The Land Girls (1998)

Director:

David Leland

Writers:

Angela Huth (novel)
Keith Dewhurst (writer) ...

Release Date:

12 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

The story of three young women and the events that would change their lives... The friendships that would stay with them forever... and the loves that would change their hearts.

Plot:

Three young women from very different walks of life join the women's land army during World War II and are sent to work together on a farm in Dorset and the experience changes their lives forever.

Plot Keywords:

Farm | England | Countryside | Friend | Love

Cast

Catherine McCormack	...	Stella
Rachel Weisz	...	Ag (Agapanthus)
Anna Friel	...	Prue (Prudence)
Steven Mackintosh	...	Joe Lawrence
Tom Georgeson	...	Mr. John Lawrence
Maureen O'Brien	...	Mrs. John Lawrence
Lucy Akhurst	...	Janet
Gerald Down	...	Ratty, Lawrence Farm Hand
Paul Bettany	...	Philip
Nick Mollo	...	Barry Hampton
Michael Mantas	...	Desmond
Nicholas Le Prevost	...	Agricultural Officer
Celia Bannerman	...	District Commissioner
Ann Bell	...	Philip's Mother
Nigel Planer	...	Gerald

Also Known As:

Trois Anglaises en campagne (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Crowcombe Heathfield station, West Somerset Railway, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

Intermedia Films

Trivia:

The Reverend Alan Bennett, seen conducting the christening near the end of the film, is the actual Rector of the church where the scene was filmed.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the shot of the train approaching the farmer's son standing on the line, a British Railways insignia is visible on one of the coaches. This was not used until the railways were nationalised in 1948.

Quotes:

Stella: Where's Prue?
[Ag points towards the barn]
Stella: And where's Joe?
[Ag points towards the barn again]
Stella: I should have known.

Soundtrack:

Savoy Foxtrot

Three young women from the city working on a farm in WWII England

Land Girls is about a British program during World War II that trained women from all over the country to work on farms while the men were at war. Stella, Ag and Prue are three young women from different areas and different classes who go to work on an old farm in south-coastal England. But this isn't a "fish out of water" kind of film - the women adjust reasonably quickly and become part of the family. There is a the crotchety farmer, helpful farmer's wife and good looking son who plans to join the RAF. The war feels generally a bit remote - the young women can see bombing from a hilltop, but aren't in the middle of the fighting.

The movie focuses on Stella, who's engaged to a young man at a nearby naval station. Prue is the somewhat adventurous hair stylist-turned-cow milker, and Ag is a university student off to help her country. Strongly recommended for folks who enjoy realistic settings and anything about World War II home life.