''Tunes of Glory'' is a 1960 British drama film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the 1956 novel and screenplay by

James Kennaway James Peeble Ewing Kennaway (5 June 1928 – 21 December 1968) was a Scottish novelist and screenwriter. He was born in Auchterarder in Perthshire and attended Glenalmond College. Biography Born to a middle class family in Auchterarder, his fa ...

. The film is a "dark psychological drama" focusing on events in a wintry Scottish Highland regimental barracks in the period immediately following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It stars

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...

and

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

, featuring

Dennis Price Dennistoun Franklyn John Rose Price (23 June 1915 – 6 October 1973) was an English actor, best remembered for his role as Louis Mazzini in the film '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1949) and for his portrayal of the omnicompetent valet Jeeve ...

Kay Walsh Kathleen "Kay" Walsh (15 November 1911 – 16 April 2005) was an English actress, dancer, and screenwriter. Her film career prospered after she met her future husband film director David Lean, with whom she worked on prestige productions such as ...

, John Fraser, Duncan MacRae, Gordon Jackson and Susannah York. Writer Kennaway served with the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gord ...

, and the title refers to the

bagpiping Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Nor ...

that accompanies every important action of the battalion. The original pipe music was composed by Malcolm Arnold, who also wrote the music for ''

The Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, th ...

''. The film was generally well received by critics, the acting in particular garnering praise. Kennaway's

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

was nominated for an Oscar.

Plot

Set in January 1948, the film opens in an officers'

mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

of an unnamed Highland Battalion, Jock Sinclair announces that this is his last day as acting

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

. The hard-drinking Sinclair, who is still only a major despite having been in command (as a brevet lieutenant colonel) since the battalion's last full colonel was killed in action during the North Africa Campaign, is to be replaced by

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

Basil Barrow. Although Sinclair led the battalion through the remainder of the war, winning a DSO as he took it "from Dover to Berlin" (He also holds an MM a medal only awarded to Other Ranks), Brigade HQ considers Barrow—whose ancestor founded the battalion—a more appropriate peacetime commanding officer. Colonel Barrow arrives a day early and finds the officers dancing rowdily. He declines sharing a whisky with Sinclair, taking a soft drink instead. They exchange histories. Sinclair enlisted as bandsman in Glasgow and rose through the ranks, Barrow came from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He served with the battalion in 1933. Assigned to "special duties", he has lectured at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town o ...

. Sinclair humorously notes that he was in

Barlinnie Prison HM Prison Barlinnie is the largest prison in Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Prison Service and is located in the residential suburb of Riddrie, in the north east of Glasgow, Scotland. It is informally known locally as The Big Hoose, ...

's cooler for being

drunk and disorderly Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in some countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness. Public intoxication laws vary widely by jurisdiction, but usually require an ...

one night in 1933. When Sinclair presses Barrow about his war years, he replies that he, too, was "in jail". Sinclair recalls that Barrow was a prisoner of the Japanese and belittles the experience—"officers' privileges and amateur dramatics". Barrow simply replies that Barlinnie would have been preferable. At 3 am, Sinclair and Scott are drinking, alone. Sinclair reveals his frustrations and plans: "I've acted Colonel, I should be Colonel, and by God... I bloody well will be Colonel!" Meanwhile, Morag, Sinclair's daughter, is shown secretly meeting an enlisted piper, Corporal Piper Ian Fraser. Barrow immediately passes several orders designed to instill strict battalion discipline. Particularly resented is an order that all officers take lessons in Scottish country dancing to prepare for the cocktail party Barrow plans for Feb. 20, the first postwar official barracks party. Men who have been dancing for decades are insulted and angry at being told not to raise their arms overhead, for example. The townspeople enjoy the party, but when the dancing becomes rowdy, Barrow is infuriated. Red-faced and screaming, he ends the party. He flees in a jeep, accompanied by Capt. Cairns, in whom he confides. The thought of leading this battalion kept him alive while the Japanese drowned him repeatedly. When a sympathetic Cairns says that he triumphed and survived, Barrow replies that he did not “survive.” Sinclair finds Corporal Fraser with Morag in a pub and punches him. "Bashing a corporal" is a severe offence, and Barrow decides to begin an inquiry, meaning a

