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This Above All

Name: This Above All
Director: Anatole Litvak
Released: 1942
Duration: 110 min

Representation Score

1.8/10

Minimal

1942

Director

Anatole Litvak

Runtime

110 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

This wartime drama highlights the tension between personal desires and collective responsibility. Though it lacks broad diversity, it offers a nuanced view of class conflicts and female empowerment. The film challenges traditional formulas by letting the female lead shape the moral narrative. However, it remains deeply rooted in the social hierarchies of 1942. Overall, the story operates within a conventional framework that emphasizes national defense and traditional social structures over diverse representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does This Above All have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows the traditional heterosexual relationships typical of the 1940s. The romantic storyline centers around a conventional couple.

How does This Above All portray gender?

Fair

Prudence Cathaway takes a significant role by joining the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Service and leaving behind her aristocratic lifestyle. She actively guides the male lead through his moral dilemmas.

How racially and ethnically diverse is This Above All?

Minimal

The cast is primarily white, reflecting the homogeneous social structure of the British classes shown. There is no significant racial diversity.

How does This Above All represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story examines situational ethics and moral relativism through the protagonist's struggles. However, it ultimately upholds traditional Western institutions and patriotism.

Does This Above All include disability representation?

Minimal

No visible or invisible disabilities are central to the character arcs. No characters with disabilities are used as plot devices.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist plays a significant role and drives the central moral conflict.
The narrative critiques rigid aristocratic class hierarchies.
The film explores complex, situational ethics rather than simplistic moralism.

Limited or Absent

The cast lacks racial and ethnic diversity, reflecting the era's homogeneity.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth narratives.
The film does not portray any characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In 1940 England, aristocratic Prudence Cathaway alarms her snobbish parents by joining the WAF service branch. She soon meets and falls in love with the brooding Clive Briggs, despite his prejudice against the upper classes, and agrees to spend a week with him at a Dover hotel. When Clive's soldier friend, Monty, arrives to retrieve him, Prudence learns that Clive went AWOL after Dunkirk, and urges him to recall why England must fight the war.

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