In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.
- Mr. Trevor
- (as Alan Jeayes)
- Mr. Howes - Collector
- (uncredited)
- Company Clerk
- (uncredited)
- Lloyd - Miner
- (uncredited)
- Cage Operator
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film's earliest documented telecast occurred Monday 18 June 1945 on New York City's pioneer television station WNBT (Channel 1).
- Quotes
Emlyn Parry: Lovely, everything's going to be all right soon.
Gwen Owen: Not if you keep on getting into scraps all the time.
Emlyn Parry: You like a bit of a scrap yourself don't you.
Gwen Owen: You'll know more about that when we're married my boy. I'll be ready to take you on any day.
Emlyn Parry: Not in my working clothes, eh?
Gwen Owen: Don't talk soft out here, Em.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: South Wales 1938
- ConnectionsFeatured in Arena: Cinema (1977)
All of the essential elements of Paul Robeson are here - his deep baritone singing, a strong black character, and an homage to the working man. It takes place in the coal pits of a Welsh mining town, where Robeson shows up looking to work, and despite some initial resistance, fits right in. A disaster leads to many men dying, and worse yet, the mine to be closed, threatening the entire community.
Later, as some men toil outside the mine, sifting through an enormous slag heap for coal like ants, we get an exchange that reflects their frustration:
"Better dole money than no money at all." "This 'half a loaf's better than none' talk makes me sick." "Nearly a year since the explosion and we've been no more than numbers of the books of the labor exchange."
They decide to march to London to the mine company's headquarters, their letters of appeal to re-open the mine having fallen on deaf ears, but when they get there, they hear a newsboy yelling the latest story, that Hitler is menacing Europe. A series of headlines is then shown leading to "Hitler Marches Into Poland," and the story becomes less workers vs. Management, and more Britain vs. Germany. The workers volunteer to find an alternate route to the pit's coal reserves via a dangerous path, and management agrees for the good of the impending war effort.
This shift away from the concept of exploitation of workers in towns like this is somewhat unfortunate, but showing their bravery and the difficulty of the job is highly sympathetic, and the topicality of the Nazi threat adds an extra dimension to the film. It's fascinating that as blackouts went into effect in London towards the end of shooting, Robeson had to go the set before dawn, and return via an underground tunnel. There are also some dramatic scenes down in the pit that lead to a stirring conclusion.
It's a story that doesn't feel fully fleshed out and there is a hodgepodge of elements (including an extraneous love story), but because of Robeson, the working class theme, and its reflection of the country being on the cusp of war, it held my interest, and I think it's worth the 76 minutes.
- gbill-74877
- Apr 5, 2022
- How long is The Tunnel?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 16 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1