July 29 - The Winslow Boy

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene that happens on July 29. Watch this film tonight and enjoy it. 

THE WINSLOW BOY               

Dickie, oldest son of the Winslow family doesn’t get along too well with his father. John Waterstone, an army officer comes to ask the father’s permission to wed his daughter Catherine. He lives on his army pay and an allowance from his father. Mr. Winslow says he will give some money to his daughter at her wedding. The younger son Ronnie returns from Osborne(the naval college), having been expelled, accused of theft and lying, but he says “I didn’t do it”. Their solicitor Desmond Curry, who has been in love with Catherine for years comes to a luncheon to celebrate the engagement. The father asks Ronnie if he did it and Ronnie says no. The father launches a legal and political campaign to have his son’s name cleared. It becomes a popular cause, with people taking sides.   The expense becomes such that Dickie has to leave Oxford and go to work with his father at the bank and it consumes all the money he was going to give Catherine. She doesn’t mind as she and the father are the ones who fight the hardest to clear Ronnie. Desmond gets them an appointment with the famous barrister Sir Robert Morton. Ronnie tells him what happened and after some sharp questioning, Sir Robert agrees to accept the case. Mrs. Winslow wants the father to drop the case, but he refuses.  It is clear that Sir Robert and Catherine are attracted to each other, but neither will admit it even to themselves. John Waterstone’s father says they must stop the case or he will cut off his son’s allowance if he proceeds to marry Catherine. The father decides enough has been sacrificed, but before she can tell Sir Robert to stop, he manages in parliament to force the Admiralty to agree to a new trial. John breaks the engagement. On July 29, 1908, the day before they expect the verdict Desmond proposes to Catherine, but she tells her father she will say no. That same day the government gives up and they win the case with an apology from the government. Sir Robert and Catherine part on terms that imply he plans on pursuing her. [1:15:35 to 1:41:10]

An interesting slice-of-life film. You do secretly wonder if Ronnie was guilty or not. The film is really more about ‘the Winslow girl’ Catherine.

Montague, Ewan. The Archer-Shee Case. London; David & Charles, 1974. This book at pages 168-171 gives the date the family in the real case this film is based on, learned the case was dismissed

Director - David Mamet

Producer - Sarah Green    

Screenplay - David Mamet

Released -April 16, 1999

Runtime – 1 hour 44 minutes

Starring - 

Nigel Hawthorne as Arthur Winslow

Rebecca Pidgeon as Catherine Winslow

Jeremy Northam as Sir Robert Morton

Guy Edwards  as Ronnie Winslow

Gemma Jones as Grace Winslow

Matthew Pidgeon as Dickie Winslow

Aden Gillet as John Waterstone

Colin Stinton as Desmond Curry

Sarah Flind as Violet

Neil North as First Lord        

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.