Although "White Mischief" is set in Kenya during British rule it does not, unlike most "heritage films" with a colonial setting, concentrate on relations between the British and their colonial subjects. Instead, it dramatises one of the twentieth century's unsolved great murder mysteries, the shooting on the night of 24th January 1941 of Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll. Erroll, a Scottish aristocrat, was a member of the "Happy Valley set", a group of wealthy white settlers in Kenya who had become notorious for their decadent, hedonistic lifestyle, centred upon drinking, gambling, drug-taking and adultery. The film was based on a book by James Fox, who adapted the title of Evelyn Waugh's satirical novel "Black Mischief", and came two years after "Out of Africa", another film about the white community in Kenya.
Erroll had a reputation as a womaniser, and at the time of his death was conducting an affair with Diana, the beautiful young wife of Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton, a much older wealthy landowner. Broughton, the obvious suspect in Erroll's murder, was arrested and tried for the crime, but was sensationally acquitted. Despite his acquittal, he was ostracised by his former associates and committed suicide the following year.
Films which suggest solutions to real-life unsolved crimes are not always satisfactory, whether those crimes be the Kennedy assassination, the Jack the Ripper murders or (as in the recent "Zodiac") the San Francisco Zodiac killings. "White Mischief" hints very strongly that, notwithstanding his acquittal, Broughton was indeed the killer, even though the evidence brought against him at his trial was weak. Since the film was made, it has been suggested that the real killer was Alice de Janzé, a former mistress of Erroll jilted by him in favour of Diana Broughton. (Like Jock Broughton, Alice committed suicide not long after the murder). The theory has also been put forward that he was assassinated by the British Secret Service, which regarded him as a potential traitor. (Before the war he had been an outspoken supporter of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists).
The attraction of "White Mischief", however, does not lie in its attempt to solve an unsolved crime, but in the vivid picture it paints of a particular place and time. The outbreak of war in 1939 had not affected the Happy Valley set's appetite for pleasure, and their wild lifestyle continued unabated. (Their antics caused something of a scandal in Britain, where people were having to endure the hardships and dangers of war). Yet the film suggests that beneath this hedonistic surface lay world-weariness, disillusionment and even deep unhappiness. The one person who does seem content with life is the eccentric, laconic farmer Gilbert Colville who, despite possessing great wealth, has adopted a more simple way of life and (unlike most of the other white settlers) has befriended the native Africans.
Alice de Janzé was one of the most notorious members of the Happy Valley set, having led a scandalous life even before beginning her affair with Erroll. She is included in this film, however, largely in order to exemplify its moral that pleasure is not necessarily the same as happiness. One of the key lines in the film is her exclamation upon waking up one fine morning "Oh God, not another f***ing beautiful day!". Her suicide is portrayed as having been motivated partly by grief at Erroll's death and partly by a sense of the pointlessness of her existence. It is significant that the film ends with her funeral, although I was not sure if this strange scene, a cocktail party with elegantly dressed men and women dancing to jazz records in a graveyard by a lake, was a re-enactment of an actual historical event or if director Michael Radford was simply indulging a taste for surrealism. Either way, it seemed to sum up the Happy Valley way of life.
Alice was, by all accounts, a beautiful and fascinating woman despite her scandalous immorality, so I felt that the role demanded an actress more charismatic than Sarah Miles. Alice was actually American by birth, so I am surprised that the producers did not take this opportunity to bring in a Hollywood star. The three main stars, however, Greta Scacchi as Diana, Joss Ackland as Jock and Charles Dance as Erroll, were all very good; the lovely Greta has seldom, if ever, looked lovelier than she does here. There is also a good cameo from John Hurt as Colville.
Ackland was particularly good in conveying his character's anguish. Broughton is played as a man who finds it difficult to show emotion, and this is due to more than the conventional "stiff upper lip". He is a keen sportsman and gambler for whom losing gracefully is part of his personal code of honour; before marrying Diana he made a pact with her that if she ever feel in love with someone else he would not stand in her way. He discovers too late, however, that he is deeply in love with his young wife and that affairs of the heart cannot be dealt with as smoothly as the payment of one's gambling debts.
