‘Think of England,’ WWII Satire About Secret U.K. Mission to Make Morale-Boosting Porn, Sets Ensemble Cast (EXCLUSIVE)

As a cinephile who has spent countless hours immersed in the rich tapestry of world cinema, I find myself captivated by the intriguing premise and talented cast of “Think of England.” The combination of history, satire, and drama in a World War II setting is a recipe for a compelling narrative that promises to push boundaries and challenge audiences.


Filming for the satirical World War II drama “Think of England,” created by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Richard Hawkins (“Theory of Flight” and “Everything”), has been completed.

In an exciting turn of events, I find myself gearing up to review a movie that’s about to hit the silver screen, taking us back to the tense buildup before the Allied invasion of France. This intriguing narrative unfolds as not one, but two British film projects are greenlit at the highest echelons of power.

The narrative titled ‘Think of England’ revolves around a diverse band of individuals transported to a secluded beach on an Orkney island for a clandestine assignment. Their mission, as stated in the brief, involves creating adult films intended for entertainment among soldiers at the front line. As history has shown us during our previous conflict, maintaining high spirits and morale is crucial, especially during prolonged wars.

The team of aspiring adult filmmakers consists of a severely war-traumatized ex-movie star; a renowned German filmmaker; a former munitions worker turned actress hopeful; a captain from the Ministry of Information, who attended Eton; an aged, heavy-drinking hairstylist and makeup artist; and a young, naive boy, standing on the brink of war’s carnage. A malnourished and tattered Luftwaffe pilot is observing them from a distance.

A diverse group of accomplished actors has been chosen to play the roles. Among them are Jack Bandeira, who starred in “Lockwood & Co”, Natalie Quarry from “Call The Midwife”, John McCrea known for “Cruella”, Ronni Ancona famous for “Big Impression”, Ben Bela Böhm recognized from “Angels & Demons”, Ollie Maddigan of “The Olive Boy” and Oscar Hoppe, who appeared in “Munich: The Edge of War”.

The phrase ‘Think of England’ is created by the team of Nick O’Hagan (known for ‘The Good Liar’ and ‘The Serpent Queen’) and Poppy O’Hagan (‘Worm’, ‘Good Boy’), both from Giant Films, who are handling all distribution rights. Geoffrey Freeman of High Street Films, along with Andrew Wood and Lucas Wood-Oliván, serve as executive producers for this project.

The creative force behind the film comprises cinematographer Sarah Cunningham, who worked on “The Banishing”, production designer Chris Richmond known for “The Amazing Mr Blunden”, costume designer Nadia Dunn-Hill from “Wimbledon”, hair and make-up artist Alexis Arenas of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”, and casting director Matt Sheppard, who has previously worked on “Boiling Point”.

A shooting incident occurred at Shinfield Studios, Reading, as well as on location in Anglesey, North Wales.

Regardless of the challenges that come with independent filmmaking, Poppy O’Hagan emphasized that it’s a great honor for us to breathe life into these one-of-a-kind tales,” she pointed out.

Hawkins expressed his great enthusiasm as he finished the main filming for ‘Think Of England.’ He shared that it includes seven unique stories, four distinct visual styles, three diverse formats, two various screen ratios, and one whole movie – all wrapped up!

Collaboratively working with Amelia Price from Sustainable Film, we’ve been advancing environmentally-friendly filmmaking under the initiative ‘Think of England.’

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2024-09-23 12:16