335. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society; movie review

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY & POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
Cert 12A
121 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate bloody images, sex references

One of my first childhood memories is a holiday in Guernsey in the late 1960s. I recall the beaches, the red poppies, the kids at our guest house and the coastal look-outs which I was told dated back to wartime.
I wish I had been old enough to ask further questions.
Being a 60s child meant I grew up with so many war stories that they didn't seem particularly special after a while.
But if I take a pace back I realise that we were in Guernsey only 25 years after it was occupied and that meant that the hoteliers, shopkeepers and ice cream vendors would have all had stories to tell.
Or perhaps they would not have wanted to...
That would be the impression left from the islanders during Mike Newell's The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society.
This is a love story wrapped up in a slice of wartime defiance against the occupying Germans.
It stars Lily James as Juliet Ashton, a successful author who has been corresponding with one of the society's members (Michiel Huisman).
Such has been the intrigue surrounding his words that she decides, on a whim, to visit the island and the society, just a year after war has ended and feelings about the occupation are still raw.
Thus, she makes friends with the society's handful of members (Huisman, Penelope Wilton, Tom Courtenay, Katherine Parkinson) but not its founder (Jessica Brown Findlay) who is mysteriously missing.
Revelations about the islanders begin to seep out as she starts asking questions about what happened during the war and, as answers are revealed, she becomes more and more engrossed in Guernsey life.
Meanwhile, she has to keep sweet both her fiance (Glen Powell) and publicity agent (Matthew Goode).
James's performance here has more depth than the flighty young Donna in Mamma Mia 2 but her characters' propensity for falling in love is on a par.
Here, she agrees to marry the wealthy American but then swoons over the swarthy pig farmer (Huisman) on Guernsey.
Meanwhile, scandal is still in the air following the German occupation with talk of collusion and worse.
I didn't expect to enjoy Newell's film but those distant childhood memories and a fascination with the history of the Second World War was the bait and the intriguing nature of the storyline had me hooked.
It also looks great and really rekindles the 40s look and atmosphere.

Reasons to watch: Nice blend of historical fact and fiction
Reasons to avoid: Might be overly schmaltzy for some

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Director quote - Mike Newell: "I remember the end of the war and how incredibly bleak everything was. My dad was working in the building trade. He did a lot of work immediately after the war on bomb damage repair and I used to go up to him in London to all these sites."

The big question - how long was it before wartime grudges were forgotten on the Channel Islands?

Share this post