The Browning Version is one of those films that will bring back memories for you of some of the more disciplinarian teachers that you once had in elementary or secondary school. Anthony Asquith's successful adaptation of a one-act play by Terence Rattigan looks at that issue from the other vantage point.

Historical Background: Anthony Asquith was born on November 9th, 1903, in London and died in 1968. He was the son of a Liberal prime minister of England, H. H. Asquith, who held the country's top political position from 1908 to1916. The younger Asquith, who was nicknamed "Puffin," co-founded the Film Society in 1925 with the likes of George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, and Julian Huxley. In that same year, Asquith went to Hollywood to study filmmaking techniques and returned in 1926 to begin his film career in England. He gained his first experience by co-directing Shooting Stars (1928), a silent film known for its bold editing techniques. By 1930, Asquith was making sound films.

Asquith was best known for two kinds of films: semi-documentaries and adaptations of stage works. Asquith was co-director of Pygmalion (1938), often considered the finest film adaptation of any Shaw play. Asquith had his strongest run of success in the late forties and early fifties with The Winslow Boy (1948), The Browning Version (1951), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952). Asquith is the rare instance of a director who became less flamboyant in his style as he matured, gradually moving from a flashy auteur style to a far more transparent approach.

The Story: Andrew Crocker-Harris (Michael Redgrave) was once a promising young scholar and talented poet, but after a long career as a master (teacher) at an English public school, teaching Latin and Greek, he's lapsed into perpetual mediocrity. As a young teacher he had taken interest in the lads, later he had settled for their gentle laughter at his peculiarities, and finally he had become the despised tyrant, devoid of any displays of emotion or investment in his young charges. He is known openly as "The Crock" and less openly as "The Himmler of the lower fifth." It doesn't help his stature that jolly laughter is frequently heard emanating from the room across the hallway, where the popular chemistry teacher, Frank Hunter (Nigel Patrick), teaches chemistry through interesting demonstrations to the boys of the upper fifth. The pedantic and spiteful Crocker-Harris rigidly drives the boys through translations of the Greek text, The Agamemnon. The film's title refers to an English translation of that text by Robert Browning.

Crocker-Harris is due to retire because of ill health, but his departure is unlikely to be mourned by either the students or his colleagues. Many of his colleagues may, however genuinely miss Crocker-Harris's pretty and personable wife, Millie (Jean Kent). Frank Hunter may or may not be among them. He's been having an affair with Millie, but she seems more intent on continuing with it than does he. The Greek tragedy The Agamemnon is about a man who is murdered by his wife, with the help of her lover. In her own way, the spiteful Millie is doing her utmost to finish off her husband, as well, though with vicious verbal belittlement rather than poison or bloodshed. She gets some unexpected aid from the headmaster, Mr. Frobisher (Wilfrid Hyde White), who informs Crocker-Harris that he has been denied a pension. Frobisher also wants Crocker-Harris to give his farewell speech at the assembly, contrary to tradition, before the more popular but less senior Mr. Fletcher (Bill Travers), who is leaving to play cricket for the national team.

The only person who seems to give two hoots about Crocker-Harris is a student named Taplow (Brian Smith). He sees through Crocker-Harris's gruffness and feels sorry for the man. Taplow gets special tutoring from Crocker-Harris, paid for by his father, though the lad would prefer to be out on the golf course. Taplow brings Crocker-Harris a farewell gift, consisting of a copy of the Browning translation of The Agamemnon. Inside it, he's written an inscription, in perfect Latin, which translates as "God from afar looks graciously upon a gentle master." Crocker-Harris is moved to tears. Mr. Hunter comes to visit and walks in during the end of the exchange between Crocker-Harris and Taplow. After Taplow has left, Millie returns and dismisses the gift as no more than Taplow's effort to suck up to Crocker-Harris, to ensure that he'll be promoted to upper fifth. Millie informs her husband that she had earlier seen Taplow doing a mocking impersonation of "The Crock." Hunter is disgusted that Millie would thus destroy her husband's one bit of genuine consolation, when everything in his life is falling to pieces. Hunter decides right then and there to end his affair with Millie and, as soon as they are alone, tells her so. The story then progresses through a number of interesting turns to reach a poignant and effective conclusion.

