The Winslow Boy is a historical drama which premiered in 1999.
The story is set in London in the beginning of the 20th century. Here is how it begins:
A young boy (Ronnie Winslow) is accused of theft. Ronnie is a student at a naval academy. According to the school, he stole a postal money order for 5 shillings from another student and cashed it. The school investigates the case. Ronnie is found guilty and expelled.
When Ronnie returns home, his father (Arthur Winslow) talks to him:
“Tell me the truth, son. Did you do it?”
Ronnie says no. This is enough. Arthur believes his son. And he is prepared to do whatever it takes to clear Ronnie’s name. Arthur’s long-running struggle to clear Ronnie’s name has serious consequences for the whole family.
This is where my presentation ends. I will not tell you more than this. If you want to know what happens with the case and the members of the family, you have to watch the drama all the way to the end.
Here is some basic information about this historical drama:
** Writer and director: David Mamet
** Based on a play by Terence Rattigan
** Producer: Sarah Green
** Available on DVD and via Amazon Prime Video
** Run time: 104 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Nigel Hawthorne (1929-2001) as Arthur Winslow
(the father)
** Gemma Jones as Grace Winslow
(the mother)
** Rebecca Pigeon as Catherine Winslow
(the daughter)
**Matthew Pigeon as Dickie Winslow
(the older son)
** Guy Edwards as Ronnie Winslow
(the younger son)
The second group
** Aden Gillett as John Waterstone
(Catherine’s boyfriend)
** Colin Stinton as Desmond Curry
(a lawyer)
** Jeremy Northam as Sir Robert Morton
(a lawyer)
Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) was an English playwright. His play about the Winslow family was written and performed in 1946. It was filmed in 1948 and adapted for the screen in 1999. This review is based on the version from 1999.
The play is inspired by a real event which took place in 1908. In the play (and the drama) the story is moved slightly forward. It begins in 1911, the year in which Terence Rattigan was born, and continues for one or two years, until 1912 or 1913.
This drama is a family affair, not only on the screen but also when we look at the cast and the crew:
** The actress Rebecca Pigeon plays Catherine. In real life, she is married to director David Mamet.
** The actor Matthew Pigeon plays Catherine’s brother. In real life, he is Rebecca’s brother.
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
Here are the results of three review aggregators:
** 73 percent = IMDb
** 79 percent = Meta
** 78 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
** 97 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
On Amazon there are at the moment more than 500 ratings of this product, more than 300 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.7 stars which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent.
As you can see, the ratings are quite good. When you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a gap between the professional critics and the general audience. The critics like this drama more than the audience, but both groups are positive.
If you ask me, this drama is highly overrated. When actors are good, the characters come alive. Unfortunately, this is not the case here. The actors are not really convincing. The acting is wooden.
It is a shame. This drama failed to captivate me. While watching this drama, I was only waiting to get to the end. If you are watching a great drama, you do not want it to end.
Some of the critical reviews on Amazon insist that the old version from 1948 is much better than the new version from 1999.
Since I have not watched the version from 1948, I do not know if this is true. Perhaps they are right.
The version from 1999 is neither great nor good; it is just average. This is why I think it deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).
PS. As stated above, the story is based on a real case which happened in 1908.
The name of the young cadet who was accused of stealing is George Archer-Shee (1895-1914).
The name of the barrister who defended him in court is Sir Edward Carson (1854-1935).
What was the result of the trial? What was the verdict? The cadet was found not guilty.
The British government accepted that he was innocent and agreed to pay economic compensation to the victim.
In 1914, George Archer-Shee joined the war. Sadly, he was killed in battle during the first year of the war.
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
The Archer-Shees against the Admiralty:
The Story behind the Winslow Boy
by Rodney M. Bennett
(1973)
The Archer-Shee Case: The Case on which
Terence Rattigan based the Winslow Boy
By Ewen Montagu
(1974)
# 2. Items available online
Alexander Woollcott
"The Archer-Shee Case"
The Atlantic
February 1939
John P. Rossi
"The Archer-Shee Case: The Root of
Terence Rattigan's the Winslow Boy"
The Free Library
2001
"The Winslow Boy"
Kilkenny Archaeological Society
20 June 2022
*****
The Winslow Boy
This is a poster for the version
which premiered in 1948
*****
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