The Gentle Sex (1943) User Reviews

Informative, mildly entertaining

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 6/10 · 10 June 2005]

I imagine this film was originally made as a tool to inform the contemporary public of what war work for those women who enlisted would actually consist; as it happens, to the modern descendants of those largely-forgotten ATS volunteers, it performs the same service.

The answer, apparently, is that they underwent quasi-military training in order to fit them to take over auxiliary roles performed in pace-time by men, thus releasing more soldiers for actual combat: they served as mechanics and drivers, tea-orderlies and telephonists, and, in a rare show of belligerence, assisted as anti-aircraft gunners. I must confess to never being quite clear how the drilling and marching fitted into all this, save to inculcate a general sense of military identity!

'The Gentle Sex' is basically a documentary about these women's lives and training, and there is very little plot as such. There is one dance and a couple of romances, a marathon drive in which no-one falls asleep at the wheel and no-one is left behind, and a bombing raid in which none of the characters are hurt. The women are drawn from a cross-section of types: bossy Joan and gentle Scots Maggie, the pampered baby and the damaged refugee, the sharp shop-girl and the officer's daughter.

Perhaps the most striking moment is when the latter, Anne, goes off into an artificial-sounding speech about how her generation are the first in history to be truly liberated and serve alongside men that had my hackles rising instinctively with its too-obvious message... and then she is quietly deflated by her fiancé's mother mentioning how she herself met her husband after she was wounded while on service at the front in the previous war, and still has the piece of shrapnel to show for it! It's just as much propaganda as the other, of course, but it's an astute acknowledgement and subversion of the film's own potentially preachy effect.

The only reason I initially sat down to watch this picture was because of its curiosity status as 'Leslie Howard's last film', although his on-screen appearance is limited to supplying the voice of the sceptical but finally won-over 'mere male observer' who provides the linking commentary. I can't honestly recommend it as a gripping thriller, and it comes to emotional life only in a couple of places: but it remains what it was made to be, an informative and somewhat idealised glimpse into women's military contribution to the Second World War, in a branch of the service often eclipsed by the WRNS and the WAAF. I am reminded -- in a not uncomplimentary comparison -- of the well-presented British Transport Films documentaries.

Worth seeing, but don't expect too much.

Most of the other reviews disappoint in some way or other.

[Andrew_S_Hatton · 7/10 · 14 March 2011]

The best description I have seen elsewhere is a 'time capsule' and what is in the capsule is idealised propaganda.

It is almost impossible to review the content seriously, in the early 21st century, particularly by reviewers who, probably mostly grew up in the aftermath of 'The War' as the great World War II Conflict was described in my Fifties childhood in suburban London, England.

I make no significant comment about the cinematography or acting, which to me seemed competent.

Presumably the purpose was to encourage yet more to volunteer and to provide reassurance for the parents of those women who served. The times were as terrifying then for most British people as events in the Middle East are exciting and terrifying for residents now, as one country after another begins a revolution of sorts, in a search for democracy, in March 2011.

Things were VERY different and the comforts most take for granted now, were not even dreamed of by the majority - for whom two slices of bread and margarine followed by a small 'rock cake' and consumed with a mug of tea were all the sustenance that would be expected when travelling. There may have been something between the slabs of bread, such as meat or fish paste but if it was there it was spread thinly as the bread slices were mighty close together!

Another small detail, the lorries with those little swishing window wipers, swinging from above clearing just the part of the window a driver can see through and working independently of the passenger's window wiper. Then the ambulances without doors, but with just a textile closing across the bottom half of the door-frame. I remember milk-floats like that in the fifties.

A film more for those interested in recent history than an ardent film buff!

Starts off very slowly but gets good near the end.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 August 2016]

The most interesting thing about this film is that it was Leslie Howard's last film before he was killed--shot down by German planes en route to Lisbon during the war. He both directed and narrates this story which was meant both to celebrate the work of women in the army as well as bolster the spirits of the folks at home. In many ways, the film seems pretty dull...or at least kind of petty through much of the picture. After all, the women's boot camp seemed pretty easy and their work not especially hazardous. Fortunately, by the end of the picture you see real sacrifices and difficulties--something you find yourself longing for because through so much of the film the ladies don't seem exposed to many hardships. Because of this, if you see the movie, stick with it...it's worth it. For a similar sort of film, though a bit better, try "So Proudly We Hail"--the story of a group of nurses and the serious hardships they endure in the early days in the Pacific War.

