Conduct Unbecoming

If you're familiar with Fametracker and its 'Hey! It's that guy!' feature, you'll understand what I mean by an 'it's-him'. It's when you watch a film and all the way through you're pointing at second banana actors going 'Oh look, it's him'. One of the pleasures of this film is trying to work out exactly why so-and-so's face is familiar and then realising it's Prior Robert from TVs Cadfael, or something similar.

I read the play Conduct Unbecoming at school, and while this film does not go quite as deeply into the themes it throws up, ie moral bankruptcy in the British Raj/army and macho values in general, it remains a well-made, well acted period drama redolent of the distinctive spirit of the period.

Then again, I could be biased because I find Milington so dishy (he played Herod Agrippa in I, Claudius, in case you're stumped!)

Certainly excellent acting by an excellent cast. Its only boring if you don't understand the time, place and principles. This is hard to do in the 21st century. Honor, loyalty and comradeship are rare commodities today, not really highly valued or understood. That makes this film all the more worth watching and pondering. To be a common man in a position of such infallibility is beyond imagination today, but such were the colonial British in the Victorian era. I find this story absolutely fascinating and Stacy Keatch's performance as the only American in the film one of his best. Acting, writing, directing and beautiful color, I loved it. I'm grateful its finally on DVD.

Fans of court-martial stories will definitely want to rent Conduct Unbecoming, starring both Michael and Susannah York, Christopher Plummer, Stacy Keach, Trevor Howard, and Richard Attenborough. Set in British-occupied India, this mysterious story will keep you guessing until the end, and all the while you can look at the pretty costumes and beautiful sets.

Michael York arrives at his new post and is immediately befriended by James Faulkner, even though such an association might not be wise. James has a disrespectful attitude that frequently gets him in trouble. At an officer's ball, Susannah York rebuffs James's advances out in the garden. Minutes later, she's found with a torn gown and a rape accusation on her lips. Naturally, James is arrested and subjected to a court martial. It's supposed to be cut and dried, since Susannah is a beloved war hero's widow, and no one would dare question her word. But Michael takes on the position of advocate for the defense and threatens to open a messy can of worms. Stacy, Chris, and Trevor all warn him against it, but he believes in the honor of the army and the law so he tries hard to give James a fair trial.

This was an enjoyable drama with a great cast all giving their best. I didn't love the way it ended, but the rest of the journey was entertaining and full of great twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.

It could be treated as a negligeable trifle of a soldier violating the finest lady of the place, but etiquette demands the matter to be court martialled with both a prosecutor and defense, and as the proceedings go on, everyone desiring to get the problem brushed off as quickly as possible, strange facts turn up to make it a very complicated matter indeed. The lady in question is found to have been lying, a widow of a renowned hero of the regiment, and the question must arise, why she was lying. Who was she protecting? The answer is only the regiment, for the sake of the honour of her deceased husband, killed in battle. It's an intricate court case parading all the best British actors at the time, Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough, Christopher Plummer, Michael York, Susannah York, Stacy Keach, it's an excellent play brilliantly performed under the expert direction of Michael Anderson, and if you find it dull and boring you will find it surprising by the unexpected turns it takes. Almost all the actors make some of their best performances ever, especially Michael York and Stacy Keach, and you will inevitably be hanging in the end with the unanswerable question: what happens then?

This film is flat lifeless and dull.It t staged in one main set and it gives the feeling of having been filmed in the theatre.It is not so much a whodunit as a whocareswhodunnit.When the actual assailant is revealed the only feeling is of relief that this film is coming to a conclusion.Terence Rattigan was apparently paid £250000 for an unused screenplay.That was probably more than the test of the films budget.