***SPOILERS*** Laurence Oilvier or Larry as he liked to be called really outdoes himself in "Term of Trial" as the mosey and abused, by almost everyone in the movie, British high school English teacher Graham Weir. Teaching in a tough inner city high school Weir is treated with almost total disdain by almost everyone he deals with. A conscious objector during the war, that's WWII, because he hates the thought of being violent and possibly killing and injuring somebody even a Nazi Weir served time behind bars which kept him for getting any advances as a teacher in the British school system. This all leads to Wier sneaking drinks under the table at the local pub after school so he can build up enough courage to face his battle ax wife Anna,Simone Signouret, who can't stand the sight of him in how wimpy he, the man in the family, acts towards her.
Despite his gutless and unmanly demeanor Weir has a sweet kind and tender side to him that no one but sexy 15 year old Shirley Taylor, played by Sarah Miles in her first movie role, notices. Despite the age difference, Weir is 52 and Shirley is 15, Shirley sets her sights on the unsuspecting Weir to first get him to become her both "Sugar Daddy",in helping her with her homework, as well as lover. At first not at all interested in Shirley sexually things get out of hand for the meek shy and introverted Weir when he takes his class on a trip to Paris. It's there that Shirley starts to make her move on him that despite her very openly aggressiveness he's totally blindsided, in him checking out the sights of the city, to! It's later back in the UK at a stay at a local hotel that Shirley faking illness ends up almost bedding down the poor and confused guy who, like the gentleman that he is, kindly rejects her sexual advances towards him. Hurt humiliated and,the worst that a man can do to a woman, scorned Shirley now plans to get even with the upright and perfect gentleman Weir by claiming that he took advantage of her in his hotel room! That in the end would not only cost him his job but even,if convicted, his freedom!
Well done and beautifully crafted film about forbidden love with the great Laurence "Larry" Olivier as the innocent victim in all this sleaziness swirling around him that he has really no control of. You just can't help but feel for the guy, Graham Weir, in how everyone steps on him and yet he comes across more courageous in not fighting back but in taking all the guff that's thrown on him.
***SPOILERS*** Put on trial as a sexual pervert Weir in his willing to not humiliated Shriley any more then she's already been has her change her testimony and admit that she not Weir was the sexual predator in this whole sordid affair! In spite of her anger towards Weir, in him rejecting her sexually, Shirley soon realized that by destroying him she in fact will end up destroying herself as well. Shirley in an effort to get Weir jealous was starting to act like a whore or tramp with every boy in school including the just one step away from being sent up the river,or prison, for life bad boy & pot smoking Mitchell, Terrance Stamp.
It's later in the film that Weir finally wins the respect of his wife Anna by lying to her in that he fact instigated the affair he had with Shirley. Instead of being angry with him Anna had a new found respect in her husband in that he wasn't the wimp and gutless wonder that she thought that he was all these years. And it was that which in the end brought the two,who were on the outs, back together again.
Despite his gutless and unmanly demeanor Weir has a sweet kind and tender side to him that no one but sexy 15 year old Shirley Taylor, played by Sarah Miles in her first movie role, notices. Despite the age difference, Weir is 52 and Shirley is 15, Shirley sets her sights on the unsuspecting Weir to first get him to become her both "Sugar Daddy",in helping her with her homework, as well as lover. At first not at all interested in Shirley sexually things get out of hand for the meek shy and introverted Weir when he takes his class on a trip to Paris. It's there that Shirley starts to make her move on him that despite her very openly aggressiveness he's totally blindsided, in him checking out the sights of the city, to! It's later back in the UK at a stay at a local hotel that Shirley faking illness ends up almost bedding down the poor and confused guy who, like the gentleman that he is, kindly rejects her sexual advances towards him. Hurt humiliated and,the worst that a man can do to a woman, scorned Shirley now plans to get even with the upright and perfect gentleman Weir by claiming that he took advantage of her in his hotel room! That in the end would not only cost him his job but even,if convicted, his freedom!
Well done and beautifully crafted film about forbidden love with the great Laurence "Larry" Olivier as the innocent victim in all this sleaziness swirling around him that he has really no control of. You just can't help but feel for the guy, Graham Weir, in how everyone steps on him and yet he comes across more courageous in not fighting back but in taking all the guff that's thrown on him.
***SPOILERS*** Put on trial as a sexual pervert Weir in his willing to not humiliated Shriley any more then she's already been has her change her testimony and admit that she not Weir was the sexual predator in this whole sordid affair! In spite of her anger towards Weir, in him rejecting her sexually, Shirley soon realized that by destroying him she in fact will end up destroying herself as well. Shirley in an effort to get Weir jealous was starting to act like a whore or tramp with every boy in school including the just one step away from being sent up the river,or prison, for life bad boy & pot smoking Mitchell, Terrance Stamp.
It's later in the film that Weir finally wins the respect of his wife Anna by lying to her in that he fact instigated the affair he had with Shirley. Instead of being angry with him Anna had a new found respect in her husband in that he wasn't the wimp and gutless wonder that she thought that he was all these years. And it was that which in the end brought the two,who were on the outs, back together again.