Two Thousand Women (1944) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Rosemary was mistaken for a fifth columnist by French soldiers during the 1940 Battle of France. Nellie later discovered that the Germans had a file on Rosemary containing the accusation. This suspicion followed her to the internment camp, causing tension among the other women who wondered about her true allegiances.

Foreshadowing: The film hints early on that Rosemary has a mysterious past when she is initially apprehended by French authorities.

• rosemary brown
• fifth columnist
• german file
• suspicion
• nellie

Poison Ivy was the nickname given to the suspected stool pigeon among the women who knew about the radio. After the Germans confiscated the radio that the women had received from an unknown source, rumors spread that one of the dozen women who knew about it had betrayed them to the Germans.

Foreshadowing: The suspicion of an informant creates tension throughout the first half of the film, particularly around Rosemary due to the German file on her.

• poison ivy
• informant
• radio
• stool pigeon
• german confiscation

Yes, Teresa King was revealed to be a Nazi spy working within the internment camp. She was the one monitoring the women's activities and reporting back to the German authorities. Her presence made hiding the airmen particularly dangerous for all the women.

Foreshadowing: The women deliberately kept the presence of the airmen hidden from Teresa, suggesting early suspicion of her loyalty.

• teresa king
• nazi spy
• informant
• german officer
• frau holweg

Bridie overheard Dave making insulting comments about her, dismissing her as just a stripper who had fraternized with the Germans to get a private room. Hurt and angry, she slipped Teresa a note revealing everything about the hidden airmen and the escape plan as an act of revenge.

Foreshadowing: Tensions had been building between Bridie and the other women, particularly after she used her charms on Sergeant Hentzner to get special treatment.

• bridie
• betrayal
• teresa
• dave
• note
• revenge
• stripper

The women staged a concert to cover the escape. Freda arranged for Bridie to perform last, keeping the Germans occupied until the end. While the guards were distracted, Jimmy Moore, Alec Harvey, and Dave Kennedy escaped with help from Monsieur Boper, who unlocked the doors for them. The women then defied the Germans by singing "There'll Always Be an England."

Foreshadowing: The escape plan was devised specifically to use the concert as a distraction, with Bridie's act being the centerpiece.

• airmen escape
• concert
• freda
• bridie
• monsieur boper
• breakout

Alec Harvey recognized Rosemary as Mary Maugham, a famous singer whose boyfriend had murdered his wife. After that traumatic event, Rosemary left her performing career and became a nun, adopting the name Rosemary Brown. This revelation explained her mysterious past and why she chose a religious life.

Foreshadowing: Rosemary's quiet demeanor and mysterious background hint at a life before the convent.

• alec harvey
• rosemary
• mary maugham
• singer
• nun
• past connection

Sergeant Hentzner discovered Dave hiding in the hotel. Dave managed to quietly strangle him to prevent him from raising the alarm. The body was then hidden to prevent the Germans from discovering that the women had been harboring escaped airmen.

Foreshadowing: The danger of discovery was ever-present, creating tension whenever the airmen had to move through the hotel.

• sergeant hentzner
• dave
• killed
• strangled
• body
• discovery

No, Monsieur Boper was not a collaborator despite the suspicions of the women early on. While he ran the hotel that had been converted into an internment camp and appeared to cooperate with the Germans, he ultimately helped the airmen escape by unlocking doors for them during the concert escape.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes establish the suspicion around Boper, making his later betrayal of the German occupation a satisfying twist.

• monsieur boper
• collaborator
• hotel owner
• traitor
• help escape

Freda deliberately violated the blackout regulations during an RAF night raid to force the British plane to crash nearby, knowing the crew would then seek refuge in the hotel. Her plan worked, bringing Pilot Officer Jimmy Moore, Sergeant Alec Harvey, and Dave Kennedy to the hotel where the women could hide them.

Foreshadowing: Freda's decision to break the blackout appears reckless but is revealed as a calculated act of patriotism.

• freda
• blackout
• air raid
• raf
• crashed plane
• airmen
• jimmy moore

After the airmen successfully escaped with Monsieur Boper's help, the women chose to defy the German occupiers by singing "There'll Always Be an England." This act of open defiance symbolized their resistance and refusal to be intimidated, marking a triumphant moment of female solidarity against oppression.

Foreshadowing: The film's title and setting in occupied France made this final act of defiance the emotional climax.

• there always be an england
• song
• defiance
• resistance
• women
• occupation