The Gentle Gunman (Vintage Classics) [Blu-ray] [2022]

£5.995
FREE Shipping

The Gentle Gunman (Vintage Classics) [Blu-ray] [2022]

The Gentle Gunman (Vintage Classics) [Blu-ray] [2022]

RRP: £11.99
Price: £5.995
£5.995 FREE Shipping

In stock

We accept the following payment methods

Description

Ealing Studios produced this interesting take on the Troubles with a handful of its most famous stars in front and behind the camera. One of the studio’s most respected directors Basil Dearden (Dead of Night, The Blue Lamp) depicts Dirk Bogarde and John Mills as brothers waging an IRA bombing campaign during WWII. Yet even with its handful of nicely staged action scenes, its focus is much more on the ideological clash between family and national identity as loyalties and beliefs ebb, flow and begin to shift as the bodies begin to pile up.

Otherwise, working-class heroes and villains prevailed, enabling Ealing to hold a more accurate mirror to society than before: a shift that coincided with the decline of deference during the war, and culminated in the election in 1945 of a Labour government whose values, and then failures, Ealing also depicted. Although censorship (and good taste) limited the villainy that could be shown and saw Ealing release two films that insisted on the profound distinction between right and wrong – It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) and The Blue Lamp (1950) – a third, more ambiguous film took the studio closer to those boundaries of taste than usual under Balcon’s cautious eye. A tonally odd, dramatically stilted and misguided look at Anglo-Irish relations that's just about held together by the skilled direction of Basil Dearden and Gordon Dines' crisp, visually striking photography, this adaptation of Roger MacDougall's play is most interesting when the action relocates outside of the two prominent locations featured in the screenplay, showcasing some stunning Irish countryside and at certain points that feature the iconography of a gangster movie, recalling Dearden's work on crime noirs Pool of London and The Blue Lamp. October 28, 2023 , Bradley Hadcroft , No Comment Pigeon Shrine Halloween Frightfest Film Review – Superposition (2023)GIRDLE OF GOLD | British Board of Film Classification". www.bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2019-02-22. There have been a fair few films covering these two different time periods, from Ken Loach’s Palm d’Or winning The Wind that Shakes the Barely, to Jim Sheridan’s Danial Day Lewis vehicle In The Name of the Father and Yan Denamge’s underrated and agonisingly tense thriller ’71. Perhaps because both history and cinema tend to focus predominantly on these two key eras in Irish and Northern Irish history, it is easy to forget that Anglo Irish conflict and tension actually permeated throughout most of the 20th Century. Quite a few people may be surprised to learn, for example, that the IRA were operating in England during the Second World War. It is during this unusual time period that we find Basil Dearden’s 1951 nourish Ealing melodrama The Gentle Gunman taking place, shedding a light on an aspect of Northern Irish history that cinema doesn’t often choose to illuminate. Fascinating though it may be, the film can’t escape it’s fairly hamfisted approach to all this. The underlying political causes and themes of the Troubles and…

The Gentle Gunman was written by Roger MacDougall, based upon his earlier stage play (MacDougall’s plays were clearly popular at Ealing Studios around this time; The Man in the White Suit, based upon another of MacDougall’s plays, came out the same year as The Gentle Gunman). The film’s political interests are foregrounded right from the start, where two old men, one Irish and one English, discuss the legitimacy of English rule in Ireland. Yet both MacDougall and Dearden treat this discussion (as well as subsequent ones) with a light hearted, almost comic tone. Despite opening with this gentle political commentary, very soon Dearden allows his characters and noirish plot to dominate, with The Gentle Gunman never forgetting to be a briskly paced thriller first and foremost.Terry, though, is now a wanted man – wanted by his former comrades, who intend to execute him for his “treachery”: and they are led by a truly unpleasant fanatic, Shinto, played by Robert Beatty. The Sullivans’ mother also hates the IRA, since her husband and another son have already died after their involvement with the organisation. Although its boss, Michael Balcon, could be a mild autocrat, Ealing Studios took a democratic approach to the content of its films. When most higher-budget British films were about royalty, the nobility, toffs or (at worst) the middle classes, Balcon’s arrival at Ealing in 1938, and the war in 1939, saw the “ordinary” man become central to the studio’s output. Toffs became confined to romantic costume dramas, such as 1948’s Saraband for Dead Lovers (about George I’s wife, and one of the studio’s least successful films), or, the following year, the magnificent Kind Hearts and Coronets, an extravaganza of such decadence and depravity that Balcon, and indeed many viewers, did not understand quite how decadent and depraved it was. Both brothers return to Ireland, where Terry faces what poses as a court-martial, and he is sentenced to death. Here, though, the moral ambiguity seeps in again, providing an ending to the film that many critics at the time found a cop-out. Terry has decided to spring from custody the two men arrested because of his information; he does, and they arrive to thank him just as he is about to be shot. He escapes with his life, and all, it seems, live happily ever after. The film benefits from fine cinematography and production design with a film noir atmosphere that is sustained… October 30, 2023 , Joel Fisher , No Comment Pigeon Shrine Halloween Frightfest Film Review – Maria (2023)

