The English legal system does not concern itself with such fine conceits as guilt or innocence,concentrating instead on the minutiae of interpretation,precedent,case-law,acceptability of evidence,and,most of all,the eloquence of the barristers.They are,after all,lawyers arguing points of law devised by other lawyers in front of another lawyer whose opinion may well be contested by another group of lawyers at a later stage.So it is in "The Winslow Boy",a relic of the pre "kitchen sink" era of the British Theatre,one of the last hurrahs of the complacent middle-aged men before the angry young men had their brief revolution. Their breath of fresh air soon became a gale of fetid air and the complacent middle-aged men soon had their slippers back in the hearth -some of the former A.Y.M.joining the ranks of the reactionaries. Mr Terence Rattigan's story of the boy accused of theft and his family's extraordinary campaign to prove his innocence is open to the same questions of interpretation.Ronnie Winslow's guilt is never considered by anyone except his prospective counsel,and,in a rather melodramatic scene,he too appears to be convinced that a miscarriage of justice has taken place.Or does he just take on the case to get closer to the boy's sister?Is it the film's premise that no price is too high to pay nor is any cause more noble than establishing the truth - or is it that truth becomes irrelevant in the battle between two opposing lawyers or in the escalating juggernaut of publicity? Set in the uneasy peace preceding the first world war,"The Winslow Boy" examines that most excoriated of institutions,the middle class family. Gruff but loving paterfamilias,supportive wife/mother,strong-willed independent-minded daughter,charming,polite but slightly rakish older son and the eponymous younger son.The dynamics of such a group of people are skilfully portrayed in a number of short well-written scenes that establish their relationships.Mr Nigel Hawthorne and Miss Gemma Jones are outstanding as the parents,she having the more difficult task of seeming slightly subservient and at the same time the real strength of the family and the one holding it together.Mr Hawthorne starts off the epitome of male rationality and at the end of the film has become obsessed by his campaign perhaps even to the edge of madness,whilst Miss Jones despite her emotional involvement with her younger son becomes more pragmatic as the campaign goes on.Driven to virtual bankruptcy by the costs(echoes of "Bleak House" here)the Winslows are driven closer together by the experience. Miss Rebecca Pigeon plays Kate,the rebellious "New Woman",cigarette smoking supporter of womens' suffrage.She is completely believable in the role and I can only think that the severe criticism of her is of the "sour grapes" variety.Her brother Matthew plays her brother and it works very well.There is a subtle interplay between them that reflects their real-life relationship and enhances all their scenes together. Kate supports vaguely leftish causes that are anathema to her father and is ambivalent about briefing the eminent barrister Sir Robert Morton,scourge of the Trade Union movement(the devastatingly handsome Mr Jeremy Northam) but he wins her over by declaring his belief in her brother's innocence after a cross-examination in his office. As the family's money is gradually drained away Kate loses her Lifeguards officer fiancé but doesn't seem unduly bothered despite declaring lifelong love for him to her mother"I love him in every possible way a woman can love a man",she told her discomfited parent.
The family solicitor (Mr Colin Stinton) her devoted swain for years is gently rejected and her relationship with Sir Robert Morton slowly develops from confrontation to co-existence with room for development. At the end of the court case the two have a loaded conversation and the final exchange is worthy of Oscar Wilde. Guy Edwards as Ronnie Windsor recalls the kind of boy who once rolled hoops along the banks of the Serpentine under Nanny's careful eye. The change from fierce denial to apparent disinterest in his fate is well-observed.From a slightly sanctimonious prig he turns into a readily recognisable somewhat bemused teenager whose priorities in life have inevitably altered.Only Mr Hawthorne's steely determination remains unbending and he has paid for it not only financially but also with his health.Whether it is a price worth paying is the question at the heart of this film.
The family solicitor (Mr Colin Stinton) her devoted swain for years is gently rejected and her relationship with Sir Robert Morton slowly develops from confrontation to co-existence with room for development. At the end of the court case the two have a loaded conversation and the final exchange is worthy of Oscar Wilde. Guy Edwards as Ronnie Windsor recalls the kind of boy who once rolled hoops along the banks of the Serpentine under Nanny's careful eye. The change from fierce denial to apparent disinterest in his fate is well-observed.From a slightly sanctimonious prig he turns into a readily recognisable somewhat bemused teenager whose priorities in life have inevitably altered.Only Mr Hawthorne's steely determination remains unbending and he has paid for it not only financially but also with his health.Whether it is a price worth paying is the question at the heart of this film.