Once again, David Mamet has succeeded in writing and directing a sophisticated, elegant, entertaining film in The Winslow Boy. And, amazingly enough, he accomplished all that with a "G" rating.
As the film opens, we are introduced to the entire Winslow family returning from church in a scene that is instantly engaging, as the intricacies of the family's structure and situation are subtly revealed through the dialogue. We soon learn that the oldest daughter of the family, Catherine (Mamet's wife, Rebecca Pidgeon of The Spanish Prisoner), is to wed John Watherstone (Aden Gillett of The Borrowers), a navy gentleman. This particular English afternoon, he and the patriarch of the family, Arthur Winslow, played brilliantly by the venerable Nigel Hawthorne, are scheduled to discuss the exact terms of the marriage and the couple's living arrangement.
The scene unfolds beautifully as the two men discuss the marriage. In the meantime, a subtle yet ingenious humor emerges, which is pervasive throughout the film. As the family toasts the successful union, all is not well. A stranger seems to be wandering on the grounds of the house, and we soon find that it is Ronnie (Guy Edwards, another Borrowers alum), the youngest of the family, back two days early from the Naval College for Christmas break.
After much huffing and puffing in the family, the boy is presented to his father. Ronnie claims he has been falsely accused of stealing a five shilling postal note from a classmate, and for this he was ejected from the academy. His father asks the boy if he stole the note. "If you tell me a lie, I shall know it, because a lie between you and me can't be hidden." The boy insists he is innocent and his father begins a bid for the boy's lost honor and his reinstatement at the college. His father wants, at all costs, to "let right be done."
The family hires a hotshot lawyer of the day - the exorbitantly priced Sir Robert Morton - (Jeremy Northam of Amistad) to try the case in front of Parliament. As the case progresses, the family begins to degenerate and the effects of the highly publicized trial are evident in Catherine's crumbling engagement and the cuts the family must make to pay for the case. The question plaguing the entire family becomes: Is the trial worth it?
The Winslow Boy is adapted from a play by Terrance Rattigan which was later made into a movie in the '40s. Never before has Mamet written and directed an adaptation of a play, but he seems on sure footing nonetheless.
The parallels between modern media circus trials focusing on private affairs while tying up the judicial system and the Winslow case are apparent, but they are not harped upon. Nothing, in fact, is overdone or excessive in this movie due to the incredible writing and directing of David Mamet. His controlled camera reveals only the essential elements of each scene and of the story. He never composes a shot simply to make it "interesting" but frames it so that it conveys the essential core of the scene.
His work is made easier by a stellar group of actors who are impeccably cast. As in his other movies, Mamet directs his actors with an amazing lack of direction. There are no melodramatic moments of contrived tension or overly emotional actors. In this reserved society, the dictates of social decorum must be followed. Regardless of the reserved manner of all involved, the film simmers with a wry humor and wit that is funny and compelling while remaining subtle and stately.
While the main focus and apparent climax at first appears to be the resulting courtroom drama, the audience is deprived of entering the courtroom, remaining in the family's house. This, however, is the genius of the script: the courtroom drama drives the plot along, but the main story focuses on what occurs in the Winslow home as a result of the national attention garnered by the trial. Mamet infuses his setting with a vitality and strength that few other writer/directors can, creating an emotional, funny film that anyone tired of the loud, inane blockbuster movies will thoroughly enjoy.