An unusual British wartime film

[jcurrie58 · 23 November 2003]

I saw this film recently on TV, and although social attitudes have changed drastically and is a tad patronising, it's still a worthy entry in the "soldiers going through training" film. What is unusual about it is that it concentrates on women rather than men. British films at the time (and for quite a few years afterwards) were male dominated. The recruits are a mixed bunch: Betty Miller (Joan Greenwood), the youngest, has never been away from home before or done anything for herself and is desperately homesick; Dot Hopkins (Jean Gillie)who wants to do something different; Erna the refugee (Lilly Palmer); Maggie Fraser (Rosamond John) the friendly Scottish girl, who never stops eating; Anne Lawrence (Joyce Howard) who is from a service family who knows what she has to do and is the beauty of the group. Joan Simpson (Barbara Waring), who is sharp tongued and stand-offish but who turns out to be as lonely as the rest of them and Gwen Haydon(Joan Gates) the cheery Cockney girl. Although I found the film enjoyable, I would like to have known more about the background of the recruits. Rosamond John's Scottish accent was unconvincing, though her performance was fine. And was Joan Simpson meant to be a lesbian? She showed her disdain for men throughout and the lady who saw her off at the railway station was very affectionate towards her, though she is listed in the credits as "Miss Simpson", although no reference to their being related was never made clear. Joyce Howard is lovely with a warm, friendly personality. I had never heard of her before and wondered if she was a relation to Leslie Howard, the director? And how any stretch of the imagination could John Laurie (the soldier who dances with Maggie) be referred to as "young", as Leslie Howard did in the final narration? He must have be 45 if he was a day. However, it was nice to see him with a smile on his face for a change. All in all, a good entry in the British wartime film genre.

Seven British Girls!!

[kidboots · 6/10 · 18 May 2013]

Films showing the effect war had on the ordinary person in the street were extremely popular - "Perfect Strangers", "Millions Like Us" - even Leslie Howard, before his mysterious death, directed and narrated this blatant propaganda piece about life in the woman's army, "The Gentle Sex".

Too episodic to hold viewer's attention with only a slight attempt to give the seven main girls distinctive characteristics, this was really a film designed to show that women could do their bit every bit as well as the men. Rosamund Johns plays against type (I have never seen her in a role like this) as an unsophisticated Scots girl who finds fleeting romance with John Laurie at a staff dance. Joyce Howard was probably at the peak of her popularity around this time, forming a team with James Mason in a couple of mystery thrillers. Her "Anne" may have been the most detailed role - a girl from an Army family who falls in love with John Justin, an impossibly handsome soldier!!

You are tantalized at the start by Joan Greenwood's "Betty", an innocent rich kid who had never been away from mummy but unfortunately that interesting storyline just petered out. Greenwood was light years away from the sultry star I remember with the husky voice and the "come hither" eyes, the one chosen by Empire Magazine (1995) as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History (No. 63). Jean Gillis' "Dot" was another who at the start made you take notice - she was joining up to get away from the sordid life of night clubs and cabarets plus a persistent boyfriend. A small scene midway through involving a enthusiastic punter and you realise that she is married and her husband has just been wounded. Jean Gillis was to become Great Britain's answer to Ann Savage, she had a modest career in England before coming to the States and wowing everyone in "Decoy".

Producer Derrick de Marney had co-starred in Alfred Hitchcock's very under rated "Young and Innocent"(1937).

My brief review of the film

[sol- · 3/10 · 8 October 2005]

Thinly disguised World War II propaganda, it nevertheless effectively gets it message across, however as a film for satisfying viewing, it does not quite work. The main problem is that there is too little drama driving the film, however the characters are also not developed very well as individuals, which makes it hard to keep track of who is who, and it makes it hard to care for any of them. The philosophies the film brings up are rather wishy-washy, but not all is bad here. The material is edited all quite well together, and Leslie Howard, who is seen from behind in early shots, narrates the movie quite well: he has such an easy-to-listen-to voice. So, this is not quite terrible viewing, but neither it is a good film by any stretch.

