Based on the novel by Nigel Balchin, The Small Back Room is the story of a research scientist who is asked to take part in a research involving a new German weapon during World War II. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film is an exploration of a man dealing with his role in the world as well as succumbing towards self-destructive behavior that would trouble his relationship with his secretary. Starring David Farrar, Kathleen Byron, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley, Michael Gough, and Cyril Cusack. The Small Back Room is a gripping yet evocative film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
It’s 1943 during World War II as the film revolves a bomb expert/research scientist who is asked to do work for the government on a series of new bombs created by the Germans which had killed a few people including children. It’s a film that follows this man who is reluctant in doing the job as he finds himself dealing with military and government officials who don’t do enough to help him while he is becoming troubled by his dependence on alcohol which is troubling his own relationship with his secretary whom he’s in a romantic relationship with. The film’s screenplay by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger wouldn’t just follow the struggle that Sammy Rice (David Farrar) is coping with both at work and at home but also the expectations and demands from his bosses at work in trying to understand what this bomb has done. Rice’s secretary/girlfriend Susan (Kathleen Byron) is aware of the chaos that is looming upon him but also his lack of ambition to do more as he’s hampered by a bad leg as well as his growing alcoholism that would eventually take its toll.
The direction of Powell and Pressburger is visually entrancing not just for some of noir-like visual style but also in the fact that it’s a story that is grounded in reality. Shot largely at various sound stages in Britain with some of the exterior locations are shot in and around Britain including the famous site of Stonehenge. The direction for some of the exterior scenes are simple in terms of the few wide shots in the film as much of it have Powell and Pressburger utilize medium shots and close-ups for many of the film’s interior scenes including the scenes at Rice’s lab with his staff at it has this claustrophobic feel for how small it is compared to a conference room during the film’s second half. The scenes at a nightclub where Rice and Susan go to are quite spacious but also intimate where it also has these unique compositions in where the characters are in the frame as well as Rice’s view when he sees Susan dancing with another man.
The direction also include this very surreal sequence as it relates to the struggle that Rice has in his alcoholism where it involves this bottle of whiskey and a clock as it is this amazing sequence filled with unique camera angles and extravagant set designs. It’s a scene that help play into the drama that would intensify in its third act where Rice’s desperation and fragility come into play. The film’s climax which involves a bomb that Rice is researching is quite intense in terms of its suspense where Powell and Pressburger choose to present the whole thing in a restrained approach. It is a moment in the film that is quite chilling in what is going through Rice’s head as tries to figure out what the creator of the bomb would do as it would also force him to confront himself. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a riveting and mesmerizing film about scientist’s struggle to maintain his sanity during World War II and battling alcoholism.
Cinematographer Christopher Challis does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its emphasis on stylish lighting and moods that play into the drama including Rice’s struggle with his sobriety as well as the soft lights for some of the close-ups. Editors Reginald Mills and Clifford Turner do excellent work with the editing as it is quite straightforward with some stylish shots for the nightmare sequence as well as some rhythmic cutting for some of the dramatic suspenseful moments. Production designer Hein Heckroth and art director John Hoesli do amazing work with the look of the lab and offices that Rice works at in how small it is as well as the look of Rice’s apartment home including the nightmare sequence which is a highlight of the film’s art direction.
Costume designer Josephine Boss does fantastic work with the design of the gowns and dresses that Susan wears at work as well as in the nightclub scenes. The sound work of Alan Allen is superb for some of the sound effects that play into the testing of weapons and such including the conference scene where sounds would pop up every now and then to play into some of the film’s intense moments including its climax where it is used sparingly. The film’s music by Brian Easdale is terrific for its mixture of bombastic orchestral music with some eerie textures with the usage of the theremin to play into some of the suspense and drama that looms throughout the film.
The casting by Madeleine Godar is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Bryan Forbes as a dying gunner who had a fatal encounter with a German bomb, Sid James as a bartender at the bar Rice frequents at, Milton Rosmer as a fellow professor, Renee Asherson as a corporal at the beach site for the film’s climax, Leslie Banks as a colonel who is trying to speed things up with the weapons test, and Robert Morley as a minister of war who is trying to use his position of power to get Rice to speed things up. Cyril Cusack is terrific as a stuttering soldier in Corporal Taylor who often guards the building that Rice works at as he is one of the few friends that Rice has. Michael Gough is excellent as Captain Dick Stuart as the person who goes to Rice for help about the bomb as he would take part in the research.
