"Tunes of Glory" (1960) Alec Guiness and John Mills

One of Alec Guiness' finest films is perhaps one of the least understood. He plays Major Jock Sinclair, a highly decorated officer, who is the acting Colonel of a Scottish Highland regiment after World War II. When he is replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Basil Barrow, played by John Mills, his behavoir becomes increasingly erratic, culminating in his assaulting another member of the regiment in full uniform in public. This is a  Court Martial Offense. The outcome of this is the crux of the film's message.

Where does a soldier's duty belong? To a book of rules, or something higher? It all boils down, and over, to the age old question of Doctrine versus Deed. In this case the result of following the Book of Rules would publicly tarnish the reputation of centuries of hard won glory, paid for in lives. And so it goes that this decision between Doctrine and Deed may cost one man his life by verdict of a Court Martial. With masterful performances by both Alec Guiness and John Mills, this film may not be for everone. But the question is one we all face at sometime in our lives. Do we follow Convention, or do we follow our hearts?

"Railway Man" with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman (2013)

In this based on the real life experiences of Eric Lomax; who was a Japanese POW working on the infamous Bridge on the river Kwai; Colin Firth plays the part of the troubled veteran who returns to England at the end of the war. Although the actual war has ended, Mr. Lomax must now begin the real battle faced by so many veterans of armed conflict; he has to remember how to live.

Eric Lomax was a victim of PSTD before it had the name. He was beaten, tortured and starved at the prison camp where he was forced to labor on the railway bridge. But even more than the physical torture, the thing that hurt him the most was the actions of one man; the Interpreter. This man had the power; by the way he translated a prisoner’s answers; to affect the prisoner’s treatment by their captives. A simple inflection of his voice could change the way a POW’s answers were received, and as a result influence the severity of punishment inflicted.

When he returns from the war he is united with his wife Patti, played by Nicole Kidman. She is supportive of her husband in every conceivable way, but only time and circumstances will ever help him. And that circumstance comes when Eric finds that his old nemesis, Nagase, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, is working as a tour guide at the very prison camp where he was interred. Through a series of events the two come face to face again in the very place where the atrocities of the past took place.

As the film cuts back and forth between the past and present, Eric is forced to relive the past while confronting the demons sowed by Nagase’s past treatment. He has the man in his power now. The question is; what will he do with it?

"We and They" by Rudyard Kipling

On October 10th, 1977 Alec Guinness gave a rare interview on Michael Parkinson's BBC show. He reminisced about his life in show business and his fascination with animals. He even donned a cap and in a small boys voice read the following poem by Rudyard Kipling. I recently ran across the video of that performance as a bonus feature with the film "Kind Hearts and Coronets." I have not been able to find a clip of it on You Tube. But I'm still looking! In its absence I have posted a clip from the 1948 David Lean Production of "Oliver Twist", in which Mr. Guinness appears as Fagin. In this short clip he evokes all the necessary emotions imaginable; from kindness to greed and suspicion.

Alec Guinness has often been described as the actor who has no face. You can literally see him in several movies in a row and not recognize him. He is also Colonel Nicholson in Pierre Boulle's "The Bridge Over the River Kwai", as well as Obi-Wan in the iconic "Star Wars" films. Talk about versatility!

The Parkinson's interview was a bit over an hour long, and when it was through, it simply wasn't enough. And to cap off the interview, during which he had impersonated various animals which he had used as inspiration for several parts in his films, he donned a cap and glasses, reading, in a child's voice, this wonderful poem by Rudyard Kipling.

"A Friend of the Family"
From "Debits and Credits"(1919-1923)

Father and Mother, and Me,
Sister and Auntie say
All the people like us are We,
And every one else is They.
And They live over the sea,
While We live over the way,
But-would you believe it? --They look upon We
As only a sort of They!

We eat pork and beef
With cow-horn-handled knives.
They who gobble Their rice off a leaf,
Are horrified out of Their lives;
While they who live up a tree,
And feast on grubs and clay,
(Isn't it scandalous? ) look upon We
As a simply disgusting They!

We shoot birds with a gun.
They stick lions with spears.
Their full-dress is un-.
We dress up to Our ears.
They like Their friends for tea.
We like Our friends to stay;
And, after all that, They look upon We
As an utterly ignorant They!

We eat kitcheny food.
We have doors that latch.
They drink milk or blood,
Under an open thatch.
We have Doctors to fee.
They have Wizards to pay.
And (impudent heathen!) They look upon We
As a quite impossible They!

All good people agree,
And all good people say,
All nice people, like Us, are We
And every one else is They:
But if you cross over the sea,
Instead of over the way,
You may end by (think of it!) looking on We
As only a sort of They!

Movie Review: Kind Hearts and Coronets with Dennis Price and Alec Guiness

Dennis Price plays Louis Descoyne in this brillant British send up of murder mysteries. He plays 13 parts. Narrated by Alec Guiness,this movie is a gem.

When his mother is cast out of the family her son is denied his rightful title of Earl. This leads him to not getting the woman he loves who is only interested in money and power.

When his Mother dies he vows to attain his righful place as Earl. To do this he must ingratiate himself with his estranged family.(All played by Dennis Price.) After becoming acquainted with them one by one,he kills them, one by one,each murder bringing himself one step closer to the title he so eagerly covets.

When he is accused of the one murder he didn't commit, he is sentenced to hang. Recognizing the irony of it all he proceeds to pen his memoirs the night before his execution. When dawn arrives and with it a Pardon, he joyfully leaves the cell a free man.

But a last minute twist of fate, which rivals anything by O. Henry, leaves you with no doubt that crime- while attractive- does not always pay. And things are never quite what they appear to be.