The Winslow Boy (1948)

In pre-WWI England, a youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft, and his parents raise a political furor by demanding a trial.

Director:

Anthony Asquith

Writers:

Terence Rattigan (adapted from the play by), Terence Rattigan (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Donat, Cedric Hardwicke, Basil Radford

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Donat	...	Sir Robert Morton
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Arthur Winslow (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Basil Radford	...	Desmond Curry
Margaret Leighton	...	Catherine Winslow
Kathleen Harrison	...	Violet - the maid
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Attorney General
Marie Lohr	...	Grace Winslow
Jack Watling	...	Dickie Winslow
Walter Fitzgerald	...	First Lord
Frank Lawton	...	John Watherstone
Neil North	...	Ronnie Winslow
Nicholas Hannen	...	Colonel Watherstone
Hugh Dempster	...	Agricultural Member
Evelyn Roberts	...	Hamilton M.P.
W.A. Kelley	...	Brian O'Rourke

Storyline

In Edwardian England, a thirteen year-old cadet, Ronnie Winslow, is expelled from the naval academy at Osborne for stealing a seven shilling postal order. His father and sister become obsessed with proving his innocence at any cost to themselves, and turn the case into a national cause celebre.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | injustice | false accusation | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Fall Winslow

Filming Locations:

London Film Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions, De Grunwald Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alfred Hitchcock cast both Margaret Leighton and Jack Watling in his film Under Capricorn (1949) after watching their performances in this film.

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Goofs

When the film opens, a suburban train is coming into a station. The locomotive is in the livery of LNER (London & North Eastern Railway) Arthur Winslow alights having told his travelling companions that he has just retired from Lloyds Bank. When he gets home he shows his wife a pocket watch, given by the bank to mark his retirement and dated 1912. However the LNER was not created until 1923 so the shot of the train does not match the period.

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Quotes

Arthur Winslow: I'm afraid, Cate, this must be the end.
Catherine Winslow: No, father, we've got to go on.
Arthur Winslow: It's not just this letter, Cate. I can't go on sacrificing other people's happiness.

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Connections

Version of The Winslow Boy (1999)

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Soundtracks

Snookey Pookey Twaddle
(uncredited)
Written by Howard Carr

User Reviews

Classic Study of English Manners and Preoccupations

By comparison with today's more pacey films, Anthony Asquith's version of the Terence Rattigan classic might seem somewhat slow, with long shots focused on the protagonists' faces and frequent use of the shot/reverse shot technique. As a piece of character-focused drama, however, the film could not be bettered. Set just before the outbreak of World War I, the film concentrates on the trial of a thirteen-year- old boy (Neil North), wrongly accused of stealing a postal order. His father (Cedric Hardwicke) is determined to fight the case, and engages top prosecuting counsel Sir Robert Morton (Robert Donat) to plead the case. While the film works as a courtroom drama, its main focus is on characterization; those small facial gestures that appear to say so little but actually say a whole lot about the protagonists' preoccupations. The Winslow family are concerned to maintain their English sang-froid, but that becomes very difficult as the case wears on. Hardwicke is quite brilliant at showing how the case affects Mr. Winslow; his tired expression as the film unfolds is rapidly superseded by a small smile as he discovers the result and staggers outside to talk to the press. Initially Donat appears as something of a cold fish, but he admits to Winslow's daughter Kate (Margaret Leighton) by the end that this is a facade constructed purely for public consumption. The ending is quite unexpected for both of them. For lovers of British variety of the mid-twentieth century, the film contains the added bonus of two performances by Cyril Ritchard and Stanley Holloway.