Jack Hawkins is brilliant as R.B. Waring as a military official who is trying to help Rice but also be aware of the many things that are happening behind the scenes. Kathleen Byron is incredible as Susan as a secretary who is also Rice’s girlfriend as it’s a radiant performance from Byron as a woman who is supportive but also not afraid to speak her mind about Rice’s lack of ambition as well as dependence on alcoholism. Finally, there’s David Farrar in a phenomenal performance as Sammy Rice as a bomb expert who is also a research scientist that is troubled by the demands from his bosses about the bomb as he also copes with his alcoholism where Farrar’s sense of anguish is riveting to watch.
The Small Back Room is a sensational film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger that features remarkable performances from David Farrar and Kathleen Byron. Featuring a compelling story, eerie visuals, and a great supporting cast, the film is definitely one of the finest war dramas made about World War II that doesn’t feature any combat as well as an exploration of man’s battle with substance abuse. In the end, The Small Back Room is a tremendous film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
Powell-Pressburger Films: The Spy in Black - Contraband - (The Lion Has Wings) - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) – A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I'm Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - (The Elusive Pimpernel) - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffman - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of River Plate) – Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle, The Bridge on the River Kwai is the story of a group of POWs in a Japanese camp who are tasked to build a bridge in Thailand during World War II as they deal with their time in the prison camp. Directed by David Lean and screenplay by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, the film explores the life of British POWs deal with doing work for the Japanese just as the war is heating up. Starring William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, and Sessue Hayakawa. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a riveting and engaging film from David Lean.
Set in a Japanese prison camp in the middle of the jungles of Thailand, the film revolves around a group of British POWs who are tasked by the Japanese to build a bridge as their officer tries to help lead the charge to boost morale and to smooth things over with the Japanese. It’s a film that plays into a man trying to maintain a sense of honor and code among officers during the time of war as he is also trying to deal with a Japanese colonel who isn’t familiar nor is he willing to abide by the rules. At the same time, an American prisoner manages to make an escape as he is asked by the British to aid them in a mission that relates to the bridge which he reluctantly agrees to do as he is apprehensive about returning to the place which he escaped. It all plays into the complications of war as some wondered why Lt. Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is willing to help the Japanese build a bridge.
The film’s screenplay starts off with Lt. Col. Nicholson’s arrival as he has been captured where the American POW Commander Shears (William Holden) watches as he’s been in the camp for some time. Under the command of Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), the prisoners are trying to build a railway bridge on the Kwai river where things aren’t going well as Saito has a deadline to catch on as he needs Nicholson’s officers to do manual labor work but Nicholson says they can’t because of rules that prevent officers from doing manual labor. Saito doesn’t care about those rules where a secret escape attempt made by Shears would have some men killed with Shears being the only one to do so successfully. The second act is about Saito and Nicholson playing a game of wit to see who can do what where the result has Nicholson take charge on the bridge’s construction so that he can look after his soldiers and contend with their morale where he would find a way to get the bridge to work and do it right.
One aspect of the script that is unique is the form of a supporting character in a medic in Major Clipton (James Donald) who is sort of the film’s conscience as he would often watch everything that occurs as he also asks Nicholson into why the bridge needs to be built. It plays into Nicholson wanting the world to know that it was British soldiers that built the bridge though he is aware that questions into treason or collaborating with the enemy might come into play. It then leads into this third act where Shears is asked by Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) to take part in a mission to blow up the bridge as Shears’ reluctance is due to the fact that he doesn’t want to go back to the jungle as it is also a place where things are just as treacherous as the camp that he escaped. The two are joined by a young Canadian officer in Lt. Joyce (Geoffrey Horne) who takes part in the mission despite his lack of actual combat experience. The mission becomes troublesome where Shears tries to comprehend exactly what is going on as its climax involves Warden’s mission in conjunction with the bridge’s completion.
