Ken Loach (The Angels’ Share) documentary about the UK’s post-WWII Labour government and its programme of nationalisation, showing the background...
Ken Loach (The Angels’ Share) documentary about the UK’s post-WWII Labour government and its programme of nationalisation, showing the background to - and construction of - the country's welfare state that ended up largely dismantled during the Thatcher era. Loach uses archival footage and contemporary interviews with doctors, nurses and trade unionists to make a case for these demolished institutions and emphasise the importance of the National Health Service, Britain’s last such survivor - itself under threat in the present day.
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Where to watch The Spirit of '45
67 %27 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
65 %173 reviewsAudience score rating
"A fond postcard from the era when British socialism with a democratic spirit gripped the nation in a post-war embrace."
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Urban Cinefile
Urban Cinefile"It serves as a moving reminder of how, following the sacrifices of WWII, the British people collectively established a fairer society."
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Total Film
Total Film"The film works all at once as a lament, a celebration and a wake-up call to modern politicians and voters."
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Time Out
Time Out"This film reminds us that admiring the health service has become a distinctively patriotic virtue."
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The Guardian
The Guardian"Often fascinating and impassioned, Loach's doc lapses into polemic towards the end, an understandable side-effect of his granite-strong convictions."
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Empire Magazine
Empire MagazineThe Spirit of '45 | Details
- Rating
- PG, Mild themes
- Runtime
- 98
- Genre
- Documentary
- Country of origin
- UK
