They Came to a City
Directed by Basil Dearden
Written by JB Priestley
BFI Dual Format Edition release on 23 April 2018
A rarely seen classic of British cinema, Ealing Studios’ They Came to a City was directed by Basil Dearden (The Captive Heart, Victim) and stars John Clements, Googie Withers and Raymond Huntley.
On 23 April 2018 it will be made available for home viewing for the first time, released by the BFI on Blu-ray/DVD in a Dual Format Edition, in a new 2K transfer from the best surviving 35mm element. Special features include complementary films preserved in the BFI National Archive and an audio NFT Lecture by producer Michael Balcon from 1969.
Nine disparate Britons are transported to a mysterious city where, according to their class and disposition, they find themselves either in an earthly paradise of peace and equality or a hell starved of ambition and riches. From the pen of JB Priestley, this fantastical allegory is a striking expression of post-war utopian impulses and among Ealing Studios’ most unusual features.
Special features
• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• Michael Balcon NFT Lecture (audio only, 1969, 59 mins): the producer discusses his career
• We Live in Two Worlds (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1937, 14 mins): a GPO film about communications technology, narrated by JB Priestley
• Britain at Bay (Harry Watt, 1940, 7 mins): a wartime morale-booster narrated by JB Priestley
• A City Reborn (John Eldridge, 1945, 22 mins): a propaganda film written by Dylan Thomas, highlighting plans for post-war reconstruction
• Charley in New Town (Joy Batchelor and John Halas, 1948, 9 mins): an animated short on post-war new towns
• Your Very Good Health (Joy Batchelor and John Halas, 1948, 9 mins): an animated short on the new National Health Service
• Illustrated booklet with essays by Dr Josephine Botting, Alan Burton, Tim O’Sullivan, Katy McGahan and Jenny Stewart, and full film credits
Product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1310 / Cert U
UK / 1944 / black and white / 78 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.37:1 / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) / DVD9: 25fps, PCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/16-bit)
They Came to a City
Moderator: MichaelB
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
They Came to a City
Full specs announced:
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- Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:47 am
Re: They Came to a City
These 2 hrs of video and audio extras - and the usual indispensable booklet - look spectacularly and generously on target for this title.
(I wonder if the film will open with “Raymond Rohauer presents” like the only available VHS sourced discs currently on backchannels..?)
(I wonder if the film will open with “Raymond Rohauer presents” like the only available VHS sourced discs currently on backchannels..?)
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: They Came to a City
Unless Rohauer has a legitimate claim to the current UK rights, I doubt it.
- Dr Amicus
- Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:20 am
- Location: Guernsey
Re: They Came to a City
This has been high on my want to watch list for ages, partly for the sheer unlikeliness of it and partly to see how it fits in to the whole New Jerusalem mythology of postwar Britain. If anyone has read Charles Barr's book on Ealing recently, does he cover this in any detail? Its been 15 years since I last read it and I don't have a copy.
- DeprongMori
- Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:59 am
- Location: San Francisco
Re: They Came to a City
They Came To A City is a well-assembled release and a true pleasure to explore. I’m just starting to make my way through British cinema from the documentary movement, through the war and its aftermath, and on through to the Woodfall films. I was unfamiliar with this particular film, and I enjoyed its stagey structure and its sense of possibility and challenge ahead in rebuilding the country. The supplements provide tremendous context.
Like Dr. Amicus, I’m a bit fascinated by the use of “New Jerusalem” imagery in cinema during this period. I’ve poked a bit on JSTOR, but am interested if anyone knows some good resources on the subject.
Like Dr. Amicus, I’m a bit fascinated by the use of “New Jerusalem” imagery in cinema during this period. I’ve poked a bit on JSTOR, but am interested if anyone knows some good resources on the subject.