David Lean’s direction is truly grand in not just his approach to create something that feels vast but also in the way it plays into a world where two different cultures and two different ideas have to work together to build this bridge. With its 2:35:1 aspect ratio for widescreen, Lean manages to create a lot of compositions that are very striking in his approach to capture the large number of British POWs with his usage of wide and medium shots. Particularly with scenes of crowd shots as well as a key scene where Japanese soldiers are waiting for Saito to give the order to shoot Nicholson and his officers on a very hot and sunny day. It’s a chilling scene that plays into this battle of wits between Saito and Nicholson where it would continue in some intimate moments where Nicholson is forced to stay inside this small little cell known as the oven for a period of time.
The direction also has Lean use some inspiring tracking shots and other stylistic shots to play into the scenes where the bridge is built as Lean takes advantage of the locations as it is shot in Sri Lanka with a few scenes shot in Britain. Notably as Lean would use the locations as characters of the film including the river where much of the film’s action, aside from the prison camp, takes place as it is showcases what Nicholson is doing as the bridge is sort of a metaphor for what he wants to do with Saito despite being in two different sides of the war. The film’s climax where many of its key characters converge play into not just the fallacy of war but also in the sense of madness as it plays into not just Shears’ own frustrations with war but also in Major Clipton’s own understanding of things. Overall, Lean creates a very engrossing yet exhilarating film about a British officer trying to create peace by helping the Japanese in creating a bridge.
Cinematographer Jack Hildyard does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography to capture the colorful look of the jungle in the daytime as well as some very stark and low-key lighting schemes for the scenes set at night including the camp interiors. Editor Peter Taylor does excellent work with the editing as it‘s straightforward for the most part with some stylish dissolve transitions plus rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s action scenes. Art director Donald M. Ashton does amazing work with the design of the prison camps as well as the look and design of the bridge upon its completion as it plays a key part of the story. Sound editor Winston Ryder does terrific work with the sound to play into the tense atmosphere in the camps as well as the sense of chaos in the bridge construction scenes. The film’s music by Malcolm Arnold is fantastic for its orchestral-based score that underplays the drama as well as some military-based music that includes Colonel Bogey march.
The film’s cast includes some notable small roles from Andre Morell as a British colonel who organizes the plan to destroy the bridge, Ann Sears as a nurse Shears spends time with after his escape, Peter Williams and John Boxer as a couple of Nicholson’s officers who help design the bridge, and Geoffrey Horne as the young Canadian officer Joyce who aids Shears and Warden in the mission to blow up the bridge. James Donald is excellent as Major Clipton as an army doctor who is the film’s conscience as he copes with what Nicholson is doing while being baffled about the rules of war. Sessue Hayakawa is amazing as Colonel Saito as the Japanese prison camp leader who is trying to get the bridge made as he’s under a lot of pressure to finish it on time while maintaining some honor in his battle of wits against Nicholson.
Jack Hawkins is fantastic as Major Warden as a British officer who takes charge in the mission as he is someone with an affinity to do dangerous things as he later copes with an injury that plays into the fallacy of war. William Holden is brilliant as Commander Shears as an American POW who escapes the camp as he reluctantly takes part in the mission to blow up the bridge as he copes with the dangers of war and all of its risks. Finally, there’s Alec Guinness in a remarkable performance as Lt. Col. Nicholson as a stubborn and proud officer who tries to instill a sense of honor into his situation as he would take charge in building the bridge with the hope of bringing a sense of peace during a time of war.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a phenomenal film from David Lean. Armed with a great cast and compelling themes on war and honor in war, it’s a film that manages to explore a lot of things as well as be engaging in the way it portrays life in prison camps. Especially as it’s a film where there are no heroes and villains but rather men caught up in the middle of a war. In the end, The Bridge of the River Kwai is a sensational film from David Lean.
David Lean Films: In Which We Serve - This Happy Breed - Blithe Spirit - Brief Encounter - Great Expectations (1946 film) - Oliver Twist (1948 film) - The Passionate Friends - Madeleine (1950 film) - The Sound Barrier - Hobson’s Choice - Summertime (1955 film) - Lawrence of Arabia - Doctor Zhivago - Ryan’s Daughter - (Lost and Found: The Story of Cook’s Anchor) - A Passage to India - (The Auteurs #74: David Lean)
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur is the story of a Jewish prince from Jerusalem who is enslaved by the Romans following an accusation over an assassination attempt. Directed by William Wyler and screenplay by Karl Tunberg (with additional contributions by Gore Vidal, Maxwell Anderson, Christopher Fry, and S.N. Behrman), the film is a sprawling epic that explores a man trying to defy those who enslaved him and become a champion of the people as the titular character of Judah Ben-Hur is played by Charlton Heston. Also starring Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith, and Haya Harareet. Ben-Hur is a tremendously rich and intense film from William Wyler.
