Verdict: Fascinating history with profound modern relevance
The 28th cinematic film by the veteran social realist Loach takes a nostalgic look at a period in Britain when the word "socialism" was a rallying cry and not an insult. At the same time, and more pungently, it challenges present-day Britons to find some of that same spirit.
"Socialism" is the word proudly uttered by Clement Attlee as he proclaims victory in the 1945 election, barely two months after the end of the war in Europe.
At this remove, it's easy to forget several key things about this time: that Britain between the wars was a miserable, inequitable poverty stricken society; that soldiers returned from service determined that the collective organisation that had defeated Hitler would end social injustice; and, as a result, that Churchill, for all his inspiring wartime leadership, became seen, the instant the war ended, as an aloof patrician.
