IMDb > Tunes of Glory (1960)
Tunes of Glory
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Tunes of Glory (1960) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   1,422 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 15% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

James Kennaway (novel)
James Kennaway (screenplay)

Contact:

View company contact information for Tunes of Glory on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

20 December 1960 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama | Romance more

Tagline:

Colonel Jock Sinclair drank with his officers...and sang and danced with them...until that day when a shot rang out AND HE STOOD ALONE! more

Plot:

Major Jock Sinclair has been in this Highland regiment since he joined as a boy piper. During the Second World War... more | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations more

User Comments:

A Shattering Dissection of a Scottish Regiment more (44 total)

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 2110:15 PMTCM   


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Alec Guinness ... Maj. Jock Sinclair, D.S.O., M.M.

John Mills ... Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (Battalion Commander)
Dennis Price ... Maj. Charles 'Charlie' Scott, M.C. (Battalion Executive Officer)
Kay Walsh ... Mary Titterington
John Fraser ... Cpl. Piper Ian Fraser
Susannah York ... Morag Sinclair
Gordon Jackson ... Capt. Jimmy Cairns, M.C. (Battalion Adjutant)
Duncan Macrae ... Pipe Maj. Duncan MacLean
Percy Herbert ... RSM Riddick
Allan Cuthbertson ... Capt. Eric Simpson
Paul Whitsun-Jones ... Maj. 'Dusty' Miller (Mess President)
Gerald Harper ... Maj. Hugo MacMillan
Richard Leech ... Capt. Alec Rattray

Peter McEnery ... 2nd Lt. David MacKinnon
Keith Faulkner ... Cpl. Piper Adam
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:

107 min | USA:106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

'Joan Hickson' can be seen among the party-guests at the castle just before Barrow blows his cool. A brief exchange with him appears to be edited out. more

Quotes:

Lt. Col. Basil Barrow: When you're dying, when you really believe you're dying, you think of the most absurd things.
Capt. Jimmy Cairns, M.C.: In my war I never had time to think.
Lt. Col. Basil Barrow: Oh they gave me time, all right. Again and again. When I was in the prison camp, they nearly drowned me, then they brought me round. Then they put a wet cloth over my mouth and kept it wet until I nearly drowned again. And the only thing that pulled me through was the thought that one day I'd come back and sit in the middle of that table as colonel of this battalion, like my grandfather and his father before him. Only I was going to be the best of the lot.
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 52nd Annual Academy Awards (1980) (TV) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
A Shattering Dissection of a Scottish Regiment, 11 November 2005
10/10
Author: theowinthrop from United States

It is hard to say anything new about this marvelous film - possibly the last great film Alec Guiness had the starring role in (although some STAR WAR fans may disagree with that assessment). Guiness as Major Jock Sinclair is a man's man, and the popular head of a Scottish army regiment. Since the war ended he has been in charge of it, and there have been no complaints. But one day he learns that the Army brass have decided to appoint John Mills (Lt. Col. Basil Barrow) as the Regiment's new commander.

Guiness is not a coward - he has fought his way up the ranks on the battlefields of Europe, and the others in the regiment know this. But Mills is an unknown quantity. He is aloof, and he is English. Nobody can tell whether or not he has any inner reserves of strength or what was once called "moxie" to win their respect. So soon Mills finds that while his commands are heard, the men are still basically looking to Guiness for real leadership.

It becomes a quiet but steady battle between the two men to see who is the real head of the regiment. Even when, due to personal problems, Guiness is arrested for drunkenness, Mills keeps fumbling his attempts to put him under control. Part of the problem is psychological - Mills has had a very rough time during the war. He was tortured badly by the Nazis in one of their camps. He has been just beginning to pull himself together. The lack of respect he is being shown is not helping.

The characterizations in the film are wonderful, in particular Dennis Price. Mills had been the star of GREAT EXPECTATIONS in the late 1940s, with Guiness in support. Price had been the actual star, as the scheming Louis D'Ascoyne - Mazzini, in KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS, again opposite Guiness. Here Price is Major Charles "Scotty" Scott, who has usually been Guiness's closest friend, but has stumbled. In typical Price double-dealing, he has made a play for Kay Walsh, Guiness's girlfriend, and has not been totally rejected (when Guiness learns of this he goes into his bender, which leads to his arrest). Price however is more complex than one would initially believe. He, of all the regiment officers, does not go to Guiness to double-check the orders of Mills. Price feels that Mills, as commanding officer, needs no double-checking. The others are there to obey him.

But then Mills decides to be nice to that drunken scamp Guiness - and Guiness and his friends sees this as weakness, not kindness. Mills finds that the last shreds of his rank's dignity are gone...especially after he and Price have some quiet words while Price is playing billiards. Basically Price tells Mills that it is impossible now to have any respect for the Lt. Col. And this leads to the final double tragedy at the end.

Dennis Price (from what I have read on this board) had many family and financial problems, and emotional problems that led to an alcoholism that smashed his career. But his performance as "Scotty", relatively short in comparison to Guiness and Mills in this film, was a quietly effective and superb one. One only wishes his personal demons could have been controlled, so that he could have given us more performances as this one.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (44 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Tunes of Glory (1960)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Waterboarding nedhorn
JOHN FRASER(ACTOR) JOHN-WIGNALL
Most Stupid Tagline Ever oldmotem
'Tunes of Glory' on Movies4Men Sky Channel rogertaylor1947
uk copy on vhs of tunes of glory gerrygrant
New DVD release greed-6
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
From Here to Eternity Der Fangschuß Gone with the Wind Die Blechtrommel Giant
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Drama section IMDb UK section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.