SPIRIT OF 45, The
"The film works all at once as a lament, a celebration and a wake-up call to modern politicians and voters." – Time Out London
Focusing on the pivotal post-WWII era in British history, Ken Loach's first feature-length documentary since 1998's The Flickering Flame is a timely, unapologetically polemical call to arms for the Labour spirit that engendered an unprecedented period of progressive politics in the UK, which endured until the rise of Margaret Thatcher.
Exploring the great social and political transformations of the day – from the formation of the NHS to the nationalisation of transport, energy, housing and other areas of public life – through archival footage and impassioned present-day interviews, Loach (The Angels' Share, MIFF 2012) ultimately leaves us to consider how British society has developed since Thatcher and whether today's policymakers should take another look at the socialism of yesteryear.
"An eloquent cry of rage and grief at what we once had and what we've allowed to be taken away from us … Loach challenges us to resist, to fight back against the forces of private greed and indifference." – Sight & Sound
D/S Ken Loach P Rebecca O'Brien, Kate Ogborn, Lisa Marie Russo Dist Rialto Distribution TD DCP/2013