StuffedCat

I like to watch at least one film from the '40s, '50s or '60s of a weekend, and by preference a war film. Often, it will be one I remember watching many years ago on TV, so there's a kind of nostalgic added-value.

Sometimes I can't find one I remember watching, or have even heard of, so I cast around to find something to fulfill this craving. This weekend's search produced this one.

It's ... OK. It's not good enough to have engaged me fully, nor leave a lasting impression, but not bad enough to give up watching once I'd started.

My feelings may be somewhat marred by the version I got hold of being dubbed. I'm not a fan of that, prefering instead to hear 'natural' voices and read subtitles. Actually, though, that was one thing that scored quite highly for me. The dubbing was pretty good, so I didn't spend much of the time being distracted by lips moving completely out of sync with what was being said.

On the whole, though, I wish I'd chosen something else.

Others here have vividly described what this episode is about, and if you're reading these reviews you most likely already know anyway, which is great because it relieves me of the need to describe it myself.

I would say that whilst most episodes are merely worth rating 10/10, several easily deserve 11/10. This one goes even further than that, and I would give 12/10 if I could.

My chief reason for this is the ending montage. OK, it's not QUITE as stirring as that of 'In Excelsis Deo', but it's pretty damn close. Maybe it's my Englishness driving my love for this. After all, the play IS by Shakespeare (sort of) and I agree with President Bartlet that the song they sing seems exactly right for the hallowed halls of a Cambridge college. Combine that with the emotions evoked by the scenes immediately preceding it, and it gets me every time.

Although, in fairness, at the conclusion of nearly every episode I'm left feeling "yeah, that's one of my favourite endings".

I guess you have to have watched Leo McGarry being a no nonsense, just get on with it, it is what it is, type of character from the very first episode to fully appreciate the closing scene in this one.

Sure, you understand virtually from the series get-go that underneath that tough exterior beats a very caring heart but though that's often made plain, it rarely breaks through to the surface.

At the end of this episode, when President Bartlet gives Leo an early, sentimental, Christmas gift, Leo finally cracks and you see a tear in his eye as the scene starts to fade. This has so far never failed to have the same effect on me, no matter how many times I watch it.

Oh, and by the way, did you know that when he wasn't being President Bartlet's Chief-of-Staff, he went around pretending to be an actor called John Spencer?