Ostensibly, this is just a wartime morale-booster as a group of ladies in a small English hamlet are told of the impending visit of a VIP. With just 24 hours before her arrival, they must spruce up their village and put together some exhibits to demonstrate to their visitor.
This is one of those small films about small matters looming to greatness. It's just a small village making a big fuss about a great occasion falling suddenly upon them, making them all contribute a last great war effort to welcome - Eleanor Roosevelt.
As the film opens, we see a group of women gathering to discuss something of GREAT importance. It turns out the town will have a famous visitor, and they are determined to have everything go just right.
From the title, and from the brief plot summary, you might expect this to be another wartime morale booster. If it is, it is a strange one indeed.
Forget about "This is why we fight" messages; This is a "Life Continues" message story. The wise Flora Robson shines in an understated performance as a wife and mother in a small British community who is thrilled to learn that American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt is coming to their town for a "Good Will" visit.
This is both a delightful and a curious film of the effects of World War Two on rural British life in a small town setting. Throughout the war the women of the town have been supplying woolen goods to Allied Armies in order to do their bit for the war effort, even to the Russians defending Stalingrad.
Great Day is one of those mystery productions that was started and shut down before its completion. The film was very close to completion, but the studio, and Joan, supposedly didn't like what they were seeing.
"Great Day" couldn't be described as a great film by any stretch but it has enough of the incidental pleasures present in so many English movies (for me anyway) to be worth seeing.First of all Eric Portman is outstanding as the pathetic WW1 Captain whose time has passed.
Gosh, what an odd view the other reviews paint of this film's setting! The Women's Institute was a significant voluntary organisation during WW2.
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