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. Sinclair persuades Barrow to back down, promising support in the future. Once safe, he reneges, and other officers virtually ignore Barrow in the mess. In the billiard room, Major Charlie Scott – with glacial cruelty – says that Sinclair is really in charge and suggests that Barrow join the other acolytes. Face wet with tears, Barrow walks upstairs. Jock and others join Charlie in the billiard room. Suddenly, a gunshot echoes from upstairs. Barrow has shot himself in the tub room. Sinclair is calm when explaining what must be done to the young officer of the day, but when he is alone, he whispers as he backs out of the room: It's not the dead body he fears, it's the ghost. He calls a meeting to announce his plans for a grandiose funeral, "fit for a field marshal" as one man says, complete with a march through the town in which the pipers will play all the "Tunes of Glory". When one officer points to the manner of the colonel's death, Sinclair insists it was not suicide, but murder, he being the murderer and the other senior officers accomplices. While Sinclair loses himself in his vision of the cortège, all leave, except for Cairns and Scott. Sinclair disintegrates, burying his head in his tam and sobbing, "I'm fashed"!…Oh my babies. Take me home". They support him from the barracks, and Cairns rides with him as he is driven away, officers and men saluting as he passes. Bagpipes play as snow begins to fall.

Cast

as Major Jock Sinclair, DSO, MM *

as Lieutenant Colonel Basil Barrow *

as Major Charles Scott, MC* *

as Mary Titterington * John Fraser as Corporal Piper Ian Fraser * Susannah York as Morag Sinclair * Gordon Jackson as Captain Jimmy Cairns, MC * Duncan MacRae as Pipe Major Maclean * Percy Herbert as

Regimental Sergeant Major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Australi ...

Riddick * Allan Cuthbertson as Captain Eric Simpson *

Paul Whitsun-Jones Paul Whitsun-Jones (25 April 1923 – 14 January 1974) was a Welsh character actor. Born in Newport in Monmouthshire, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood in Middlesex. He started his acting career in 1948 with two years a ...

as Major 'Dusty' Miller * Gerald Harper as Major Hugo MacMillan * Richard Leech as Captain Alec Rattray *

Peter McEnery Peter Robert McEnery (born 21 February 1940) is a retired English stage and film actor. Early life McEnery was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, to Charles and Ada Mary (née Brinson) McEnery. He was educated at Ellesmere College, Shropshire. Hi ...

as 2nd Lieutenant David MacKinnon * Keith Faulkner as Corporal Piper Adam * Angus Lennie as Orderly Room Clerk *

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

as Sergeant Finney *

Andrew Keir Andrew Keir (né Buggy, 3 April 19265 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especially in the theatre, in a professional career ...

as Lance Corporal Campbell *

Jameson Clark Jameson Clark (8 July 1907, Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland – 4 January 1984, Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, ScotlandLockwood West as Provost * Ray Austin as Sergeant (uncredited)

Production

The film was initially to be made at

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever ...

, with Michael Relph as producer and

Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...

playing Sinclair. At the time that it was at Ealing, Kenneth Tynan, then working as a

script reader Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the "script development" department of a production company. While coverage may remain entirely oral, it usually takes the form of a written report, g ...

, criticized the first draft screenplay as having "too much army-worship in it". That view was shared by director

Alexander Mackendrick Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born director and professor, long based in Scotland. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Scotland. He began making television commercials befor ...

. By the time Kennaway rewrote the script, Ealing had lost interest and Hawkins was no longer available. The film was then picked up by the independent producer Colin Lesslie, who interested Mills in the project. Accounts differ as to how the leading roles were cast. Mills wrote that he and Guinness " tossed for it", while Guinness recalled that he had originally been offered the role of Barrow but preferred Sinclair. The role of Barrow might have been too close to that of Colonel Nicholson in ''

''. Sinclair has been described as "anti-Nicholson". ''Tunes of Glory'' was shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

in London. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Wilfred Shingleton. Establishing location shots were done at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, Scotland. Stirling Castle is the Regimental Headquarters of the

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

TC
Notes
/ref> but in fact James Kennaway served with the

. Although the production was initially offered broad co-operation to film within the castle from the commanding officer there, as long as it didn't disrupt the regiment's rgyll'sroutine, after seeing a lurid paperback cover for Kennaway's book, that co-operation evaporated, and the production was only allowed to shoot distant exterior shots of the castle. Director Ronald Neame worked with Guinness on ''

The Horse's Mouth ''The Horse's Mouth'' is a 1944 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Joyce Cary, the third in his ''First Trilogy'', whose first two books are ''Herself Surprised'' (1941) and ''To Be A Pilgrim'' (1942). ''The Horse's Mouth'' follows the adventures of ...

