Humanity struggling to survive a dystopian future has been a mainstay of pop culture for several hundred years. They Came to a City, made in 1944 as World War II was drawing to a close, takes the opposite approach in which nine individuals are shown a utopian future and given a choice whether to join it or return to their existing lives. This experimental film based on a play by J. B. Priestly, is dialogue driven and struggles with its transition to cinema. Yet the striking minimalist set design and art direction by Michael Relph, along with the crisp and beautifully framed black and white cinematography by Stanley Pavey make it visually compelling. Functionally directed by Ealing Studios stalwart, Basil Dearden, They Came to a City is not a lost classic but it certainly is an unusually cerebral and socially outspoken piece of wartime cinema.