Undescribable Perfection

Let's be realistic.

Fresh and Exciting

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Wow, a 19-year-old Mia Farrow in her first credited role.But, eye-candy aside, the real stars are Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, Jurassic Park) as the Regimental Sergeant Major, and Flora Robson as MP Barker-Wise.Upheaval in Africa as a newly independent country decides to change leadership, provides a backdrop for conflict between the RSM and the mutinous Lieutenant (Errol John) who supports the new government.The stiff discipline of the British Army is on full display as the RSM tries to protect his charges.The acting by all was excellent, and the story was both dramatic and funny at times.

Lord Attenborough is not my favourite actor nor my favourite director. Most of his movies are,to my view, overlong and over keen on pointing out the blindingly obvious.However,in the early 1960s he produced two outstanding performances,"Seance on a wet afternoon" and this one"Guns at Batasi". The characters couldn't be more different,from a gentle anxious husband of a woman mad with grief to a tough vastly experienced senior N.C.O in the British Army at the time the Empire was becoming the Commonwealth. The film is set in a military outpost in a small African country about to become independent.The British as the outgoing colonial power have no exit strategy,wham,bang,thank you ma'am appears to be their style and they are surprised to find that not all the members of this new nation are singing from the same hymn sheet. "If you can keep you head when all others about you are losing theirs and blaming you...."could be Lauderdale's byword. As a representative of the Old Guard he is a prime target for the left wing Labour M.P. on a "fact - finding" mission,i.e.seeking to confirm her prejudices.Miss Flora Robson has her part down pat as the knee - jerk bomb - banner,fellow - traveller,a type that flourished in the Wilson government. Despite the august presence of Mr Jack Hawkins as the senior officer,it is Lauderdale who holds things together. Attenborough never sounds a wrong note in the whole movie.It is a performance richly deserving of its BAFTA. Mr John Leyton,a pop singer of the time appears in a small role that did not presage a hugely successful career in movies.His love interest,Miss Mia Farrow,hot on the heels of the TV series "Peyton Place" on the other hand,was destined for greater things. Colonialism is of course now a dirty word and Commonwealth a meaningless one clung to by few outside Buckingham Palace and Whitehall. That the British Army is as effective as it is today is the legacy of men like Regimental Sergeant Major Lauderdale who soldiered selflessly to protect whatever the government of the day considered to be the best interests of the country.His was not to reason why.

Robert Holles' novel "Siege of Battersea" becomes fascinating, gripping study of military rank, with egos clashing and tempers flaring. Richard Attenborough gives a masterly performance as a Sergeant Major with the British Army, stationed at a post in Africa and having to deal with a political coup; the uprising of the locals is in direct contrast with their servitude back in England, which catches everyone off guard when they rebel. Attenborough's performance, while at time over-scaled (as if he were performing this part on the stage), is nevertheless the film's centerpiece, and he's wily, tough, steely-eyed, unshakable, and also incredibly human. His underlings are impressively cast, as is Mia Farrow, looking fresh and lovely as a soldier's love-interest. The dislocation of these soldiers and their interpersonal relationships with each other, their leader, and the unpredictable nature of the Anglo-Africans provides for good, solid drama, which is given a lively pace and a simple, efficient production. **1/2 from ****

Let me preface that I am a huge militaria buff, history books, TV shows and especially movies, if they are British they are even better (even though I'm American, go figure). I also live and travel in parts that were once part of the British Empire and let me tell you, there remains a little of that colonial sense to these places concerning whites and the natives at least thats the way I feel about it. in the I bought this DVD from Amazon for about $10.00, not really knowing what to expect. Well I was expecting a tense escape from the heart of Africa of the last of the white Brits to be honest, kind of like a Wild Geese escape. Did it turn out that way, not at all. That's the best part of not reading IMDb before you see a movie, it won't spoil the movie for you! So what do I think this movie is? I think it's the last of the line in many ways. While probably not the absolute last one made, this is a pro military guys movie. While probably not the absolute last one made, it's also a black and white film from a large studio in the 60's. God, I'm listening to John Leyton's commentary on the DVD as I write and he just said (again) "I don't mean to remind you, this film was all shot on a stage", now that was really cool to hear it at 30 seconds into it (I kid you not that was his first point) but this is minute 45 and he has told us over ten separate times how this was all made on an indoor stage, hurrah already! That gets old really fast after the 5th time, lol. John Leyton also has glowing comments about everyone here EXCEPT, you guessed it, the black actors, unbelievably shallow and so obvious a mistake. OK now I probably sound like a liberal who bashes others, on the contrary I'm not. But even though the black actors will not go near the heights that Lord Attenborough will, he could have at least acknowledged Errol John who plays the mutinous officer and has a lot of face time, Leyton didn't once say his name or anything about him. Errol John would also play a mutinous African officer in an episode of Dangerman made around the same time, he plays an effective nemesis in my opinion. OK my pluses of the film, Attenborough's RSM in a verbal debate with the liberal MP (she fits the part too, doesn't she?), pretty much summing up England's future with the conservative pro empire voice ceding to the guilt trip liberal voice that trusts everyone except those defending their own countries interest's. Mia Farrow, for Mia Farrow fans , this was her first film role, she's very hot. In the commentary Leyton said a lot of their footage was cut out. Why was it cut? Well you have Attenborough in this great dramatic performance and in the context of a small group of whites in a revolutionary African nation where anything could happen. And than you have a light hearted Mia Farrow/Leyton young 20's fling and everyone else not really showing any tension that they really could be in a serious predicament, I'm glad they trimmed their bits down or this film would have been horrible. So, in summary, good time piece film. Its a guys feel good movie (white guys), not to be taken too seriously, with a great performance by Attenborough. In war movies from then on the action would get heavier, and there would be much more moral consequences to be introduced. Also, if your looking for a British black and white military drama made close to the same time, I recommend "The Hill". Guns Of Batasi 7/10