Four films from one of Britain's most distinguished leading actors. Comprises: The Baby And The Battleship (Lewis, 1956), It's Great to Be Young (Frankel, 1956), The Gentle Gunman (Basil Dearden, 1952) and The Family Way (Boulting, 1966).
Now here’s a fine idea – a set saluting John Mills, actor, national treasure and perennial war hero: the only submariner to escape from Colditz and trek through the de... more >
Now here’s a fine idea – a set saluting John Mills, actor, national treasure and perennial war hero: the only submariner to escape from Colditz and trek through the desert in search of an ice-cold lager. No wonder a grateful monarch dubbed him ‘Sir John’. His popular reputation as the eternal warrior comes at the expense of other, more interesting, aspects of his career though. Many of his finest moments occurred away from the battlefield, such as his starring roles in some of the best British Film Noirs. This set shows off his talents in roles which didn’t require him to wear khaki.
The only concession to Sir John’s military record is The Baby and the Battleship, a title that neatly summarises the plot (our hero smuggles the former onto the latter.) This lightweight farce has not worn well but it spotlights Mills’ considerable comic skill.
Better is The Gentle Gunman. It’s not a major film but this thoughtful story of a reluctant IRA gunman (Mills) and his kid brother (Dirk Bogarde) is watchable and atmospheric. Director Basil Dearden was visibly influenced by that great Belfast classic Odd Man Out and adorns his film with expressionistic flourishes. Less happily, he also borrows Odd Man Out’s dodgy Oirish accents.
Sir John couldn’t play young forever and gracefully progressed to character parts. The Family Way finds him as a domineering Northern paterfamilias who can’t understand his sensitive son (Hywel Bennett). The then-topical commentary on the generation gap dates it horribly but the family tensions remain involving and, ultimately, rewarding. Once again, however, the accents suck.
National treasure he might have been, but as this set reminds us, Sir John was a prolific film actor of considerable range. We do him an injustice if we think otherwise.
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