A superb
British movie from 1951 for which
Michael Redgrave won
Best Actor at the
Cannes Film Festival -
Terence Rattigan also won the writing prize for his adaption of his own original stage play. The synopsis takes place at a minor
English public school (actually filmed at Sherbourne) and revolves around the last day of the
Classics master, Crocker-Harris, who, due to ill-health, has to take early retirement, thereby losing his pension which adds to the fury of his bitter and frustrated wife, who herself was having an affair with the science master - and not being too secretive about it!
Michael Redgrave gives a superb delicately nuanced performance as the humourless, unpopular master, disliked and ridiculed by his pupils. As the film progresses there comes an extraordinarily touching scene between Crocker and
Gilbert (
Ronald Howard, son of
Leslie Howard, excellent in his part as the new master who will betaking over the Classics position in the next term), when Crocker's shell almost cracks after Gilbert inadvertently reveals that his nick-name amongst the pupils is ‘
Himmler of the Lower
Fifth', and this leads on to a heartbreaking following scene when the young pupil
Taplow, given a tremendous performance of complete naturalness by
Brian Smith, comes to bid Crocker farewell and presents him with the
Browning translation of the
Greek play ‘
Agamemnon' as a parting gift after which Crocker finally cracks and is reduced to tears. This lengthy section is exceptionally well handled by both director and actors.
Jean Kent is magnificent in the performance of her career as Redgrave's hard-faced and bitterly resentful wife who's affair with the excellent
Nigel Patrick (another tremendous performance) falls apart towards the end as he begins to realise what a bitch she is!
Wilfred Hyde-White has a larger role than he often had as the unsympathetic and somewhat malicious
Head Master.
The small part of a popular master who is also leaving the school is played by
Bill Travers, who was
Virginia McKenna's husband, and
Anton Rodgers is somewhere amongst the uncredited pupils, though I couldn't recognise him!
Brian Smith, playing young Taplow, has an easy name to forget, he actually went on to have a fairly prolific acting career, mainly in small parts and mainly on TV.
You may note that the only music throughout the film was
Church music, apart from the opening and closing credits - the short opening music behind the titles is by
Arnold Bax and was also used as the finalé to
David Lean's film of "
Oliver Twist"
...
Trivia note 1:
Director Anthony Asquith's father was
Prime Minister from
1908 to
1916 and when
Home Secretary he ordered the arrest of
Oscar Wilde...
Trivia note 2: The film very nearly didn't get made as Asquith found it difficult to raise sponsors who thought the subject too low-key...
- published: 31 Jul 2016
- views: 1289