'' (1958), and a number of other participants were also involved in both films, including actress Kay Walsh, cinematographer Arthur Ibbetson and editor

Anne V. Coates Anne Voase Coates (12 December 1925 – 8 May 2018) was a British film editor with a more than 60-year-long career. She was perhaps best known as the editor of David Lean's epic film ''Lawrence of Arabia'' in 1962, for which she won an Oscar. ...

. The film was Susannah York's film debut.

Reception

Writing in ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'',

Dwight Macdonald Dwight Macdonald (March 24, 1906 – December 19, 1982) was an American writer, editor, film critic, social critic, literary critic, philosopher, and activist. Macdonald was a member of the New York Intellectuals and editor of their leftist mag ...

called ''Tunes of Glory'' a "limited but satisfying tale", and wrote that "it is one of those films, like Zinnemann's ''Sundowners'', which are of little interest cinematically and out of fashion thematically (no sex, no violence, no low life) and yet manage to be very good entertainment". The film was praised by

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', who wrote "Not only do Alec Guinness and John Mills superlatively adorn the two top roles in this drama of professional military men, but also every actor, down to the walk-ons, acquits himself handsomely." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called Ronald Neame's direction "crisp and vigorous", and said that Mills had a "tough assignment" to appear opposite Guinness, "particularly in a fundamentally unsympathetic role, but he is always a match for his co-star". The film's screenplay, and especially the final scene showing Sinclair's breakdown, was criticised by some critics at the time of release. One critic wrote in ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' that the ending was "inexcusable" and that the scene is "far less one of tragic remorse than gauchely contrived emotionalism". ''Tunes of Glory'' has a 73% rating on the

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

review aggregation site.

Awards and honours

James Kennaway, who adapted the screenplay from his novel, was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...

, but lost to ''

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. The novel's protagonis ...

''. It also received numerous BAFTA nominations, including Best Film, Best British Film, Best British Screenplay and Best Actor nominations for both Guinness and Mills. The film was the official British entry at the 1960

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

, and John Mills won the Best Actor award there. That same year the film was named "Best Foreign Film" by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Adaptations

''Tunes of Glory'' was adapted for BBC Radio 4's Monday Play by B.C. Cummins in April 1976. ''Tunes of Glory'' was adapted for the stage by Michael Lunney, who directed a production of it which toured

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

in 2006.

Home video

''Tunes of Glory'' is available on DVD from Criterion and Metrodome. It was released on Blu-ray by Criterion in December 2019 with a 4K digital restoration.

Legacy

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

called ''Tunes of Glory'' "one of the best films ever made", Neil Sinyard writes in ''The Cinema of Britain and Ireland,'' "so it is curious that the film rarely finds a place in the established canon of great British films". It was not included in the list of 100 greatest British films of the century compiled by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

in 1999. Sinyard observes that the film came too late to be part of the spate of popular 1950s British war films, and was too dark to be part of that genre. He notes that it seemed "slightly old-fashioned" when compared to

British New Wave The British New Wave is a style of films released in Great Britain between 1959 and 1963. The label is a translation of '' Nouvelle Vague'', the French term first applied to the films of François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard among others. Styli ...

films that came out at the time, such as ''Room at the Top''. ''Tunes of Glory'' was preserved by the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

in 2018.

References

External links

* * * *
''Tunes of Glory''
an essay by Robert Murphy at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cine ...

{{Ronald Neame 1960 films 1960 drama films Films based on British novels Films directed by Ronald Neame Films set in Scotland Films set in the 1940s British drama films Films scored by Malcolm Arnold Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films shot in Scotland United Artists films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films