Take a look at the credits for Ronald Neame’s Tunes of Glory, an extraordinary character study of officers in a Scottish Battalion, released in 1960.
In the leads, Alec Guinness and John Mills, two of England’s finest. A young Susannah York in her first role.
Malcolm Arnold created the score, while Arthur Ibbetson was behind the camera.
Anne Coates cut this little masterpiece, and John Cox handled sound.
Criterion has done a beautiful job with color and densities, in handling the scan from the Eastman Color negative, the final result of which looks akin to a 35mm print.
For those who have never experienced Tunes of Glory, you’re in for a treat.
Image – 5
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
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Robin9
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Two points seldom mentioned regarding this film: Dennis Price is in it and the novelist Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange) thought it one of the best films ever made.
Billy Batson
Angelo Colombus
I've never seen this movie. I pre-ordered it back in late September as part of a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" sale.
Angelo Colombus
I never saw the film until a month ago when I checked out the old Criterion release from the library. One of the nice extras on the disc is a 15 minute interview with Alec Guinness.
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He was requesting a print, which I gifted him. His mother was Ivy Close, who was in a little silent film, La Roue.
Wonderful discussion, with a brilliant filmmaker.
Angelo Colombus
B-ROLL
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I'm sorry, Mr. Neame will always be the director of "The Poseidon Adventure" to me
!
Billy Batson
Is that the film made my Kevin Brownlow about the director Abel Gance? I can still remember seeing it on TV way back in the sixties (I think). It's funny the little bits of the past that you remember.
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Precisely
Mark Booth
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Mark
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Audio correktRobert, you've got a typo in your original post. You spelled Alec as Alex.
Mark
Douglas R
I rather doubt that story. According to IMDb Alec Guinness was first offered the part of Lt Col Barrow but asked to play Major Sinclair instead. Guinness then suggested John Mills for the part of Barrow.
I'm sure that Guinness could have played either role but I don't think John Mills would have been as effective as Jock Sinclair. Of course, playing an officer must have been second nature to Mills who appeared in so many military films. He plays Barrow very much as he played the stern, uptight ex-officer in the little known but favorite film of mine, "Tiara Tahiti" as antagonist against laid-back, ignore the rules, James Mason.
I'm never sure which character one is meant to empathise with in "Tunes of Glory" but my sympathies always go to John Mills' character.
Billy Batson
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