Themes: The film's primary theme is that it is never too late for redemption. Though Crocker-Harris has lost his self-respect and joy for living, we sense, as the film concludes, that he'll find, in the last phase of his life, something to give it added meaning. We also see, in this film, the power of positive interventions for helping a person to turn around a failing aspect of their life. The help for Crocker-Harris comes from two most unlikely sources: one of his students and the man who had been having an affair with his wife. The film reminds us that we can sometimes make an immeasurable difference in another person's life by taking a few minutes out of our days to notice and address their troubles. The interventions of Taplow and Mr. Hunter helped Crocker-Harris rediscover the most important qualities that a teacher can manifest: sympathy, encouragement, and humanity.

One interesting review that I came across for this film asks whether Millie Crocker-Harris might not also have been "saved" had she been offered the same gifts. Hers might be a tougher case because her despair has taken a turn into vicious behavior, but her desperation is no less acute than her husband's. Crocker-Harris could not provide his wife with sexual satisfaction and she could not provide him with emotional devotion without that physical element. Millie declares emphatically to Hunter, "It's me you should be sorry for. For heaven's sake, show me some pity." It may take a saint to exhibit genuine caring for a person whose despair has taken the form of hurting others, but it is sometimes all that is needed.

Production Values: The screenplay was adapted by Terence Rattigan from his own one-act play. Rattigan fleshed the story out a bit for the filmed version and won a Best Screenplay award from the Cannes Film Festival for his effort. The tension of the film is palpable though nicely understated, avoiding saccharine clichés or obvious emotional manipulations. Asquith adopts a transparent style of directing in which viewers notice little about the filming other than the fine script, performances, and photography. There are no flashy flourishes. The Browning Version is first and foremost a character study, with special focus on Crocker-Harris, but the characterizations of Millie, Frank Hunter, and Taplow are also interestingly developed. The story is structured like a reverse tragedy, with the protagonist being discovered initially in a decrepit physical, emotional, and financial condition, but slowly moving toward a spiritual recovery through insight and repentance.

The black-and-white cinematography is highly effective, providing a sense of gloominess equal to Crocker-Harris's mood. Most of the shots occur in small rooms, adding a feeling of claustrophobia and a world caving in, which effectively characterize Crocker-Harris's woes.

The foremost reason to watch this film is the magnificent performance by Michael Redgrave in the lead role. Michael Redgrave was one of the most famous actors of his generation, though a bit overshadowed by Laurence Olivier. Redgrave performed in such films as The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Stars Look Down (1939), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), The Innocents (1961), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), The Battle of Britain (1969), and The Go-Between (1971). Redgrave's performance in The Browning Version is often cited as the finest of his brilliant career. He uses measured restraint to deliver a devastating illumination of his character's mindset. Redgrave received the Best Actor award from Cannes for his work in this film. Asquith helped make this film an actor's film by knowing when to keep his camera still and riveted on Redgrave to bring out the nuances of his dialog and facial expressions.

Redgrave gets able support from a fine cast of supporting actors and actresses. Jean Kent is powerful as the malicious Millie. Nigel Patrick, who also appeared in The Battle of Britain (1969), gives his character, Frank Hunter, all of the ambivalence required. Brian Smith provides a wide-eyed, unspoiled performance as the good-hearted Taplow.

Bottom-Line: The Criterion DVD provides a beautiful audio and video transfer for this 89 minute film. There's an audio commentary provided by film historian Bruce Eder as well as an interview with Michael Redgrave from 1958. There's also an interview with Mike Figgis, a director who made a remake of this film in 1994. There's an interesting essay by critic Geoffrey Macnab in the liner booklet. There have been three filmings of The Browning Version, but this is widely judged the best of the three, most especially because of Michael Redgrave's devastating performance.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older