The film revolves a Jewish prince from Jerusalem who is betrayed by a friend who is a Roman tribune where an accident involving a Roman governor has him and his family become slaves forcing the man to try and seek vengeance against his old friend. It’s a film that explores not just a man who would suffer because of a simple accident his sister made but also to see if he can do anything to help his people as well as those who have been oppressed by the Roman empire. At the same time, he watches from afar as he sees the journey that Jesus Christ would take as the two men would have paralleling storylines. Especially where Judah Ben-Hur would have encounters with Jesus Christ as questions about faith would emerge in Ben-Hur’s own journey as he tries to find his mother and sister.
The film’s screenplay starts off with Jesus Christ’s birth and minor events that preceded it as it relates to the rule of the Roman Empire. It then plays into the paralleling story of Christ doing his own duties for the world while Ben-Hur is inviting an old friend in Messala (Stephen Boyd), who has become a tribune for the Roman council, as he asks Ben-Hur about any Jews that have spoken against the empire. Ben-Hur refuses to name names where a parade in welcoming a new Roman governor ends with a simple accident when Ben-Hur’s sister Tirzah (Cathy O’Donnell) was looking from the roof as some tiles slipped and fell on the governor’s head. Tirzah and her mother Miriam (Martha Scott) would be sent away somewhere else while Ben-Hur is sold to slavery under Messala’s orders. Upon working as a rower at a galley for a Roman consul member, Ben-Hur copes with betrayal and suffering until the ship is attacked where he would save that member in Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins) who would reward Ben-Hur by giving him his freedom and the chance to be adopted by Arrius.
While the journey that Ben-Hur would take from slavery and freedom would be fulfilling, there is still that conflict about who he is and his own faith which would prompt him to leave Arrius on amicable terms to try and return home. Even as Ben-Hur is more concerned with wondering what happened to his mother and sister as he would encounter more individuals such as Balthasar (Finlay Currie) and Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith) as the latter learns of Ben-Hur’s reputation as a chariot racer who wants him to challenge Messala in an upcoming race. For Ben-Hur, it’s a moment of temptation to get revenge yet a reunion with an old servant’s daughter in Esther (Haya Harareet) would prompt him to think about what happened to his mother and sister as it leads to a climatic confrontation as well as an aftermath involving Jesus Christ. It is there that Ben-Hur not only copes with his faith but also in his questions into what God wants from him.
William Wyler’s direction is truly spectacular in terms of not just the scope of the presentation but also in how big the film is in its approach to the story. Shot partially on location in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios with additional locations in Libya and North Africa, Wyler goes for something that plays into a period of time where it is this conflict between the power of the Roman Empire and a simple community of Jews and Arabs. Much of the direction is presented in a very vast and wide canvas to play into how big the world was in those times where the sets of the cities such as Jerusalem and Rome are part of a world that is very unique. Wyler’s approach to wide shots help play into how vast it is. Even in some of the interiors of the sets where Wyler’s use of medium shots help play into how big things were including the galley ship where Ben-Hur was a rower for Arrius.
The direction does have some unique ideas of close-ups as it relates to the drama such as Ben-Hur’s love for his family as well as the growing attraction between himself and Esther. Yet, it’s in these extravagant sequences such as the film’s climatic chariot race scene that is among one of the film’s major highlights. Especially into what is at stake where the camera is capturing all of these moments as it features some second-unit work from Sergio Leone. It is a sequence that is very gripping where it’s also very dangerous into what Ben-Hur is trying to do. Yet, it is followed by events that play into not just what Ben-Hur was trying to look for but also some truths as it relates to his faith and what he had lost in his enslavement. Even as he would have more encounters with Jesus Christ as Wyler never shows that man’s face but rather as a mere presence that plays into Ben-Hur’s own journey to find himself and his questions of faith. Overall, Wyler creates a very sensational and enthralling film about a man who endures suffering as he tries to find a sense of hope through his devotion towards his faith.
