The Spirit of '45 is a 2013 documentary film on DVD, by British director Ken Loach, focused on and celebrating the radical changes in postwar Britain under the Labour government of Clement Attlee, which came to power in 1945.

1945 was a pivotal year in British history. The unity that carried Britain through the war allied to the bitter memories of the inter-war years led to a vision of a better society. The spirit of the age was to be our brother’s and our sister’s keeper. Director Ken Loach has used film from Britain’s regional and national archives, alongside sound recordings and contemporary interviews, to create a rich political and social narrative. The Spirit of '45 hopes to illuminate and celebrate a period of unprecedented community spirit in the UK, the impact of which endured for many years and which may yet be rediscovered today.

The Spirit of '45 Documentary Reviews:

“The film works all at once as a lament, a celebration and a wake-up call to modern politicians and voters.” Time Out

“A fond postcard from Ken Loach from the era when British socialism with a democratic spirit gripped the nation in a post-war embrace. His sense of cinema serves him well and he knows how to elicit emotions with the various tools at his disposal” Urban Cinefile

“The veteran director Ken Loach hoists the red flag with The Spirit of '45, a polemical documentary filled with hope and heroism, which takes a look at the resurrection of Britain after the war.” Times UK

“Often fascinating and impassioned, Loach's doc lapses into polemic towards the end, an understandable side-effect of his granite-strong convictions.” Empire Magazine