROWimWkBitO This is all YouTube has.) Michael Elphick is parachuted into Southern England along with £5M in notes arrives in a pub at opening time wearing a bowler hat and plus fours and orders a coffee and is immediately rumbled (although he's also been betrayed).
Thanks Damien for bringing this wonderful film back to my attention.
Regarding its cult status, for people of my generation (I am in my mid-60’s) this film has a great deal of resonance. We grew up on British war films of the 1940’s to 60’s shown on TV, and this one stood out as unique in its setting, plot, atmosphere, and message.
I saw it only twice I think in the 1980’s but it made a deep impression on me and my friends who also watched it. We thought it was awesome, especially in its portrayal of women, and it was much talked about.
We would not have thought of it as a ‘cult classic’ because we didn’t think in those terms.
We’d probably all willingly watch it again though.