BREAKING THE MOULD
UK, 2009, 80 minutes, Colour.
Dominic West, Denis Lawson, Joe Armstrong, Oliver Dimsdale, Amanda Douge, Kate Fleetwood, John Sessions.
Directed by Peter Hoar.
Breaking the Mould is an interesting and straightforward docudrama, a focus on the emergence of penicillin during World War Two. It shows the story of Professor Alexander Fleming who discovered penicillin in the late 20s but was unable to produce it. The film is more the story of Professor Howard Florey, the Australian scientist who worked with the team in Oxford and discovered ways in which penicillin could be produced, made available for wide use. The film shows the struggles, the need for financial support, the behaviour of Fleming, somewhat arrogantly towards the producers of the drug, the support of Winston Churchill and the British government, the variety of experiments, failures and successes.
Dominic West is persuasive as Howard Florey. Denis Lawson is Alexander Fleming.
The film was directed by Peter Hoar, a director with many British television credits. The film recreates the atmosphere of the late 1930s, the outbreak of war, the War Effort, the role of scientists and their explorations and discoveries.
1.The title, the story of penicillin? Science, medicine? The characters? The atmosphere of the war?
2.The United Kingdom in the period? Oxford and London? The laboratories? The background of the war? The musical score?
3.The introduction, the war cabinet and meeting? The acclaim given to Fleming? The ignoring of Florey? The flashback framework of the film?
4.Howard Florey, his Australian background, wife and children, his working in science in England, 1938, Chain and the German background, the exploration of bacteria, enzymes? His life at home, the tension with his wife, her previously being a doctor, her illness, bringing up the children, his old style ideas of how a wife should be? The news of the death of the cousin? The urge to find a drug to combat illnesses? His wife’s criticism that he did not listen? The agenda for his work, the suggestion about working on chemical gases? His desire to follow through on bacteria?
5.The outbreak of war, September 1939, the government and plans, the bacteriologists? The personnel in the laboratories? The search for grants, Doctor Mellanby and his help? The slow progress? The experiments in biochemistry and pathology? The drama of exploration and discovery? The experience of success, the testing on the mice? The background of the experience of Dunkirk? The group as research scientists rather than doctors? The plan for experiments in the Radcliffe infirmary?
6.Albert Alexander, in the garden, the rose, the scratch, his serious illness, the doctor offering him as a candidate, the story of penicillin and its value, his recovery, his regression? The next experiment on the boy, the concern of his father? Improvement, experiments with the doses? Regression? The father weeping, the boy’s death? The permission for the post-mortem?
7.The war, the issues of medical espionage? Chain and his German background? The issue of patenting penicillin? Florey’s not being willing, Chain insisting? The later information that the British missed out on patenting penicillin and this was done by the Americans?
8.The family, the children in the United States, Ethel wanting a separation? Florey refusing? Her wanting to go back to work? The offer of a job in Bristol? Flory giving her the doctor’s coat? Seeing her in action and her contribution? His employing her in his experiments?
9.Alexander Fleming, his skills, his continued work, the visit to the plant, the tour? The reaction of the staff to his seeming arrogance?
10.The issue of spreading the risk, experiments, having a catalogue of successes, to persuade companies to support the discoveries? The patent issue? The extraction of more penicillin? Ethel working at the Radcliffe, the tests?
11.The inspection, Florey’s request for leaps of faith, the condemnation of spurious arguments, excuses?
12.Fleming, the issue of meningitis, the interview with the papers, his friendship with Lord Beaverbrook, the publicising of the experiments? The many letters of requests, Florey answering? The discussions with Fleming?
13.The war cabinet, the support for producing penicillin? The press conference?
14.The aftermath, Chain, Heatley (and his skill in the extraction technology)? The Nobel Prize being given to Fleming, Florey, Chain and Heatley? The lasting effect of penicillin?