John Mills’ earnest goodness, repentance and determination shine through here, giving the film its heart. At moments when the IRA indignation and call-to-arms could feel a little heavy-handed–at least by today’s standards–Mills balances things out. It isn’t just his character’s opposing views, but the truth in his performance, that is so compelling. The fact that, in 1952, this opens with an explicit parallel between Germany's invasive territory-grabbing in WWII and that of Britain in Ireland is quite something. Overlapping dissolves to reveal a hidden bomb, director Basil Dearden & The Third Key (1956-also reviewed) cinematographer Gordon Dines following the divide between the brothers with an excellent, ultra-stylized Film Noir atmosphere, where Dearden cuts through the crisp high contrast lighting, with jagged panning shots over rugged terrain, push-ins on… John Mills, Dirk Bogarde and Robert Beatty are near perfection together in this Basil Dearden film about two Irish brothers working for the I.R.A. in Britain during WWII. Mills is the older brother with a conscience, having been around long enough to become aware of the real costs of the conflict. Bogarde is younger, more idealistic and pragmatic, determined to support the cause while suppressing occasional misgivings. Beatty carries the weight of leadership, often coming across as ruthless in his determination. Also noteworthy is Barbara Mullen's performance as the mother who has had to endure the loss of her husband and eldest son. Despite The Gentle Gunman’s admirable attempt at balanced rather than shallow characterisation, as well as the thrilling direction, things aren’t always perfect. As a drama, the film does stumble occasionally, nowhere more so than in the final moments, which sees the culmination of the previous 80 or so minutes conclude with a weak puff rather than with a dramatic punch. It means that is hard to recommend The Gentle Gunman on its dramatic chops alone, with the film ultimately feeling, despite Dearden’s best efforts, like a bit of a damp squib as the credits roll.It's of the well-produced quality that we came to expect of the Basil Dearden/Michael Relph directing/producing team - crisp photography, great Irish locations, some exciting set-pieces, memorable character acting in support of a story that is made to motor along effectively. Unfortunately the script's origins as a stage play betray… Dirk Bogarde and John Mills deliver fairly engaging performances (although both are let down by some rather ropey Irish accents, with Mill’s attempt especially bad, seemingly taking in a tour around the British Isles by way of Belfast). While both actors were big names at the time, Bogarde’s role certainly plays second fiddle to John Mill’s more commanding and dominant older brother. In fact, Bogarde’s performance in The Gentle Gunman feels rather restrained, his character coming across as ineffectual and subdued for most of the running time, certainly standing in marked contrast to his more violent and belligerent turn in The Blue Lamp. Robert Beatty, playing committed IRA commander Shinto, arguably makes the biggest impression out of the central three characters, playing his role with a steely sense of cold determination. The Gentle Gunman will be released on both Blu Ray and DVD on 7th March. Newly restored for this edition, The Gentle Gunman simply looks glorious. Deep inky contrast (the scene in the rain looks particularly impressive) combined with a beautifully crisp and sharp picture, make it seem as if the film could have been shot yesterday. Sound is likewise clean and clear. Altogether this is a beautiful restoration.

The 20th Century proved to be a tumultuous period for conflict and war in Ireland. The early part of the era saw The Easter Rising in 1916, followed several years later by the Irish Civil War. The latter part of the century was of course defined by The Troubles in Northern Ireland, which finally culminated in peace with the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. October 28, 2023 , Bradley Hadcroft , No Comment Grimmfest 2023 – Film Review – 8 Found Dead (2023) The relationship between brothers Terry and Matt, both active in the IRA, comes under strain when Terry begins to question the use of violence. Show full synopsis The British magazine Time Out thought the film was "stiff" and "overplotted", [3] while the British Film Institute thought the film struggled to "find the right tone" and culminated with a "car-crash of an ending". [4] The New York Times thought that the film had "failed to search beneath the surface" of the screen-play and described much of the content as "superficial". [5] Quotes [ edit ]

Terry Sullivan (John Mills) had been a staunch member of the IRA. But we find him in London during World War Two, and his stance on the situation has changed. Meanwhile, his brother Matt (Dirk Bogarde) is still deep into the cause and striving to prove his loyalty. While not an example of any of the participants’ finest works, The Gentle Gunman is still a compelling film. The acting performances bring a passion and warmth which makes us care about the sympathetic characters, and somewhat pity and despise their rivals. Basil Dearden brings us the intensity that the subject demands. And while this film may not accurately represent the Irish conflict, nor add any context that we couldn’t find elsewhere, it is somewhat sympathetic to both sides. It allows points of view to breathe, and also to overlap, as in life. September 25, 2023 , Paul Devine , No Comment Win Delightful Animation Mavka: The Forest Song on DVD Basil Dearden enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Ealing Studios, both producing and directing many of their best-loved films of the 1940s and 50s. October 8, 2023 , Bradley Hadcroft , No Comment Grimmfest 2023 – Film Review – AUXILIO – The Power of Sin (2023)



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
  • Sold by: Fruugo

Delivery & Returns

Fruugo

Address: UK
All products: Visit Fruugo Shop