A propaganda film paying tribute to the women of the ATS

[emmaf3 · 8/10 · 24 March 2009]

This film should be watched with an understanding of its intentions, which was to bolster morale and pay tribute to the ordinary British women serving in the ATS, as well as encourage recruitment. There were many propaganda films made around this time, some better than others, but they all had a huge impact on helping the war effort. These were not career soldiers, remember. They'd been called up from offices, shops and factories from all over Britain and did a fantastic job. Practically every British family had at least one female member serving in the ATS during the second world war. We're reminded over and over again, that these women were doing the kind of work normally reserved for men and more important were valued for it! Every so often, a bystander will remark on how hard they work. The film lost no opportunity to remind a tired and increasingly demoralised British public what the war was about and why it was important not to give in.

Ladies First

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 29 July 2012]

Seven attractive women join the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) in Great Britain during World War II. This was a volunteer branch of the British Army, for female participants, like the United States Women's Army Corps (WACs). The "lead" is (arguably) platinum blonde Joyce Howard (as Anne Lawrence), but they are all essentially supporting roles. The women come from different locations and classes. They get to know each other during training (better than we get to know them). All have moments and/or potential, but it's all for naught...

You're likely to recognize the director in the opening sequence is actor Leslie Howard. He keeps his back to the camera while narrating, but still shows a bit of cheek. Later on, Howard's back for another cameo. Presumably "omniscient", Mr. Howard doesn't add much to the story, though his presence helps make the film seem more cohesive. In reality, "The Gentle Sex" is weak on storytelling and character development. Rumored to have been doing more work for the Allies than making movies, Howard died when his plane was shot down by Nazis in June 1943. A tragic loss.

***** The Gentle Sex (4/15/43) Leslie Howard ~ Joyce Howard, Lilli Palmer, Rosamund John, Joan Greenwood

A pleasant and unassuming 'slice of life' drama

[calvertfan · 10/10 · 19 July 2002]

The trick in this movie is keeping track of the seven girls - seven dual main characters. All are very different young ladies who, by chance, manage to travel in the same train compartment off to their base. What makes this extra fun is the commentary by Leslie Howard throughout - he spies on the bustling station and selects six candidates, so is it any coincidence that these six strangers end up together? (The seventh, Gwen, almost misses the train and is the last addition to the group)

The easiest four to keep track of are the lorry drivers. Beautiful blonde Anne who loses a loved one in the war, foreigner Erna who is desperate for revenge on the Nazis that destroyed her family, chirpy Scots lass Maggie, who always has a sweet and a smile, and no-nonsense Joan, who comes across as bossy and stand-offish, hiding the fact that she's just as shy and lonely as the rest.

Then we have the remaining three - good time girl Dot, Gwen who "won't be left behind any more" and the little half-pint, Miller, who "finally gets her gun". She's the baby of the group, and is the hardest to keep track of because she is practically Lilli Palmer's twin - it's only when they speak that one can tell the difference!

If you enjoyed films like "Millions Like Us" and "2000 Women" then you'll love this one. An easy 10/10!

Seven Characters In Search Of A Plot

[writers_reign · 5/10 · 5 July 2007]

Okay, it's 1943 and presumably there's no indication of when the war will end, no sign of any breakthrough and D-Day is still a good twelve months away so why not shoot a little propaganda-lite; a sort of visual blend of 'The Lady' and 'Women's Companion' magazines; a little about food, a little about clothes, a little about men, etc. At the time it was probably a minor success; the viewer is drawn gently into it via Lesley Howard's voice-over as he 'selects' a group of women who have all 'joined up' - in this case the A.T.S - and then permits us to follow them on their train journey to the camp where they will undergo basic training. As a time-capsule it is fascinating because for the viewer in 2007 it is like travelling to Atlantis or one of those lost civilizations that so beguiled Professor Fawcett. Was there EVER an England like this? Clearly there was and Tony Blair couldn't rest until he'd obliterated all traces of it. The cast are all competent and although a handful - Joan Greenwood, Rosamund John, John Laurie, Lili Palmer, Jimmy Hanley - continued to work on stage and/or screen none of them really achieved what today we would call Super stardom. It's a modest effort, quintessentially English, worth watching on TV - which is where I saw it - but not worth searching for on DVD.

Lack of character development and lack of action?

[Charlot47 · 22 May 2011]

Previous reviewers have commented on lack of character development and lack of action. While there is some truth in both assertions, I think we do have to look at the essential purpose of the film, which is to show seven very different young women (though these ones do tend to be above average in looks) being turned into soldiers.

