I recall seeing an over the top (propaganda - I presume) film set in WWII. It was about as subtle as a brick to the head and I'd like to watch it again for kitsch value.
Aspects I remember:
- Set in Britain during WWII.
- It was mostly focused around two journalists, a British man and an American woman. She was in England 'learning the trade' before supposedly returning to work on (her father's?) newspaper in the U.S.
- Another seminal character was 'the little man' (he was short, and was often referred to only as 'the little man'). He was a prim, neat, nervous man who headed the 'People for Peace' movement. He was distributing leaflets advising that England should (I cannot quite recall exactly what is was, but..) withdraw from the war(?).
- His employers, who were on his case about making up work time he'd spent on duties related to People for Peace were actually German spies.
- The newspaper man, who is incensed by the actions of the little man approaches a government official about getting him silenced.
- The government official is a secret service guy who advises him to 'just chill - because bigger things are happening involving the little man'.
- The scene in which they spoke was apparently the part of the film where the makers apparently thought - "Gee, we're in danger of coming off as completely humorless tools here, let's throw in some comedy!". So the ha ha was an almost Pythonesque series of calls from the main switchboard, in which the secret service guy would answer the phone, inform the switch operator that the guy they were trying to reach had left this number some time ago, and what his new number was ..only to receive further calls in the same vein at the rate of about 2 per minute.
- At another point in the film someone must have pointed out that the audience might be wondering about the relationship between the two journalists, so at a late point in the film when it looks like the woman is about to be recalled to the states, the man proposes marriage (seemingly) out of the blue, she rejects him on the grounds that she has important things to do when she gets home and he shrugs it off with WTE "Well, there you have it.."
- The action escalates when a bomb falls on the house of the little man. He is not home at the time, but when he sees the devastation he changes his tune and writes a letter retracting everything he'd previously said, and posts it to a newspaper.
- The spy/employers find out, and horrified, demand he retrieve the letter from the newspaper people.
- The little man, fearing for his life, contacts the male journalist and requests the return of the letter, to which the journalist agrees (possibly on the advice/command of the secret service guy). They agree to meet at a train station.
- At the station, the secret service guys manage to catch the German spies and everyone goes home happy ..except the little man, AFAIR he dies in the excitement (a hero at last?).
Can anyone put a name to this movie? It's been bugging me for days..
