Glorious '39 Poster

Details

Synopsis

Glorious '39 is a tense psychological thriller, from acclaimed director Stephen Poliakoff, about a young woman who uncovers dark secrets about Britain's relationship with Nazi Germany in the lead up to the Second World War.

In present day London a young man explores his family history, asking searching questions of his elderly cousins (Christopher Lee and Corin Redgrave). But as he asks more and more about a woman called Anne - are his motives as simple as they seem?

In the gorgeous summer of 1939, Anne (Romola Garai) seems to live a gilded life - a budding young actress, she's the adopted daughter of Tory grandee Alexander (Bill Nighy) and head-over-heels in love with Foreign Office official Lawrence (Charlie Cox). She discovers some innocent-seeming recordings of meetings - but as she begins to understand quite what her discoveries mean, a tangled web of dark secrets begins to unfurl. People who have come into contact with the recordings are threatened and even die. The innocent certainties on which her life has been based dramatically unravel and amidst a growing sense of menace and betrayal, she has to confront the bitter choice she will be forced to make.

Trailer

 

Reviews

"Glorious 39 is a ripping, old-school conspiracy thriller, played out in the fraught run-up to the second world war"
"Garai is spellbinding, as Poliakoff builds tension against a backdrop of golden cornfields and jazz-filled salon"
Phil de Semlyen, EMPIRE
"Poliakoff's conspiracy thriller about Hitler-pleasers and appalling aristos comes with all the bucolic loveliness you'd expect. But its biggest boost comes from Garai, whose fragile, hypnotic turn should make the actress a gong contender"
Matt Mueller, TOTAL FILM
"Poliakoff cleverly translates the mood of fear and uncertainty in Britain into a dark psychological maze that leads Anne to the edge of insanity."
Stella Papamichael, RADIO TIMES

Awards

  • 0 Award Nominations
  • 0 Award Wins