''The Gentle Sex'' is a 1943 British

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

romantic comedy-drama war film,

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and narrated by Leslie Howard. It was produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films, and

Derrick de Marney Derrick Raoul Edouard Alfred De Marney (21 September 1906 – 18 February 1978) was an English stage and film actor and producer, of French and Irish ancestry. Actor The son of Violet Eileen Concanen and Arthur De Marney, and the grandson of ...

. ''The Gentle Sex'' was Howard's last film before his death.

Synopsis

The documentary-drama follows seven women from different backgrounds who meet at an

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

training camp. "Gentle" British girls, they are now doing their bit to help out in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

: driving lorries and manning

ack-ack Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

batteries. Leslie Howard provides slightly sarcastic narration throughout the film. The girls are allowed to socialise at organised dances with local male troops. Music is contemporary (big band swing) and dancing includes the jitterbug. Several of the girls find romance. The narrator points out that "war is never kind to lovers".

Cast

Best source is a
BFI

ATS volunteers

* Joan Gates as Gwen Hayden *

Jean Gillie A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

as Dot Hopkins * Joan Greenwood as Betty Miller *

Joyce Howard Joyce Howard (28 February 1922 in London – 23 November 2010 in Santa Monica, California) was an English actress, writer, and film executive. After studying at RADA, she was spotted by film director Anthony Asquith in a play at London's Emb ...

as Anne Lawrence *

Rosamund John Rosamund John (19 October 1913 – 27 October 1998), born Nora Rosamund Jones, was an English film and stage actress. Early life She was born and brought up in Tottenham in North London, the daughter of Frederick Henry Jones, a wine merchant' ...

as Maggie Fraser * Lilli Palmer as Erna Debruski *

Barbara Waring Barbara Waring ( Barbara Alice Waring Gibb; 1 August 1911 – April 1990) was an English actress, screenwriter, and playwright. Biography Barbara Alice Waring Gibb was born on 1 August 1911 in Kent, England, the daughter of Dr. J. A. Gibb.Mosley ...

as Joan Simpson

Other characters

John Justin John Justin (24 November 1917 – 29 November 2002) was a British stage and film actor. Early life John Justinian de Ledesma was born in Knightsbridge, London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his fathe ...

as Flying Officer David Sheridan * Mary Jerrold as Mrs Sheridan * John Laurie as Corporal Alexander Balfour * Elliott Mason as Mrs Fraser *

Harry Welchman Harry Welchman (24 February 1886 – 3 January 1966) was an English star of musical theatre. He made several appearances in non-musical plays, but was remembered as, in the words of ''The Times'', "perhaps the most popular musical comedy hero on th ...

as Captain Ferrier * Miles Malleson as train guard *

Jimmy Hanley Jimmy Hanley (22 October 1918 – 13 January 1970) was an English actor who appeared in the popular Huggetts film series, and in ITV's most popular advertising magazine programme, ''Jim's Inn'', from 1957 to 1963. Early life Born in Norwich, N ...

as first soldier on train * Meriel Forbes as Davis, junior commander * Rosalyn Boulter as Sally, telephonist * Tony Bazell as Ted * Frederick Leister as Colonel Lawrence * Everley Gregg as Miss Simpson * Noreen Craven as convoy sergeant * Frederick Peisley as second soldier on train * Ronald Shiner (as Ronnie Shiner) as the racing punter in the pub *

Roland Pertwee Roland Pertwee (15 May 1885 – 26 April 1963) was an English playwright, film and television screenwriter, director and actor. He was the father of ''Doctor Who'' actor Jon Pertwee and playwright and screenwriter Michael Pertwee. He was al ...

as captain * Nicholas Stuart (actor) as Canadian private * Frank Atkinson (actor) as lorry driver *

Peter Cotes Peter Cotes (19 March 1912 – 10 November 1998) was an English director, producer, actor, writer and production manager. Cotes was born as Sydney Boulting in Maidenhead, Berkshire. His brothers John and Roy Boulting became noted film makers. He ...

as Taffy * Maud Dunham as Mrs Miller * Leslie Howard as narrator ("observations of a mere man") * and various appearances by members of HM Forces

Box office

''Kinematograph Weekly'' listed a series of films that were "runners up" in its survey of the most popular films in Britain in 1943: ''The Gentle Sex'', '' The Lamp Still Burns'', ''

Dear Octopus ''Dear Octopus'' is a comedy by the playwright and novelist Dodie Smith. It opened at the Queen's Theatre, London on 14 September 1938. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the run was halted after 373 performances; after a ...

'' and ''

The Adventures of Tartu ''The Adventures of Tartu'' (alternate British title and American release title: ''Sabotage Agent'', also known as ''Tartu'') is a 1943 British Second World War spy film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Robert Donat. It was a morale b ...

''.

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

noted "some lucid and funny moments in a capable and intelligent production for its time"; and Billy Mowbray wrote, for Film 4, "if only social history was this good at school. Funny, fascinating and probably unlike any film you've seen before, ''The Gentle Sex'' is a bona fide cultural treasure."

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gentle Sex, The 1943 films 1940s romantic comedy-drama films 1940s war comedy-drama films British black-and-white films British romantic comedy-drama films Films directed by Leslie Howard Films produced by Leslie Howard Two Cities Films films British World War II propaganda films British war comedy-drama films 1943 war films 1940s English-language films