Directed by Ronald Neame
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Collection)
Two legends of British acting, Alec Guinness and John Mills, clash as commanding officers of a Scottish battalion with vastly different styles. Guinness is a loud, brash and alcoholic major whose loose style makes him popular with the men and other officers. Mills, who arrives to replace him, is a strict, by-the-book colonel who tries to change the culture in the barracks, much to the dismay of Guinness. Things come to a head when Guinness strikes a young corporal and Mills must decide to either go by the book and court martial him or let him off easy. His decision has unexpected consequences. There is no question about the quality of acting by all involved, it is of the highest level, but the story lacks real substance. Motivations for some of the actions are glossed over rather quickly with only cursory back stories. Traditional Scottish dancing plays a very important role, but it all seems rather silly to me, hardly worth all of the infighting. Finally, the last act turns melodramatic, out of place with everything that preceded it, and Guinness' final speech rings hollow to my ears.
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