Major Barbara (1941)

A young and idealistic woman, who has adopted the Salvation Army and whose father is an armament industrialist, will save more souls directing her father's business. A comedy with social commentary.

Director:

Gabriel Pascal

Writers:

George Bernard Shaw (original play), George Bernard Shaw (scenario and dialogue),

Stars:

Wendy Hiller, Rex Harrison, Robert Morley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wendy Hiller	...	Major Barbara Undershaft
Rex Harrison	...	Adolphus Cusins
Robert Morley	...	Andrew Undershaft
Robert Newton	...	Bill Walker
Sybil Thorndike	...	The General
Emlyn Williams	...	Snobby Price
Marie Lohr	...	Lady Britomart
Penelope Dudley-Ward	...	Sarah Undershaft
Walter Hudd	...	Stephen Undershaft
David Tree	...	Charles Lomax
Deborah Kerr	...	Jenny Hill
Donald Calthrop	...	Peter Shirley
Marie Ault	...	Rummy Mitchens
Cathleen Cordell	...	Mog Habbijam
Torin Thatcher	...	Todger Fairmile

Storyline

A young and idealistic woman, who has adopted the Salvation Army and whose father is an armament industrialist, will save more souls directing her father's business. A comedy with social commentary.

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Plot Keywords:

salvation army | reference to napoleon | manufacturer | father son relationship | father daughter relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1941 (UK)

Also Known As:

Axiomatikos Barbara

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gabriel Pascal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Deborah Kerr's first credited movie role.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 35 mins) Just before she scolds her husband for addressing her as "Biddy", a boom mic shadow passes over the lace trim on the bosom of Lady Britomart's (Marie Lohr) gown.

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Quotes

Andrew Underschaft: The fist Underschaft wrote: if God gave man the hand, let not man withhold the sword. The second wrote: all have the right to fight, none have the right to judge. The third wrote up: to man the heaven, to heaven the victory. The fourth had no literary turn, so he didn't write up anything, but he sold cannons to Napoleon under the nose of George III. The fifth wrote up: peace shall not prevail, save with a sword in her hand. But the sixth, my master, was best of all. He wrote up: nothing is ever...

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #27.62 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Onward, Christian Soldiers"
(uncredited)
Music by Arthur Sullivan (1871)
Words by Sabine Baring-Gould (1864)
Arranged by William Walton

User Reviews

A major disappointment for me...

If you can sit through the first half of MAJOR BARBARA there is some small reward in that the second half brightens up a bit and there is less of the tedious social commentary that infects the first half--with an outrageously hammy performance from ROBERT NEWTON. He's actually a turn-off for me in the first half of the film.

WENDY HILLER is full of confidence in the title role and is charming throughout. REX HARRISON has an unusual character to play and he does so with his usual skill intact. ("I feel that I and nobody else would marry her"). But the real star of the film is ROBERT MORLEY, a leaner looking Morley with a becoming beard, who has some wonderful scenes with members of his family--particularly his son for whom he has no love at all.

But overall, this is a stodgy, stage-bound looking production burdened by much too much of Shaw's lengthy rants, the social commentary overtaking the storyline and making the whole thing a pompous affair that had me waiting for "The End" to flash on the screen.

I don't second the praise the film has received from intellectuals who love this sort of thing. Despite good performances from the leads, it's got a boring first half that is likely to turn off many would be viewers. Of course, there are some witty Shaw lines. ("You'd sell your soul to the Devil for a pint of beer!").

And incidentally, DEBORAH KERR is totally wasted in a bit role that is very colorless and not at all memorable.