TUNES OF GLORY

UK, 1960, 106 minutes, Colour.
Alec Guinness, John Mills, Dennis Price, Kay Walsh, John Fraser, Susannah York, Gordon Jackson, Duncan Mc Rae, Percy Herbert, Alan Cuthbertson, Peter Mc Enery.
Directed by Ronald Neame.

Tunes of Glory is based on a novel by James Kennaway who adapted his novel for the screen and received an Oscar nomination for it.

The film focuses on a highland regiment and its being located back in Scotland after long experience including World War Two. Major Jock Sinclair, played by Alec Guinness, joined the regiment as a boy piper and has been in it ever since. He is a free soul, freewheeling, a great devotee of whisky.

A challenge comes to his leadership in the appointment of an Englishman, played just as effectively by John Mills. There is a psychological clash between the two. The clash builds up, especially with other members of the regiment including Dennis Price and Gordon Jackson. There are also complications with Sinclair’s daughter, played by Susannah York.

The film has some high moments of drama and comedy. Alec Guinness is in command, with a final soliloquy that cinema historians praise as a key soliloquy on the screen. However, it was John Mills who won the best actor award at the Venice film festival.

A fine English film, with good performances, English themes, the military, post-war, personal interactions.

The film was directed by Ronald Neame who served as a photographer for David Lean, made such interesting films as The Card and The Horse’s Mouth, both with Guinness, as well as The Million- Pound Note and The Man Who Never Was. He then moved to Hollywood with mixed results. His best films include The Chalk Garden, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Poseidon Adventure, The Odessa File and First Monday in October.

1. The meaning and irony of the title? The emphasis on army glory and achievement? the contrast with human pettiness?

2. How appropriate was the use of colour photography, locations? Scots atmosphere? Would the film have been better in black and white?

3. How pessimistic was the tone of the film? Why? The clash of good and bad? The badness of human nature? How interestingly was this illustrated?

4. What was the main response to the film? Interest? Sympathy? Emotional involvement with the characters, exasperation with the situations? Insight into a human limited situation?

5. How much sympathy did the audiences have with Jock? What kind of a man was he, the army type, the self-made man, his jollity and friendliness with everyone? His inefficiency and his being relieved from his post? His own loyalty and loyalty of the men to him? His relationship with his daughter, protective of her? His need for Mary?

6. Was his clash with Barrow inevitable? How much resentment was there? Covered up by humour and malice? The nature of his exemption from service? The humiliation of his being like the other men, especially the dancing? What right had he to defy Barrow? The drinking and the game? Getting the men loyal to him and against Barrow? Why was he so harsh against his daughter and Frazer? The shock when Barrow killed himself? How much did he blame himself? What kind of man was he at the end? How pathetic?

7. What was the film's basic message about human nature and the potential clashes between characters in Jock?

8. The character of Barrow? The emphasis of the film on his army type, his career, the irony of his arrival? His interactions with the men, the emphasis on discipline and the letter of the law? The importance of his commanding all to learn dancing? The drama of his outburst at the party? The situation of the Court Martial and his decision? Why did he go against the Court Martial? His emphasis on the letter of the law and his failure to live up to it? What brought about his decision to kill himself? The dramatic effect of his killing himself? the effect on others?

9. What basic manage about human nature was communicated by the character of Barrow?

10. The minor characters: Jimmy Cairns and his loyalty, his helping of Jock, of Barrow? What details emphasized this good-naturedness of Jimmy?

11. Scott and his cowardice? The judgment on this type of character?

12. McLean? as the ordinary soldier, the humiliated piper, a representative of the ordinary men?

13. The importance of Morag and Frazer? Was this an important subplot? Did it add to the themes of the film or distract from them? Frazer as hit by Jock and the centre of a potential Court Martial?

14. The character of Mary? What did she add to the film? In term of understanding Jock?

15. The army theme: the British Army and its atmosphere, emphasis on discipline and order? Did the film say the army atmosphere was responsible for this clash and tragedy?

16. How was the army world a microcosm of the clashes, manipulation, fears, using of others in the world at large? Did the film's value lie in this?