''We'll Meet Again'' is a 1943 British

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by Philip Brandon and starring

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is Honorific nicknames in popular music, honorifically known ...

. The plot is loosely based on the life of its star, otherwise known as Britain's "

Forces' Sweetheart Forces Sweetheart (or Forces' Sweetheart) is an accolade given to entertainers, actors and singers. Originally the term was used in the United Kingdom to note popular showbiz personalities that became a favourite of soldiers in the British Arm ...

Plot

The film is set during the

blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, several ships of the Prussian, Imperia ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Peggy is a young dancer in a

music hall. When the audience are invited to stay in the hall during a raid she is invited to sing to entertain them and is praised for her singing voice. Peggy's best male friend Frank Foster is an aspiring songwriter and they work together on new tunes, largely in the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

style. Meanwhile, she encourages the young boy in the family to leave London as part of the evacuation plans. Although she's reluctant at first to sing, she finally does, debuting with a song "After the Rain". An old school friend, the

kilt A kilt ( ) is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Highland dress for men, it is first r ...

-wearing Bruce McIntosh, returns on leave from the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

and starts to seeing Peggy. However, he confesses his love is for Peggy's friend, Ruth. Peggy reunites them and sings Ave Maria at their wedding. Peggy and her friend record a demo of a tune they wrote and it accidentally gets played on BBC radio. Frank gets a letter inviting him to the BBC but they explain they are interested only in the singer. Peggy insists, successfully, that they give Frank a contract too. She quickly becomes a star. She makes a special radio broadcast on

St Andrew's Day Saint Andrew's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Andrew or Andermas, is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle. It is celebrated on 30 November, during Scotland's Winter Festival. Saint Andrew is the disciple in the New Testament who introduc ...

. She makes a dedication to Bruce and tells him he is a father, but she later is told he did not hear it as he was on patrol and is now

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

. However it turns out he was only wounded. Peggy and Frank give an open air concert to several hundred RAF crew, singing "Sincerely Yours" and "

We'll Meet Again "We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, resonating with ...

" and the film ends.

Cast

as Peggy Brown * Geraldo as Gerry *

Patricia Roc Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as '' Madonna of the Seven Moons'' (1945) and ''The Wicked Lady'' (1945), though she on ...

as Ruth Cole * Ronald Ward as Frank Foster *

Donald Gray Donald Gray (born Eldred Owermann Tidbury, 3 March 1914 – 7 April 1978) was a South African actor, well known for his starring role in the British TV series '' Mark Saber'', for providing the voices of Colonel White, Captain Black and the ...

as Bruce McIntosh *

Frederick Leister Frederick Leister (1 December 1885 – 24 August 1970), was an English actor. He began his career in musical comedy and after serving in the First World War he played character roles in modern West End plays and in classic drama. He appeared in ...

as Mr. Hastropp *

Betty Jardine Betty Jardine (17 April 1903 – 28 February 1945) was a British stage actress, stage and film actress. She began as an actress in Manchester in 1926. In 1934 she made her West End theatre, West End debut in ''Disharmony'' at the Fortune Theatr ...

as Miss Bohne *

Brefni O'Rorke Brefni O'Rorke (26 June 1889 – 11 November 1946) was an Irish actor, both on the stage and in movies. Early life O'Rorke was born as William Francis Breffni O'Rorke at 2 Esplande Villas in Dollymount, Clontarf, Dublin on 26 June 1889, and b ...

as Doctor Drake * Marian Spencer as Mrs. Crump *

Lesley Osmond Lesley Osmond (23 November 1921 – March 1987) was a British actress. She appeared in the West End theatre, West End in the 1944 play ''The Rest is Silence (play), The Rest is Silence'' and the 1953 musical ''The Glorious Days''. Selected filmo ...

as Sally *

Aubrey Mallalieu Aubrey Mallalieu (8 June 1873 – 28 May 1948) was an English actor with a prolific career in supporting roles in films in the 1930s and 1940s. Mallalieu began life as George William Mallalieu, the son of William Mallalieu (c. 1845–1927), a ...

as stage door keeper

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "The story is simple and the varied situations lack originality, but Vera Lynn's charming voice and extensive repertoire of songs more than atone. The acting on the whole is good, especially the comedy of Frank Leister as Mr. Hartropp of the B.B.C. and of Betty Jardine as his earnest secretary." ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' called the film "a fine morale booster which served its purpose in 1942."

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...

wrote, "not a great film by a long way, but it's a rich – and rarely-seen – slice of nostalgia."

External links

References

{{Vera Lynn 1943 films British black-and-white films British musical films 1943 musical films Battle of Britain films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films English-language musical films