You'd probably think that you don't want to see this. It's not much fun but you'll be glad you've seen it once. It's a well made picture with a laudable message and once you get past those weird accents, you'll actually find it really quite gripping.
What a horrible bunch of people! What an awful artificial stiff upper lip world they have created for themselves. Everyone is vile - even Basil Rathbone and he's the hero. It's rare that you find a film without any likeable people in it whatsoever and that makes this quite difficult to engage with. It wouldn't have course have been made if society toffs like those depicted in this film didn't actually exist. It does therefore give us a fascinating glimpse into a society which fortunately no longer exists.
It's a rather dry and worthy film but is nevertheless addictively watchable. Directed by the famously humourless tyrant of England's early thirties film industry Basil Dean, he injects absolutely no light relief in it at all. One gets the sense that Mr Dean saw this a far too serious a subject for anyone to even think about smiling in it. It is nevertheless an excellent story and Mr Dean does tell it effectively and by using a technique of restrained sustained release of outrage, he evokes in us an escalating sense of anger.
Racism is certainly not just a thing of the past but it's shocking to see it expressed so blatantly as though it's normal - especially by the upper classes. These days we don't expect to encounter such explicit bigotry from 'the ruling classes' so hearing such attitudes coming from those stiff polished accents is somewhat unnerving. That this was normal is really quite shocking. It's an intelligent and clever little film - one you'll remember.
