The period piece films of Ivory-Merchant have nothing on Joseph Losey's The Go
Between. In fact I'm sure that James Ivory and Ismail Merchant more than likely
modeled their own films on the ambience of Victorian England that Losey gave
to this fine production.
Young Domenic Guard is invited to spend his summer with his school chum Richard Gibson's family in their country home. The Maudsleys live in grand
style and Gibson's parents are Michael Gough and Margaret Leighton. When
Gibson comes down with the measles, the hospitality slack is taken up with
his older sister Julie Christie. She's engaged to Edward Fox cricketeer and
Boer War hero. They all make Guard feel quite welcome and he has the run
of the place.
The Go Between is set in those more strict and innocent times and it could
never work today. But given the lavishness of the sets and costumes you
really do feel you're back in the post Boer War days of Queen Victoria. And a
young kid like Guard's character at thirteen could really be as innocent as he is.
But he is approaching puberty and he's got lots of questions.
On a family outing he and the rest meet up with farm hand Alan Bates, a rough
type. Pretty soon for his new friend Christie young Guard finds himself taking
messages back and forth to Bates from Christie and vice versa.
She may be marrying Fox, but it's Bates that gets her mojo working. Back in
those days only Viennese like Sigmund Freud and his colleagues were discussing things like that. Losey with scriptwriter Harold Pinter nailed those
Victorian attitudes down quite well.
I can't believe that The Go Between got no Oscar recognition in either the set
or costume design categories. Margaret Leighton did receive an Oscar nomination for her role in the Supporting Actress category. Her scene with
young Domenic Guard as she suspects what's going on with her daughter is
well played by both.
The Go Between is a great expose of Victorian manners and morals and a
sumptious piece of film making.
