1960 dramaRating: 17/20
Plot: Colonel Jock Sinclair drank with his men and sang and danced with them until that day when a shot rang out and he stood alone!
Man, oh, man! Bagpipes galore! I guess your liking of this movie would depend on your tolerance for wheezing. The bagpipe is to Tunes of Glory as the zither is to The Third Man. But like that zither, I think the bagpipes add flavor to this yarn. The characters involved in the conflict, played wonderfully by Alec Guinness and John Mills, are both flawed to the point where you really don't want to like or root for either of them. But as their characters develop, you really start to feel sorry for both men, especially since you know that things aren't going to turn out well, probably for either of them. Both actors give terrifically nuanced performances; there's burbling beneath the surface--subdued rage, exhausting pasts, wounded pride, and wiry scars. You catch these characters in the middle of their lives, but the characterization and acting is so strong that you don't even really need to know anything that happens to these guys before the movie or after the movie. This is simple storytelling, dialogue and character driven, and although everything that happens makes perfect sense, it's the depth and ambivalence that makes it most rewarding. That and the bagpipes! Bagpipe fever! Grab it while it's hot!
A Cory recommendation.
This would have been a down-the-road "five", but I'm very happy you liked it.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at Alec Guinness' body of work, he is one of the most overlooked actors I can think of. Between the Ealing films, dramas like "Lawrence of Arabia" and this, as well as the "Star Wars" stuff (the only movies most people have seen), he had an amazing career. He is very, very good in this offbeat and dark role (especially for him).
I mulled this over quite a bit after I saw it, since, as you mention, the characters are both flawed. The most interesting thing to me is that Jock is right. He says the desk-jockey Miles is too inexperienced and weak to command, and he is proven right by Miles' decision to go light on him. The whole movie is unlike anything I have seen (bagpipes!!), and thanks for giving it a shot. A 17 for me, as well. Your replacement is "Body Heat" with William Hurt and Kathleen Turner... do not watch it around the kids, due to lots of naughty stuff.
I should get "Zelig" by the weekend.
I guess I meant Mills, above.
ReplyDeleteDown-the-road "five"? I thought it was one.
ReplyDeleteI've liked Guinness in every movie I've seen him in. No exceptions. It's really a shame about him being known only as Obi-Wan...he was the only actor in 'Star Wars' really. Can't imagine anybody else in the role actually, but he apparently hated the character and didn't understand the dialogue. Did you tell me that or did I read that somewhere?
I knew it (maybe from you), but you didn't hear it from me. I meant this became a current "five" because it was easy for you to tape. Otherwise, it might have been 30 or 40 movies down the road. I need to do a Guinness top-10 (although it would piss off his ghost to know my top-2).
ReplyDelete