Forever And A Day (1943)

Set during WWII, an American (Kent Smith) arrives in England in order to retrieve a portrait in his ancestral home and discuss selling the home with a young woman (Ruth Warrick) intent on buying it. Why she wants the old house perplexes the American and she gives him a history of the 140 year old house and the generations that lived in it. Conceived as a tribute to England, a multitude of British actors, directors and writers donated their talent with no numeration to benefit British war charities. The omnibus film contains several stories, some serious and some comedic. Due to the episodic nature of the film, the actors don't really have the time to develop much of a character. As cinema, it's not very good but a movie like this is (almost) beyond criticism. The point of the film is the intention and on that level it succeeds. Among the directors involved: Rene Clair, Victor Saville and Edmund Goulding. The massive cast includes: Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Ida Lupino, Merle Oberon, Robert Cummings, Claude Rains, Buster Keaton, Victor McLaglen, Herbert Marshall, Gladys Cooper, Brian Aherne, Anna Neagle, Edmund Gwenn, Elsa Lanchester, Dame May Whitty, Roland Young, Jessie Matthews, Cedric Hardwicke, Patric Knowles, Una O'Connor, June Duprez, Wendy Barrie, Anna Lee, Ian Hunter, Isobel Elsom and Edward Everett Horton.