War Years (1939-1945)

Click on the images to enlarge

Carol Reed's main contribution to the war effort was the Peter Ustinov and Eric Ambler scripted The Way Ahead (1944). Set in the desert of North Africa and starring David Niven, Reed's film reveals the horrors of combat and the need to pull together with resolve in the line of duty.

Carol Reed skilfully focuses on the real drama of the battlefield to create the notion of patriotism and the willingness to die for King and Country that also inspires love and self-sacrifice to dramatically stir the viewer's imaginings

As Benedict Anderson argues, communities are largely imagined, since the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow members, meet them or even hear of them. However, there is in the mind of each person an image of their community -however imagined to create a sense of belonging.

Nigel Arthur