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Tunes of Glory (1960)

Director: Ronald Neame

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2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

The British cinema is littered with movies (from Bridge on the River Kwai to Tiara Tahiti) purporting to explore the military mind and caste ethics, but withdrawing into compromise before getting anywhere much. Here (an adaptation by James Kennaway of his own novel), as the English martinet taking over a Highland regiment in its bleak Scottish quarters, Mills comes across with rather more conviction than Guinness as his raffishly pawky predecessor, 'Jock' Sinclair. The clash of native temperaments and military customs between the two, leading both to mental crack-ups, has the stuff of real drama to it, but is gradually frittered away into silly sentimental melodramatics.

Author: TM

Time Out Film Guide


User reviews of this film

  • IRH said...
    Posted on Dec 22 2010 21:19 Brilliant.
    Report as inappropriate
  • george spence said...
    Posted on Feb 17 2008 14:17 First of all,I do not agree with the review from the 'Time Out Film Guide'......"gradually frittered away etc."What is frittered away?Yes,John Mills gave a magnificent performance as Basil Barrow,but to me,Alec Guinness' portrayal of Jock Sinclair was quite simply wonderful - acting at its supreme best.As for the 'silly sentimental melodramatics - NONSENSE!!
    the scenes referred to were an integral part of a truly marvellous film.The attention to fine detail,costumes,sets were super.The casting was perfect;Alec Guinness And John Mills displayed acting talent at its peak - how I wish they wre around today,they could teach a lot of today's so called actors
    how to REALLY act.
    Report as inappropriate

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