Cinematographer Robert L. Surtees does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography that is filled with gorgeous colors for some of its exteriors in day and night as well as the interiors including some low-key lights for scenes where Ben-Hur returns to his house in its decayed form. Editors John D. Dunning and Ralph E. Winters does excellent work with the editing with its approach to fast-cutting for the film‘s chariot scenes along with other dazzling rhythmic cuts for some of its intense moments such as the battle on the sea. Art directors Edward C. Carfagno and William A. Horning, with set decorator Hugh Hunt, do brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of Ben-Hur‘s family home as well as the Roman prison and its palaces along with the vastness of the chariot stadium.
Costume designer Elizabeth Haffenden does fantastic work with the period costumes from the uniforms that the Roman soldiers wear to the robes that both the men and women wore at the time. The special effects work of A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert MacDonald, and Milo Lory is pretty good for some of the background effects for the scenes such as the naval battle and a few scenes that involve the opening sequence of Jesus Christ‘s birth. The sound work of Franklin Milton is terrific for the sound effects that are created as well as capturing some of the moments in the chariot race sequence. The film’s music by Miklos Rozsa is phenomenal for its bombastic and soaring orchestral score to play into the sense of adventure and action along with lush, string-based themes for some of the film’s dramatic moments as it’s a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Irene Howard is marvelous as it features notable small roles from George Relph as the Roman emperor Tiberius, Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate, Sam Jaffe as Esther’s father Simonides who is a loyal servant to the Ben-Hur family, Claude Heater in an un-credited appearance as Jesus Christ, and Finlay Currie in a terrific performance as Balthasar and the film’s narrator for its opening sequence. Martha Scott and Cathy O’Donnell are wonderful in their respective roles as Ben-Hur’s mother Miriam and sister Tirzah as two women whom Ben-Hur cares for as they were victims of a simple accident caused by Tirzah. Jack Hawkins is excellent as Quintus Arrius as a Roman consul who was intrigued by Ben-Hur’s appearance in his ship as he is later saved by the man whom he generously thanked while being one of the rare Romans that Ben-Hur cares for.
Hugh Griffith is amazing as Sheik Ilderim as a comical figure of sorts who invites Ben-Hur to his camp and support him in the chariot race as he is also a caring figure who wants to create an alliance between the Arabs and Jews. Stephen Boyd is fantastic as Messala as an old friend of Ben-Hur who later betrays him as he becomes a man devoted to the Roman Empire and later challenges him in the chariot race. Haya Harareet is brilliant as Esther as a former servant who had always been in love with Ben-Hur as she hopes to help him after his return as she also helps find out what happened to his mother and sister. Finally, there’s Charlton Heston in an incredible performance as the titular character as Heston brings a lot of intensity and humility to his role as a man who is betrayed and sold to slavery as he later tries to maintain his sense of faith in a trouble world as it’s one of his iconic performances.
Ben-Hur is a sensational film from William Wyler that features a towering performance from Charlton Heston. Along with a great supporting cast and amazing technical features, the film is truly an epic that lives up to its name and more. Even as it manages to do much more as it tells very compelling stories about faith and a man being tested for his devotion. In the end, Ben-Hur is a magnificent film from William Wyler.
William Wyler Films: (Straight Shootin’) - (Anybody Here Seen Kelly?) - (The Shakedown) - (Hell’s Heroes) - (A House Divided (1931 film)) - (Tom Brown of Culver) - (Counsellor at Law) - (Glamour (1934 film)) - (The Good Fairy) - (The Gay Deception) - (These Three) - (Dodsworth) - (Come and Get It) - (Dead End (1937 film)) - (Jezebel) - (Wuthering Heights (1939 film)) - (The Westerner) - (The Letter) - (The Little Foxes) - (Mrs. Miniver) - (Memphis Belle: A Story of Flying Fortress) - The Best Years of Our Lives - (Thunderbolt!) - (The Heiress) - (Detective Story (1951 film)) - (Carrie (1952 film)) - Roman Holiday - (The Desperate Hours) - Friendly Persuasion - (The Big Country) - (The Children’s Hour) - (The Collector (1965 film)) - (How to Steal a Million) - (Funny Girl) - (The Liberation of L.B. Jones)
© thevoid99 2015