An army in wartime is a great mincing machine, taking individuals from all walks of life in at one end and turning them out at the other as soldiers. By definition, they are then no longer individuals but a member of a team that has been trained to achieve objectives jointly. The common experience of first training together and then learning to do the jobs they are assigned means that not only do the young women in the film mature fast as people but also they cohere as soldiers. Loyalty to their mates and their unit overrides personal needs, with their own strengths and weaknesses evened out in the common effort. For example, Barbara Waring has no particular feelings about the Germans, seeing them merely as efficient, but Erna Debruski (who is probably meant to be not French but Czech) has seen their lethal efficiency at work in her country and is driven by violent hatred.

Of the tasks soldiers have to do, some are everyday and boring while others are unique and exciting. We see two young men doing very dangerous work, one a fighter pilot and one a commando, but our seven girls end up driving lorries and manning anti-aircraft guns. Even so, they are all put to the test. The lorry girls have to drive through the night to get their trucks aboard a ship sailing to the front, possibly North Africa, and then have to rush fresh ammunition to the anti- aircraft battery during a raid. There the AA girls bring an attacking bomber down in flames.

From the seven young strangers who shared a railway compartment at the start to the trained and dedicated women who are doing demanding, even hazardous, jobs to protect their country, surely there has been huge character development and surely there has been action?

PS As for that music hall sketch, should we judge it by professional standards? Isn't it meant to be an amateur, who has volunteered to amuse her chums?

Wartime Story of women in the ATS

[rtaggart-1 · 4/10 · 18 November 2007]

I am a great aficionado of 1940s -50s black and white movies, but I am afraid this one seemed like a lead balloon. The premise was interesting - Leslie Howard as an almost God - like figure looking down on the milling crowd and selecting his characters -and I settled back for an interesting story to unfold. I waited in vain. Not only did very little happen (which can still mean an excellent movie)but there was very little character development. I ended up with the feeling that women were basically rather boring, spineless creatures, which is surely the antithesis of what the film was trying to achieve? I've seen so many films from this era and later where we see women as they really are, innovative, brave,tender, funny,witty. It's the first time I've seen Lilli Palmer as a quiet colourless creature. There were endless opportunities for fun/tragedy/drama,etc, which just didn't materialise. Even the music hall song was flat and stale. Perhaps in its time it might have worked as a propaganda film purely to show that women can be successful in the army but apart from this I'm afraid it was a non -starter and I gave it the thumbs down.

"....now we have hatred, to fill the empty spaces in our hearts......"

[Brucey_D · 8/10 · 28 January 2019]

A mixed lot of young ladies put their differences aside and do their bit for the war effort.

This film is more than competently made mid- WWII, both produced and narrated by Leslie Howard. Obviously the film has a strong element of propaganda to it, but this isn't laid on with a trowel and doesn't dominate proceedings.

Some reviewers complain that there is a lack of plot. Well, this is meant to be a slice of life for average folk in wartime; there isn't meant to be 'a plot' for most protagonists, because mostly they are just following orders and not asking questions. You could argue 'nothing happens' because at the start of the film the war is on and at the end of the film the war is still on.

However to argue 'nothing happens' is to lose sight of the changes in the circumstances and internal make-up of each of the seven ladies; they all change and develop in their own way, and each is a little more revealed as a person by the end of the film; by the end we see that they are perhaps more disparate than we thought at the start, but for different reasons.

Given the film only runs for 90 minutes and there are seven ladies, the character development is arguably somewhat subtly done. A good number of their trials and tribulations were ones which, at the time, a good fraction of the audience would have been able to relate to. Particularly revealing is the reaction of the ladies to successful ack-ack gunnery late on in the film.

It would have been very easy to dwell exclusively on the matter in hand but this film also discusses the future, eg how society might change in future years. All this at a time when it was by no means clear what the outcome of the war might be.

If you watch this film you might conclude that you would be able to see where you were going by the light of blackout-specification headlamps. Well this is a piece of cinematic licence; the amount of light projected through the usual two tiny slits was barely enough to be seen by let alone see by. Accident rates on wartime roads in the UK skyrocketed; some believe that the loss of life so incurred was greater than if the headlights had been left unmodified (and visible to enemy aircraft).

