In 1943 Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios, contrasted the “tinsel” of “escapist” fare to the “realism” of the more down-to-earth films he advocated in time of war. The day will look at the ways in which women were represented in British films ranging from the “realism” of Millions Like Us to the “tinsel” of Gainsborough melodrama The Wicked Lady.