The Glorious Sixth of June: Bureaucracy as a Thriller?

If you have any interest in the history of British postage or just enjoy watching people in tweed stare intensely at ledgers, then The Glorious Sixth of June might be your weirdest find of the year. If you prefer movies where things explode or people actually talk to each other like humans, you will probably be looking for the exit by minute five. It’s a niche product for a very, very specific kind of cinema nerd. 📮

The whole thing feels like a fever dream you’d have after eating too much cheese before bed. The plot centers on a reduction in GPO charges, which sounds like something that would happen in a tax manual, not a film. Yet, there’s this palpable sense of danger—like the country’s enemies are literally lurking in the shadows just to keep the price of stamps high. It’s hilariously dramatic for no reason at all.

Seeing W.H. Auden pop up is definitely the highlight, though he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. The performances have this stiff, clipped quality that reminds me of Young Ironsides, but with way less enthusiasm for the actual subject matter. The way they talk about postal reform is so serious you’d think they were trying to prevent an invasion. 🧐

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Glorious Sixth of June (1934) through its definitive frames.

There’s a scene where they discuss the news reaching Parliament that lingers for about three minutes too long. You can literally see the actors trying to figure out if they should look solemn or just bored. It’s the kind of awkward, grounded moment that makes you realize this wasn’t some big-budget studio epic. It’s just… a group of people in a room being very British about paperwork.

It’s nowhere near as frantic as Pass the Gravy, but there’s a strange, dry rhythm to it. I found myself checking my own watch every time someone mentioned the GPO. It’s not necessarily good, but it’s definitely memorable in a way that feels like finding an old receipt in a coat pocket from 1952.

Would I watch it again? Probably not. Am I glad I saw it? Sure, it’s a weird slice of history that nobody asked for. It makes The Misleading Lady look like a summer blockbuster by comparison. Sometimes, movies are just odd little artifacts. This one is definitely that.