This film is particularly bittersweet because it was Leslie Howard's last film. Just weeks after it was released, he was lost; the Luftwaffe shot down a scheduled BOAC flight over the bay of Biscay which had only civilians on board. A great loss to cinema; we only have films like this to stand tribute to him, and the recently made (and rather good) 'The Man Who Gave a Damn' documentary.

Given the sort of film this is and when it was made, I'm giving it eight out of ten.

Boring wartime propaganda without any particular pace or verve

[csrothwec · 5/10 · 13 June 2005]

My view is that this film has nothing to compare it with wartime productions like "Millions like us", let alone the Powell and Pressburger masterpiece, "A Canterbury Tale". While the production and acting standards are quite good, the whole thing simply lacks pace and sufficient development of either plot or characters to keep the viewer's interest. Rather than attempting to follow the fortunes of seven new recruits to the women's forces in the second world war, (and then dissipating the time covered by the film trying to keep up with all of them), Howard would have done better to focus, (as in the two afore-mentioned films), on a small number of characters and investigate the way in which the relationships between them develop and intensify and, in THESE ways, allow the message of "why we are fighting" to come through much more clearly than in the stiff upper lip, (except, of course, for Lilli Palmer playing "the excitable foreigner"!), rendering of patriotic platitudes which the film produces. A disappointment and, in my view, now mainly of interest only for what it conveys of "established" views of women's war time endeavours in 1943 rather than as visual entertainment which, while being revelatory of its own period, ALSO far transcends this and provides entertainment and reflection of a much deeper nature as well. Right, let's roll "A Canterbury Tale" again and see how it SHOULD have been done!

A film to watch again and again

[sjmckenna-27831 · 10/10 · 25 February 2024]

This film is so far ahead of anything made in America. It has no cloying sentimentality just seven women getting on with their training and work. Leslie Howard's gentle humour might be a little too subtle for audiences across the pond and the laconic way the Commandos behave in the train show the British attitude to the hostilities of World War Two. We should remember that 65,000 civilians were killed in the UK by bombs and later missiles. A situation not experienced by our allies. These characters and their experiences would be readily understood by contemporary audiences who would also have known the song Don't Dilly Dally and understood the references in it very well. All in all a film that should not be missed.

Soporific propaganda movie with nothing to recommend it.

[ianlouisiana · 3/10 · 25 October 2009]

Originally titled "We're not weeping",the script for this movie was handed over to Gerald Kersh as Leslie Howard thought it too feminine as it stood.After Kersh's re-write Mr Howard then considered it to be too masculine so he returned it to the first writer,Miss M.Charles who restored it to her original vision which,hardly surprisingly was again too feminine for the director who re - engaged Kersh who,in turn changed it back to the way he had re - written it in the first place.Reading it,Howard decided to hand it back to Miss Charles to feminise some of the dialogue and at this stage Mr Kersh,serving in the Coldstream Guards at the time,lost interest in the whole thing.It is not to be wondered at that he did not have a particularly high opinion of Howard and steered clear of the British Film Industry for some years before Jules Dassin directed his great novel "Night and the city" with Richard Widmark. What eventually turned out to be "The Gentle sex" was a soporific propaganda movie with nothing to recommend it,directed,if that's not too strong a word,by Leslie Howard and aimed squarely at recruiting women for the A.T.S. Made at a time when when the liberation of women meant opening the gates of Holloway Prison it deals very mildly with potentially huge issues. The largely female cast all speak rather nicely - even the token cockney - and turn out to be dab hands at driving lorries and roadside repairs. The men are all knuckle - headed and quite frankly it's a surprise we ended up winning the war. There is an irritating and patronising voice - over by Mr Howard that adds absolutely nothing to the picture. I'm sorry to be so negative about a movie that was was probably made under all sorts of difficulties.Perhaps Mr Howard should have taken Baden - Powell's advice and whistled instead.

Overcoming adversity

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 28 November 2022]

The voice-over narration, provided by director Leslie Howard, tells us the ladies in the story are 'gentle women.' And 90 minutes later, as the film ends, they have become indispensable to the war effort. While developing skills, they've turned gentle into something less fragile (and much stronger) in order to survive.

