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The Spirit of '45

Play trailer Poster for The Spirit of '45 2013 1h 39m Documentary History Drama Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Filmmaker Ken Loach traces the history of Britain's welfare state after World War II.

Critics Reviews

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Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com 03/17/2023
3.5/4
A terrific movie all on its own, giving us details about a specific period of history in a specific country that commercial films and TV platforms for obvious reasons won't touch. Go to Full Review
Ben Kenigsberg New York Times 03/16/2023
There is a powerful historical case to be made here, but it requires engaging with nuance, not merely expressing conviction. Go to Full Review
William Repass Slant Magazine 03/12/2023
2.5/4
Is there any reason why the public spirit we so desperately need can’t be reflected in a more revolutionary style? Go to Full Review
Armond White National Review 03/30/2023
Loach reduces his protest cinema to cheap nostalgia. Go to Full Review
Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru 03/18/2023
Dry, academic and exhausting without being fair and balanced. Go to Full Review
Craig Williams CineVue 02/12/2019
3/5
A shame that Loach's latest has all the political sophistication of a students' union protest... As it stands, it's a respectable but flawed portrait of national endurance. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Grant B @MarmiteLens 14h When people from the UK refer to the post war consensus and how we went from a harsh unregulated brutal capitalist model with factory owners only concern being profit for their shareholders (sound familiar)to the detriment of the working and middle classes of the 1930s to the 'never again' and 'it's our turn now' mentality of 1945-51 and until 1979 as a political consensus. Watch and weep as the dream is lost post 1979. There is an alternative in the 2020s and this is it. But it comes with a fight. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Oct 4 Real footage in 1 hour and 39 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 03/28/2020 Honorably clear language. It takes you through a Socialist journey in the UK, visiting several industries and e.g. the implementation of a nationwide free healthcare system. It is easy to watch, understandable, does not feel biased at all from my point of view. The cinematography is stunning! See more 04/04/2015 Great documentary on the British Labour Party election of 1945 where the people voted in a social democratic government which nationalized healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and other public services. While definitely more propaganda than a critical or analytical documentary, Ken Loach documents the accounts of ordinary people who saw in that government the vision of a democratic and socialist society. See more 03/02/2014 Interesting, thought provoking and timely look at how and why the welfare state and nationalisation of major industries took shape and how and why they have been undone over the last 35 years and at what cost. While I was watching it occurred to me that if there was 30+ years between WW2 and Thatcher, time enough for people to forget what it was like before, there has now been just as long since Thatcher came to power. This isn't on a list of the most essential films in history but is a very good film to watch and consider where the world sits today. See more 02/16/2014 Just amazing, if you watch one political documentary this year make it this one. See more Read all reviews
The Spirit of '45

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Ken Loach traces the history of Britain's welfare state after World War II.
Director
Ken Loach
Producer
Rebecca O'Brien, Kate Ogborn, Lisa Marie Russo
Screenwriter
Ken Loach
Genre
Documentary, History, Drama, Animation
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 17, 2017
Runtime
1h 39m