Tunes of Glory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tunes of Glory | |
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| Directed by | Ronald Neame |
| Produced by | Colin Lesslie |
| Written by | James Kennaway |
| Starring | Alec Guinness John Mills Dennis Price Kay Walsh |
| Music by | Malcolm Arnold |
| Release date(s) | December 20, 1960 |
| Running time | 106 min |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Tunes of Glory is a 1960 film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the novel by James Kennaway, centering on events in a Scottish Highland military barracks in the period following World War II. It starred Alec Guinness and John Mills. Other actors included Susannah York, Gordon Jackson, and Dennis Price, who reunited with Guinness eleven years after their teaming in Kind Hearts and Coronets.
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[edit] Plot
The film opens in the officer’s mess of a Scottish battalion in the early post-war era. Major Jock Sinclair (Alec Guinness) announces that this will be his last day as Commanding Officer before Colonel Basil Barrow (John Mills) arrives to take over. Sinclair had been in command since their colonel was killed in action during World War II, leading the battalion for the rest of the war, but Barrow is considered by Brigade HQ to be a more appropriate peacetime commanding officer.
Barrow arrives early, and observes the men dancing rowdily. Barrow and Sinclair briefly swap their respective military backgrounds, Sinclair had joined as a bandsman and rose spectacularly through the ranks, winning the Distinguished Service Order and Military Medal in the process. Barrow by contrast came to the regiment directly from Oxford University, his ancestors having been colonel of the regiment before him. When Sinclair humorously tells of the time he was briefly thrown in Barlinnie prison for being drunk and disorderly Barrow rather reticently mentions his own experience in a prisoner of war camp. Sinclair assumes that Barrow received preferential treatment usually afforded to officers ( "officer's privileges and amateur theatricals") - in fact Barrow is deeply psychologically scarred after being tortured by the Japanese but does not tell this to Sinclair.
Sinclair resents the fact that he is being replaced by a "stupid wee man", and appears determined to regain control of the battalion, although by what means is initially unclear. Sinclair's daughter Morag is also observed illicitly meeting with a piper, with whom she has a romance.
Barrow immediately passes several orders designed to instill discipline that Sinclair had allowed to slip. Particularly controversial is an order that every officer take lessons in highland dancing in an effort to make their customary rowdy style more formal, and suitable for mixed company. The consequential shouting and energetic dancing of the officers, led by a drunken Sinclair, at Barrow's first cocktail party with the townspeople incites his anger, leading an extreme outburst that seriously damages his own authority.
The tensions come to a head when Sinclair publicly assaults the uniformed corporal piper he discovers with his daughter ("bashing a corporal" as he puts it). Barrow decides an official report must be made, meaning an imminent court-martial, aware that the action will only further the erosion of his popularity, and authority, within the battalion. Barrow is eventually persuaded to back down, despite the fact that Sinclair was guilty of striking an enlisted man and deserved to be court martialed. However, he finds that this decision further undermines his authority and Sinclair and others, notably Captain Alec Rattray (Richard Leech), treat him with renewed lack of respect. He finds that some senior officers believe that Sinclair is really running the battalion, having forced Barrow to dismiss the charges against him. When he realises that his authority will never be accepted, he shoots himself.
With the death of Barrow, Sinclair realizes he is to blame. He calls the officers to a meeting and announces plans for a grandiose funeral, fit for a field marshal, complete with a march through the town, in which all the tunes of glory will be played by the pipers. Pointed out how out of proportion these plans are, especially given the manner of the colonel's death, Sinclair insists that it was not suicide, it was murder. He himself was the murderer and the other senior officers were his accomplices, with the exception of the colonel's adjutant. Minutes afterwards, Sinclair suffers a nervous breakdown and is escorted from the barracks, while the officers and men salute as he passes.
[edit] Cast
- Alec Guinness as Major Jock Sinclair, DSO, MM. Guinness, who believed the performance to be among his best, was initially offered the role of Barrow.
- John Mills as Lieutenant Colonel Basil Barrow
- Duncan MacRae as Pipe Major Maclean
- Dennis Price as Major Charles Scott, MC
- Kay Walsh as Mary Titterington
- John Fraser as Corporal Piper Ian Fraser
- Susannah York as Morag Sinclair
- Gordon Jackson as Captain Jimmy Cairns, MC
- Percy Herbert as Regimental Sergeant Major Riddick
- Allan Cuthbertson as Captain Eric Simpson
- Paul Whitsun-Jones as Major 'Dusty' Miller
- Gerald Harper as Major Hugo MacMillan
- Richard Leech as Captain Alec Rattray
- Peter McEnery as 2nd Lieutenant David MacKinnon
- Keith Faulkner as Corporal Piper Adam
[edit] Critical response
The film was generally well received by critics, the acting in particular garnering praise. Kennaway, who adapted the screenplay from his novel, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also received numerous BAFTA nominations, including best film, and nominations for both Guinness and Mills.
[edit] Availability
It is available on DVD from Criterion and Metrodome.