It all starts with seven women from different walks of life on their way to a training camp. They have volunteered to join a branch of the British Army known as the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The women speak with regional dialects, representing various parts of Great Britain. One gal is from Scotland; and another is of French origin, who fled her native country when the Nazis killed her family. Gradually their differences are downplayed as they become a team. Despite individual quirks, they are all united in a common goal and singular outcome- victory.

The film has a sort of historical value other studio pictures lack. For instance, there are several sequences where we watch the women undergo rigorous military exercises. These seem to be recreations of actual drills and have a semidocumentary feel.

After the women have finished their training, the next portion of the story shows them driving trucks and using aircraft that takes them right into combat. Those scenes of the film are much more interesting and also have a non-fictional feel. There's a great sequence where some of the main characters talk to an elderly woman who describes her duties during WWI, claiming she was shot in the shoulder during the first war.

Six weeks after THE GENTLE SEX premiered its director Leslie Howard was killed. He was only 50 years old. There are various theories about the cause of his death. Whatever the reason for Mr. Howard's untimely demise, it's clear his last film is a testament to his belief in a free world. Also, the film reflects the ways in which he appreciates women. In this regard, the whole picture is a declaration of love to the ladies on the battlefront as well as the ones in the audience who might be watching. They believe that working together is what enables them to overcome adversity.

The Gentle Sex review

[JoeytheBrit · 3/10 · 11 May 2020]

An earnest but excruciatingly dull celebration of a decidedly unglamorous outfit with an irritatingly condescending voiceover from director Leslie Howard. Five minutes of girls marching followed by five minutes of girls driving doesn't make compelling viewing.

Dullsville UK film

[Dcamplisson · 1/10 · 21 July 2019]

Low drama propaganda piece, probably effective in bluffing the Brits during WWII, but ultimately tiresome. Although the actresses are generally good looking, the film suffers from the stifling boredom of The real English society at the tine. Many British movies have a " nursery" quality in which people are two dimensional, virginal chaps who like a good singsong and a Jolly cup of tea and a big sandwich. They do not seem to have any way to cut bread so they are shown Ultiple times eating manly sandwiches. The interactions with the opposite sex are very British and sterile. It's mildly interesting as an example of a war home front genre film, but pales in comparison to USA efforts.

Women will enjoy it more than men

[heebie_jeebies · 6 June 2003]

This film follows the experiences of seven women who find themselves together in the Auxillary Territorial Services during the war. The film begins at a train station where the narrator picks out six young women at random. These six ladies - charming but indistinguishable to me - end up in the same carriage of a train on their way to their base. The seventh, Gwen Hayden, joins the others as the train is about to depart. It's a promising start - we eagerly anticipate what will happen to these seven ladies throughout the course of the war. We assume that they'll all end up going their separate ways, but will perhaps reunite at the end of the war, having each been through some unique and fascinating experiences.

Unfortunately, nothing much happens to any of them. They arrive at their base, engage in some vacuous conversation, and then it's on with the mundane duties of the Auxillary Territorial Services. The first fifteen minutes or so after they arrive is basically a montage of footage showing the ladies and their colleagues being regimented by their superiors, during marching practise and so on, and contains very little entertainment value, except for a couple of attempted visual jokes, including one lady soldier who turns the wrong way and ends up marching away from all the others.

Perhaps the problem with the rest of the film is that it's a little too honest. There's no drama and there are no complications - just a group of ladies fulfilling the mundane duties of lorry driving, drilling and manning ack-ack batteries, and prattling on in between. The almost complete lack of male characters makes the conversation even more intolerable. Occasionally the characters ponder the purpose of the war and what they're really fighting for, but their discourse fails to scale any great philosophical heights. There's a melodramatic spiel by a French woman in the middle of the film, in which she tells some of our British ladies about what the Nazis did to her father and brother, but it fails to stir us amidst the jollility of life in the Services. Rather, it seems like a contrived attempt by the scriptwriters to provide some semblance of drama.

The only other drama that occurs - in fact, one of the few events that occurs in this basically plotless film - happens towards the end of the film, but unfortunately it is too little too late. This film is nothing more than a slice of British life during the war. None of the seven ladies embark on any great adventures, they never experience the hardships of war and since the film only scratches the surface of its seven main characters, at the end one is left feeling as though we hardly know them any better than we did when we first met them at the train station. Women will probably enjoy this film more than men, but there is really nothing in it to make it worthy of recommendation.