Movie Reviews for Writers: Wodehouse in Exile

Do you know know the story of P.G. Wodehouse and how he was manipulated by the Nazis during WWII? In a nutshell, he was rounded up into an internment camp, and while there wrote comical pieces to help keep up the spirits of his fellow internees. He was then used by the enemy to read these pieces over the radio to “convince” the U.S. to stay out of the war, not his intention for these works. That didn’t stop him from being accused of treason by Great Britain. At least according to this movie.

Politics of this wonderful BBC production aside, it’s also a great look into the mind of Wodehouse and the way he saw the world.

One of the early moments of the film has Plum (Wodehouse) and Bunny (his wife) sitting in their drawing room while their yard is suddenly invaded by Nazi soldiers. “I wonder what will happen next,” asks Bunny. Plum responds with a list of bullet points from his latest Jeeves and Wooster novel. Bunny responds, “I mean about the war.”

Even in the midst of war and Nazi occupation, Plum is thinking about his work, about the stories in his head. But his focus doesn’t just end there. While in the internment camp, he still manages to find his writer’s voice. While penning his comical pieces, he states, “The great advantage here is that the authorities leave us alone most of the day, and I have time to write.”

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