The Winston Affair (1964)

In WW2,a US lieutenant stationed in India shoots dead a British NCO and admits his crime but his reason for the murder is so bizarre that it puzzles his defense counsel.

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Keith Waterhouse (screenplay), Willis Hall (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, France Nuyen, Barry Sullivan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Mitchum	...	Lt. Col. Barney Adams
France Nuyen	...	Kate Davray
Barry Sullivan	...	Gen. Kempton
Trevor Howard	...	Maj. John Gerald Kensington
Keenan Wynn	...	Lt. Charles Winston
Sam Wanamaker	...	Maj. Leon Kaufman
Alexander Knox	...	Col. Burton
Gary Cockrell	...	Lt. Oscar Morse
Robert Nichols	...	Lt. Harvey Bender
Michael Goodliffe	...	Col. Shaw
Errol John	...	Sgt. Jackson
Paul Maxwell	...	Maj. Fred Smith
Lionel Murton	...	Capt. Alec Gunther
Russell Napier	...	Col. J.H. Thompson
Jared Allen	...	Capt. Dwyer

Storyline

In India during WWII, a US officer confesses the murder of a UK officer. A military veteran is appointed to defend him. Everything looks simple, until he starts investigating the circumstances of the crime and realizes that facts don't fit.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder | india | world war two | kangaroo court martial | based on novel | 

---

Taglines:

The most unusual chain of events that ever held your emotions at gun point.

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Winston Affair

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pennebaker Productions, Talbot Productions, Belmont Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was made by Marlon Brando's production company, Pennebaker Films.

---

Connections

Referenced in Il signor Quindicipalle (1998)

---

Soundtracks

Chattanooga Choo Choo
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played during the scene at the dance
Also played when Col. Adams passes through the hotel lobby

User Reviews

In The End You Don't Really Care

There is not a player worth their talent who does not eventually want to do a role in a courtroom drama. The sad thing is that Robert Mitchum got his turn in court in Man In The Middle.

Not that it's a bad role or a bad performance that Mitchum turns in. But ultimately you don't really care what happens to the victim here, an insane and racist army lieutenant played by Keenan Wynn who coldbloodedly shot down a British sergeant in the China-Burma-India theater of World War II.

It's the nationalities here, the American Army in the spirit of interallied cooperation just wants to get Wynn quickly convicted and hung in a proficient military manner. General Barry Sullivan has gotten Mitchum to be the defense lawyer with then presumption that because Mitchum is from a military family he will do the right thing by the army's standards.

But an army nurse and an army psychiatrist played by France Nuyen and Sam Wanamaker make him see that Wynn needs the best defense. The army has suppressed a report where Wanamaker has clearly stated that Wynn is certifiable, but the medical corps have deep sixed the report and Wanamaker. Doing that bit of dirty work is Alexander Knox.

What's keeping this thing alive is Wynn's unseen brother-in-law a Congressman. That will usually do it with the military.

The film was partially shot on location in New Delhi and the biggest problem on set according to Robert Mitchum's biographer Lee Server was keeping Trevor Howard away from the booze. Howard is in the film as well as a British psychiatrist and apparently at the time he was heavily drinking and he couldn't hold the liquor as well as Mitch. Not that he didn't stop trying. The biography goes into what must have been a hilarious scene where the director is trying to tell a drunken Howard on the set to change some mismatching socks which even a black and white camera could pick up.

Man In The Middle is well made and the performances sincere by the players. But in the end I really could not care what the army did with Keenan Wynn.