The Queen's Guards (1961)

Grenadier Guards Captain John Fellowes prepares for the Trooping the Colour ceremony and reminisces about his years at Sandhurst Military Academy as well as his family's dramatic life.

Director:

Michael Powell

Writers:

Roger Milner (story), Roger Milner (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Massey, Raymond Massey, Robert Stephens

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Massey	...	John Fellowes
Raymond Massey	...	Captain Fellowes
Robert Stephens	...	Henry Wynne-Walton
Jack Watson	...	Sergeant Johnson
Peter Myers	...	Gordon Davidson
Ursula Jeans	...	Mrs. Fellowes
Frank Lawton	...	Commander Hewson
Anthony Bushell	...	Major Cole
Jess Conrad	...	Dankworth
Cornel Lucas	...	Photographer
Ian Hunter	...	Mr. George Dobbie
Elizabeth Shepherd	...	Susan
Judith Stott	...	Ruth Dobbie
Duncan Lamont	...	Major Wilkes
Jack Allen	...	Brigadier Cummings

Storyline

Captains John Fellows and Henry Wynne-Walton finish their Army training at Sandhurst Military Academy and are sent to the Middle-East. John is to lead a parachute battalion while Henry is put in charge of a platoon of armoured cars of the Household Cavalry. John is constantly being told by his father, an ex-Guards officer that he is not as good as his brother who was killed during the war.

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Plot Keywords:

sandhurst military academy | trooping the colour ceremony | officer | 1960s | queen | 

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Taglines:

The stirring saga of a young guardsman's path to manhood!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Queen's Guards

Filming Locations:

Chelsea Bridge, Battersea, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imperial Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shown on British television for the only time on BBC One at 2pm on July 28, 1974.

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Quotes

Major Cole: Do you seriously consider that only bad officers get killed?

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Soundtracks

Oh Susannah
Performed by Jess Conrad

User Reviews

Old soldier and young soldier come to terms with each other

Quite a poignant movie if I remember correctly and I've only seen it once, when first released. For some reason I've always thought the title was "Red letter day" and not "The Queens Guards".Maybe someone can check it out or maybe I'm like the Raymond Massey character, just getting old with my memory playing tricks.

Considering it was made at the start of the 60's the generation gap is in full swing here between father and son, both military men, the father played by Raymond Massey is a crippled veteran. The son, played by Massey's real life son Daniel is a Guardsman poised to take the Queen's salute and standard at that day's ceremony. The storyline involves tradition, honour and indeed bitterness and the bickering between father and son on the day of the "Trooping of the Colour", a pageant which takes place every June in London's "Horseguards Parade" in honour of the Queens Birthday. There is a flashback sequence telling of the son's ignominious military exploits over the Suez crisis which the father believes is a blot on the family AND the guards. There is a dead son who the father believes deserves all the family honour.The wrong son died syndrome.

The scene where Massey struggles to get to the window using a cane to pull himself along on bars attached to the ceiling of the apartment overlooking Horseguards Parade.(Now THAT apartment I would love to have) in time to watch his son take the Queen's salute is indeed poignant. It is actually quite a stuffy film but very fine acting from all concerned saves it from complete obscurity.Not Michael Powell's best effort.