An Enemy of the People

From an Arthur Miller adaptation of a Henrik Ibsen play, "An Enemy of the People" is a film about a man who stands up for truth in the face of adversity. This film is shot much as a play, with a concentration on ideas and not embellishments. It was executive produced by Steve McQueen, the popular actor whose popularity was created by roles in action films, like "The Great Escape" and "Bullitt". When shown to test audiences, the reception for this film was poor, so it never saw theatrical release.

Doctor Thomas Stockmann (Steve McQueen) is a practitioner in a small town that has great hopes for tourism and financial gain due to a spring they have developed into a destination for those seeking its healthy waters. But the doctor has suspicions that the runoff from an upstream tannery is polluting the waters, creating a health risk. He takes his concerns to his brother, Peter (Charles Durning), who also happens to be the mayor and the CEO of the corporation that developed the springs.

The story is a warning about democracy/majority rule and the dynamics of mob rule. Like the town of Amity in "Jaws", the people do not want to hear news that might have a negative impact on their finances. Like the people of Salem in "The Crucible", they can be manipulated easily by those who tell them what they want to hear. And like Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird", Dr. Stockmann is armed with the truth but finds opposition from those who are invested in any "truth" that supports their biases.

In today's terms, Stockmann is a whistleblower. He is also a man of science who realizes that others before him were persecuted for their truths. The story also contains lessons about the responsibility of newpapers and, very importantly, the right of free speech.

This is a well-crafted story, but I feel the ending is abrupt. The acting is good, but I find no Oscar-worthy performances. The sound was the only aspect of the film that I thought subpar, having an unevenness and an echo that distracted.

"An Enemy of the People" is worth seeing for its themes. Being an effort by Steve McQueen to stretch his acting muscles, it is also an interesting anomaly.

Steve McQueen made a career out of playing action roles, and although he played with a certain sense of cerebrality, by 1977 he wanted to prove that he could "act", in the classic sense. He proves beyond a doubt that he can in "An Enemy of The People", which was adapted from a play by Norwegian playwright Heinrik Ibsen.

McQueen gives a sublime performance in a film that was never properly released, promoted, or issued on video simply because the filmmakers didn't know what to do with it. It was a complete 360 degree turnaround role for McQueen, it's based on a play that, although famous, isn't well known by people who aren't college students, and they simply didn't know how to market it.

All the actors for this film were well chosen and all turn in excellent performances. McQueen himself certainly looks the part of the town doctor with his granny glasses, professor's 3 piece suit, and long shaggy beard.

It should be noted that this does appear on PBS from time to time, and videotaped versions of this are floating around. If you get a chance to see it, whether on tv or on someones videotaped version, then by all means do so.

Late in his brief career, Steve McQueen, a superstar for his roles in action movies, intensely wanted a chance to demonstrate his abilities in a classical framework. To that end he produced this cinematic version of the Ibsen play about a 19th-Century whistleblower and worked for scale, as did other actors. The script is adapted from the excellent adaptation done by Arthur Miller a half-century ago.

The screenplay closely follows the original work and utilizes a minimum of sets with only one exterior shoot. Despite this constriction, this film is truly unforgettable. The acting by McQueen, Richard Dysart, Charles Durning and Bibi Anderson is superb. The cinematography is excellent as well, conveying an almost tactile appreciation of period costumes and interiors of the sort found in Matewan by John Sayles.

The examination of the political and emotional whirlwinds described by Ibsen would be topical today.

The regrettable part of this enterprise was the inexplicable failure of the studio to release the film in the U.S. DVD versions can be found and used PAL videotape versions are available from the U.K., Australia and other countries that use that format.

I was fortunate enough to watch this film on Sky Cinema (for those not in the UK, this is a movie channel specialising in older films), and being a McQueen fan, was not disappointed. I had heard so much bad press about this movie before seeing it, that it was slow, boring, a waste of time and celluloid. How wrong. Yes, it may be wordy, and a bit 'stagey', but stick with it for the first 10 minutes or so and you will be hooked. Don't be put off by a bulky looking McQueen with a fearsome beard and even more fearsome hair. His performance is possibly the best of his career (barring 'The Sand Pebbles'). His support is magnificent too, especially Charles Durning as his brother. This movie may look like a TV movie in feel, but look a little deeper and there are some real powerhouse performances. Warners obviously had no idea how to market this movie, so they didn't bother. At least they released it to TV for us to enjoy. I don't believe that this movie has appeared on either DVD or Video, so I will treasure my VHS to DVD transfer to enjoy hopefully for many years to come. If this ever appears on TV again, I urge you to catch it.

Not the usual Steve McQueen fare for sure, but look beyond trying to see the actor in "The Magnificent Seven" or the "Great Escape" and you'll see an excellent movie with a message.

Watch it on a cold night with your wife/girlfriend when you don't have to get up early the next day.