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Rating:  - Tunes of Glory
A fine piece of British cinema from the days of a film industry in it's heyday.
Rating: - A Very Powerful Treatment of Popularity viz a viz Discipline in the Military
In an interview Sir Alec Guinness was asked how difficult it was for him to portray an individual whom he in actual life was the opposite to, Sir Alec responded as all great actors would, by saying that he felt it to be challenging, but enjoyed it once he got into it... and this is the Alec Guinness that one sees in Tunes of Glory. The tale of friction between two powerful figures, both with huge egos and both unwilling to bend to the circumstances of reality and their times. The ending of the movie has always broken me up and brought me to tears. for just as in the movie... "all my sons".. the
Major (Guiness) felt an afffinity and a kinship to all the men under him, growing to love them as (..."all my babies"...) he would his own sons.. there lies the irony in the ending... and his ultimate feelings for Col. Barrow (John Mills).....enuff said
Rating: - ALEC GUINNESS' STOLEN OSCAR...
Another reason why Academy Awards (or any competitive awards for art) can't be trusted is proven by Guinness' failure to win one for what must be one of his greatest performances...from the very first scene with him it's obvious that the right choice was made to cast him in the role of Col. Jock Sinclair instead of Col. Barrows. There's no denying that without the wonderful script (and novel) by James Kennaway this could've been a boring "soldiers in peacetime" stage play but with Guinness and Mills duking it out from the get-go you are riveted by their performances. The supporting cast couldn't be better. The final scene is heartbreaking and just goes to show what a versatile actor Sir Alec was. The only truly interesting extra on this Criterion release is director Ronald Neame's interview which directly relates to the film...Mills' voice-only interview is too short and not too illuminating and the interview with Sir Alec is way too long...I didn't really get into it as it covers too much territory and from the first 10 minutes seemed like it could have gone on for 3 hours. But a beautiful print and much deserving to the Criterion treatment. BOY OH BOY OH BOY!!! INDEED!
Rating: - A Fine Tune Indeed !!
A great opportunity to see two of the worlds finest Actors toe to toe in this gritty drama about the Army in post war (1945) Britain. Mill's portrayal of Stiff Upper Lip Barrow and Guinness's 'Jock Sinclair' is a masterpiece. The resentment of the two officers to each other grows until the climax of the film.
SPOILER BELOW
The most saddest moment is Guinness at the end supported by some his his fellow officers after breaking down following his animated version of the Funeral procession that will take place.
Rating: - Tunes of Glory- Criterion Collection DVD
Unquestionably the best movie Alex Guinness ever made.
This high-definition transfer could not have been better.
Guinness fans shouldn't miss this one.
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