Yes, "This Happy Breed" is the title I was searching for. It is not a
film of propaganda as much as it is an extremely nationalistic look at
things in the early 30s. It is a kind of "Eastenders" but I would argue
that "Eastenders", especially in the first couple of years, was very good
at presenting ideas and commentary about British urban society in the
Thatcher era, although its lack of realism on the race issue was a problem
and it received criticism because of it. In the "Happy Breed" there are
however references to Baldwin and the like and it is a film contemporary
with its subject (as opposed to most of the others suggested). On "Odd
Many Out" the director Carol Reed was limited by law as to what he could
and could not reveal about the IRA and I find the film's portrayal of the
ethos of republicanism, its martyriology, the artist manque living off the
dying rebel, the stereotype of the republican women, its piercing analysis
of a whole host of Irish "types" to be dead on. I do not think it is just
about bank robbers and its oblique references to the IRA in no way hide
what it is about. It was also filmed on location in Belfast and its
verisimilitude would be very hard to beat.
sean farrell moran
dept of history
oakland univ