Based on the original 1946 stage play by Terence Rattigan ("The Browning Version") who adapted it from the real life, 1908 case of a young Naval cadet who was expelled for allegedly stealing a postal note from a classmate, "The Winslow Boy" is a solidly constructed drama featuring great performances from a terrific cast.
While mainstream moviegoers will probably find the proceedings a bit too quaint, slow and/or theatrical for their tastes, "art house" afficionados will absolutely love this film. Much of that is due as much to the man behind the camera as the performers in front of it.
In his sixth film serving as writer and director, playwright turned filmmaker David Mamet ("The Spanish Prisoner," "House of Games" and screenwriter for films such as "The Edge" and "Wag the Dog") takes Rattigan's play -- which hit the big screen once before in 1948 -- and effortlessly brings it to life.
Although Mamet forgoes his unique and often utilized dialogue that erupts from his performers' mouths like crisscrossing machine gun fire -- as well as the omission of the usual extreme profanity -- that effect works well with this material. While I've usually admired his well-written verse for the sheer brilliance of its construction, it often sounds painfully forced and/or fake, with characters unnaturally repeating unrealistic sounding lines.
Here, the dialogue feels nothing short of completely natural. It's possible that some may miss the trademark, fast-paced staccato delivery, but I for one found the writing brimming with an unusual intelligence (for most movies). One gets a sense of many subtleties abounding as we get hints and pieces of what the characters are thinking and feeling as opposed to what they actually say on the surface.
Better yet, the performances are nothing short of outstanding, with solid takes from most every character present in the production. Nigel Hawthorne ("The Object of My Affection" and an Oscar nominee for "The Madness of King George") is absolutely riveting as the restrained, but wise father. Displaying signs of much more stirring underneath his genteelness than he'll outwardly display, Hawthorne delivers yet another amazingly subtle performance for this well- written character.
Equally as good is Jeremy Northam ("Emma," "Mimic") as the apparently cold and calculating barrister whose initial appearance and demeanor slowly flake away to expose the real man hidden beneath. Perfectly playing the confident and cunning lawyer character, Northam is not only mesmerizing, but also does a great job in slowly exposing his character's more complicated, but mostly hidden characteristics. In doing so, he delivers what's probably his best screen performance to date.
The real gem, however, is Rebecca Pidgeon ("The Spanish Prisoner" and current real-life spouse to Mamet). While some complained about her aloof and emotionally distant performance in "The Spanish Prisoner," those characteristics actually work rather well for her character here. Playing the "woman before her time" role, Pidgeon -- like her fellow performers -- slowly exposes her inner character, and as a result, we like her ever more as the story progresses.
The scenes featuring the subdued antagonism and flirting between her and Morton are fabulous, and their unusual chemistry together is one of the film's highlights. Meanwhile, performances from the likes of Gemma Jones ("Sense and Sensibility") as the sturdy mother and Guy Edwards ("A Pride of Lions") as the titular subject are also quite strong, as are those from the rest of the cast.
If there's one major complaint about the film, it's that it still has the trappings of a theatrically staged performance. While Mamet has allowed for a few scenes to take place outside the Winslow home, most still occur there and consequently, the film occasionally has that stuffy, Masterpiece theater feel.
Worse yet, however, is the fact that the film describes or tells us things instead of showing them. For instance, we often hear about the press camped out the Winslow home, but never see them. Nor do we experience the public reaction toward the case or the family, but only see it in newspaper headlines. The biggest omission, though, is not showing the pivotal court case, Morton's related legal theatrics, and the reportedly emotion-laden outcome.
Not only does this shortchange the audience -- when Arthur states that he would have liked to have been in the court for the final decision, the audience feels the same way -- but it also makes the whole notion of the country's enormously heated reaction to this seemingly insignificant case -- notwithstanding the historical truth -- a bit hard to swallow.
While the theater-like presentation certainly kept the production costs down, a few extra scenes showing others' reactions -- and how they affected the Winslows -- as well as that pivotal last day in court would have made the film feel complete and more emotionally satisfying and involving.
Nonetheless, the film survives those problems mainly due to the outstanding performances and Mamet's more than capable writing and directing skills. Although it's perhaps a bit slow at times, there's enough sly and witty humor and slowly revealed personas to keep things interesting and entertaining for the picture's target "art house" audience. We give "The Winslow Boy" a 7 out of 10.
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