The Way We Live

Here's an interesting film, called 'The Way We Live', which was shot in Plymouth in 1945. It stars Patsy Scantlebury as Alice Copperwheat whose family's house is destroyed in the Blitz and they're billeted at Horrabridge before moving into a newly built pre-fab. The film starts with a writer, played by Peter Willes, travelling to Plymouth to see what the new plans for the rebuilding of the city involve. There is interesting footage showing Plymouth devasted - only a few buildings remained complete in the city centre after the heavy bombing. Seeing it as moving footage somehow makes it all more real and it almost appears more recent than just looking at photographs. There are clips of the Hoe which includes dancing on the Promenade and also film of Efford, the Barbican, the railway station and many other areas around the city.

 

The film was financed by J Arthur Rank and was directed by Jill Craigie, who later became Mrs Michael Foot. A young Michael Foot appears in later parts of the film together with Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the architect of the new city, Winston Churchill, Lady Astor and James Paton Watson, the city engineer. Rank's accountant tried to halt the production of the film half way through because he felt that it wasn't commercial enough for general release. The film went ahead after Craigie appealed to Rank and trial runs were hosted at cinemas that were usually hostile to documentary films. The audience of one East End cinema booed it but after it was championed by a notable film critic, the film was released nationwide.

Amazingly, it broke all box office records in Plymouth and one audience member said that it, 'revived the interest of the man in the street in what was to be done to erase the scar which lies across the city.' Watching the film today, it's hard to imagine that people were ever so posh. It's interesting to watch though to see how the city has changed over the last 65 years and I can see how people then would have been very impressed with the new city centre after the devastation of the old one. Peter Willes, who played the writer in the film, went on to appear in bit parts in future movies before becoming a executive producer on many tv productions throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the other actors in the film though were never heard of again. Patsy Scantlebury, who lived in St Budeaux, was chosen for the role after being seen on Plymouth Hoe jitterbugging with an American sailor. At the time, she was just 17. She had previously worked in a post office. Patsy signed a seven year contract with Rank and played an air hostess in 'Blind Goddess' as Patsy Drake. There doesn't seem to be much information about her after this but today, she would be about 82.