Tunes of Glory

Ronald Neame's Tunes of Glory (1960) is a wonderful character study and drama. Depicting a clash of wills amongst two very different military officers, it features Alec Guinness at his very best. Perhaps the best part of the movie, however, is John Mills, giving a career-best performance.

Lt. Col. Jock Sinclair (Alec Guinness) is the carefree, lackadasical commander of a battalion of Scottish garrison troops - until straight-laced Colonel Barrow (John Mills) arrives to take over. Barrow is a strict disciplinarian, but completely unable to connect with his men - and his officers and men are divided between the new Colonel and Sinclair, who declares war against Barrow's authority. After Sinclair strikes a piper (John Fraser) who is romancing his daughter (Susannah York), Barrow is faced with a decision - whether or not to discipline Sinclair. Barrow decides to exonnerate Sinclair, hoping to curry favor with his officers - but he finds himself more isolated than ever.

Tunes of Glory is a top-notch character drama focusing on two damaged and disturbed people. Both men are horribly insecure individuals, with their neuroses manifesting in dramatically different ways. Jock is an outgoing Scotsman, bristling with bonhomme and charming vulgarity - a very un-military Colonel - but haunted by his wayward daughter, his shaky relationship with an actress (Kay Walsh) and fears of inadequacy. Barrow, on the other hand, is a lonely, isolated Englishman whose only refuge is his uniform. The clash between the two men is told in broad but effective strokes. Jock sees Barrow's disciplinary attitude as a threat to his frivolous, insecure nature, and engages in none-too-subtle bullying to bring Barrow around. Barrow, isolated by the loss of his wife and traumatic experiences in the late war, sees Jock's clique of friends as the determinate of his popularity; nevermind the rest of the officers, who have reasons to dislike both officers. Standing coldly above this is the devious Major Scott (Dennis Price), the Iago of the piece, who lurks in the background dispensing destructive advice to Barrow while undermining Jock's authority. In the denouement, both officers end up being destroyed: Barrow dying by his own hand, and Jock driven mad by his complicity in Barrow's death. The movie stumbles a bit with Jock's over-the-top ending lecture, but generally remains solid throughout.

Ronald Neame (The Horse's Mouth, also with Guinness and Kay Walsh) provides fairly straightforward but effective direction, handling his case well and gorgeously capturing the Scottish highlands. Shot in gorgeous Technicolor by Arthur Ibbetson, the movie stands out from most of its contemporaries, the drab, black-and-white "kitchen sink" dramas. Malcolm Arnold contributes a rousing march score making full use of Scots bagpipes.

Alec Guinness is a favorite of this blog, and his skillful performance should come as no surprise. Aside from a somewhat naff Scottish accent, Guinness's performance is marvellous, showing Jock as both the blustering Colonel and the petty, insecure man. Even more impressive is John Mills, decidedly not a favorite of this blog; he does a wonderfully subtle job capturing Barrow's loneliness and neuroses, his descent into isolation and madness painfully convincing. Dennis Price (Guinness's nemsis in Kind Hearts and Coronets) has a showy supporting role as the cold-hearted Major who plays Jock and Barrow against one another, and Susannah York makes a fine first impression in her film debut. Supporting actors include John Fraser (El Cid), Gordon Jackson (The Great Escape), Percy Herbert (Bridge on the River Kwai), Alan Cuthbertson (The Guns of Navarone) and another Groggy favorite, Kay Walsh (This Happy Breed).

Although not a perfect film, Tunes of Glory is a skillful, perfectly acted character drama. In its exploration of military comraderie and the inherent neuroses, it is almost without peer.