I would not rank White Mischief quite as highly as "Out of Africa", which brought an epic sweep and grandeur to its tale of colonial life. As a portrayal of the decadent lifestyle of a particular place and time, however, it is a very watchable one. 7/10
Erroll had a reputation as a womaniser, and at the time of his death was conducting an affair with Diana, the beautiful young wife of Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton, a much older wealthy landowner. Broughton, the obvious suspect in Erroll's murder, was arrested and tried for the crime, but was sensationally acquitted. Despite his acquittal, he was ostracised by his former associates and committed suicide the following year.
Films which suggest solutions to real-life unsolved crimes are not always satisfactory, whether those crimes be the Kennedy assassination, the Jack the Ripper murders or (as in the recent "Zodiac") the San Francisco Zodiac killings. "White Mischief" hints very strongly that, notwithstanding his acquittal, Broughton was indeed the killer, even though the evidence brought against him at his trial was weak. Since the film was made, it has been suggested that the real killer was Alice de Janzé, a former mistress of Erroll jilted by him in favour of Diana Broughton. (Like Jock Broughton, Alice committed suicide not long after the murder). The theory has also been put forward that he was assassinated by the British Secret Service, which regarded him as a potential traitor. (Before the war he had been an outspoken supporter of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists).
The attraction of "White Mischief", however, does not lie in its attempt to solve an unsolved crime, but in the vivid picture it paints of a particular place and time. The outbreak of war in 1939 had not affected the Happy Valley set's appetite for pleasure, and their wild lifestyle continued unabated. (Their antics caused something of a scandal in Britain, where people were having to endure the hardships and dangers of war). Yet the film suggests that beneath this hedonistic surface lay world-weariness, disillusionment and even deep unhappiness. The one person who does seem content with life is the eccentric, laconic farmer Gilbert Colville who, despite possessing great wealth, has adopted a more simple way of life and (unlike most of the other white settlers) has befriended the native Africans.
Alice de Janzé was one of the most notorious members of the Happy Valley set, having led a scandalous life even before beginning her affair with Erroll. She is included in this film, however, largely in order to exemplify its moral that pleasure is not necessarily the same as happiness. One of the key lines in the film is her exclamation upon waking up one fine morning "Oh God, not another f***ing beautiful day!". Her suicide is portrayed as having been motivated partly by grief at Erroll's death and partly by a sense of the pointlessness of her existence. It is significant that the film ends with her funeral, although I was not sure if this strange scene, a cocktail party with elegantly dressed men and women dancing to jazz records in a graveyard by a lake, was a re-enactment of an actual historical event or if director Michael Radford was simply indulging a taste for surrealism. Either way, it seemed to sum up the Happy Valley way of life.
Alice was, by all accounts, a beautiful and fascinating woman despite her scandalous immorality, so I felt that the role demanded an actress more charismatic than Sarah Miles. Alice was actually American by birth, so I am surprised that the producers did not take this opportunity to bring in a Hollywood star. The three main stars, however, Greta Scacchi as Diana, Joss Ackland as Jock and Charles Dance as Erroll, were all very good; the lovely Greta has seldom, if ever, looked lovelier than she does here. There is also a good cameo from John Hurt as Colville.
Ackland was particularly good in conveying his character's anguish. Broughton is played as a man who finds it difficult to show emotion, and this is due to more than the conventional "stiff upper lip". He is a keen sportsman and gambler for whom losing gracefully is part of his personal code of honour; before marrying Diana he made a pact with her that if she ever feel in love with someone else he would not stand in her way. He discovers too late, however, that he is deeply in love with his young wife and that affairs of the heart cannot be dealt with as smoothly as the payment of one's gambling debts.
I would not rank White Mischief quite as highly as "Out of Africa", which brought an epic sweep and grandeur to its tale of colonial life. As a portrayal of the decadent lifestyle of a particular place and time, however, it is a very watchable one. 7/10
