I literally knew nothing about this film except its quirky title when I sat down to watch it during the lockdown period of the coronavirus crisis. I imagined that it was some sort of romantic comedy, but found that, while there was romance, it was a much more substantive story about life on the Channel island during the wartime German occupation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The narrative is set immediately after the Second World War in 1946 and involves a writer, Juliet Ashton (delightfully played by Lily James), visiting the island to meet members of the titular society and gradually discovering information – illustrated through flash-backs to the war – about the dreadful conditions and choices faced by the island’s occupants during rule by the Wehrmacht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Surprisingly, the film is based on a novel written by the American Mary Ann Shaffer together with her niece Annie Barrows. Shaffer was an author, editor, librarian, and bookshop worker and books are a recurrent theme of the story. Also surprisingly, none of the work was shot on Guernsey itself, a beautiful island which I have visited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the English locations are splendidly used and the attention to wartime clothing, hairstyles and artefacts provide real authenticity. An impressive support cast includes faces which will be well-known to British viewers such as Tom Courtenay, Penelope Wilton and Katherine Parkinson. So, all in all, a little-known film that is a joy to discover.
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