国王与国家2.0

ThelasttimeBritainwasamajorforceinworldcinemawasinthe1960s;adocumentaryofafewyearsbackonthesubjectwasentitled’HollywoodUK’.ThiswastheeraoftheKitchenSink, socialrealism, angryyoungmen;aboveall, thetheatrical.Andyet, ironically, thebestBritishfilmsofthedecadeweremadebytwoAmericans, RichardLesterandJosephLosey, wholargelystayedclearoftheperiod’smoretypicalsubjectmatter, which, likeallattemptsatgreaterrealism, nowseemscuriouslyarchaic.’KingandCountry’, though, seemstobetheLoseyfilmthattriestobelongtoitsera.Like’LookBackinAnger’and’ATasteofHoney’, itisbasedonaplay, andoftenseemscumbersomelytheatrical.Like’Lonelinessofthelongdistancerunner’, itsheroisanexploited, reluctantlytransgressiveworkingclassladplayedbyTomCourtenay.Like(theadmittedlybrilliant)’ChargeoftheLightBrigade’, itisahorrified, near-farcical(thoughhumourless)lookatthehorrorsofwar, mostparticularlyitsgapingclassinjustices.PrivateHampisayoungvolunteersoldieratPachendaele, havingservedthreeyearsatthefront, whoiscourt-martialledfordesertion.Increasinglyterrorisedbytheinhumanpointlessnessoftrenchwarfare, thespeedy, grisly, violentdeathsofhiscomradesandthemedieval, rat-infestedconditionsofhistrench, heclaimstohaveemergeddazedfromonegruesomeattackanddecidedtowalkhome, toEngland.HeisdefendedbythearchetypalBritishofficer, CaptainHargreaves, whoprofessesdisdainfortheman’scowardice, butmustdohisduty.Heattemptstospinadefenceonthegroundsofmadness, buttheupper-crustofficershavehearditallbefore.Thisisaverynice, dulyhorrifying, liberal-handwringing, middle-classplay.ItpanderstoalltheclichesoftheGreatWar-thedisgracefulworking-classmassacre, whiletheofficerssupwhiskey(Haig!)-figuredinsomecharminglyobvioussymbolism:Hargreavesthrowingadyingcigaretteinthemud;Hamphystericallyplayingblindman’sbuff.Thesetsarepicturesquelygrim, medieval, amoderninferno, asthesemenlietrappedinanever-ending, subterraneanlabyrinth, litbyhellishfires, withratsforcompanyandtheconstantsoundofshellsandgunfireremindingthemoftheoutsideworld.Theplay, inaverymiddle-classway, isnotreallyabouttheworkingclassatall-Hampismoreofasymbol, anessence, lyinginthedark, desolatelyplayinghisharmonica, anoteofhumanityinascoreofinhumanity.Hedoesn’tdevelopasacharacter.TheplayisreallyaboutHargreaves, hisrealisationoftheshabbyinadequacyofnotionslikeduty.Hedevelops.Thisrealisationsendshimtodrink(tastierthandying!).Likehisprolesubordinates, hefallsinthemud, justasHampissaidtohavedone;heevensaystohissuperior’Weareallmurderers’.Thisisallveryeffective, ifnotmuchofadevelopmentofRCSherriff’screaky’Journey’sEnd’, filmedbyJamesWhalein1930.Itsearnestnessandverbositymayseemalittlestiltedintheageof’PathsofGlory’and’Dr.Strangelove’;wemayfeelthat’Blackaddergoesforth’isatruerrepresentationoftheGreatWar.ButwhatIhavedescribedisnotthefilmLoseyhasmade.Heistoosophisticatedandcannyanintellectualforthat.ThefilmopenswithalingeringpanoveroneofthosemonumentalWarmemorialsyouseealloverBritain(andpresumablyEurope), asiftosayLoseyisgoingtoquestionthereceivedideasofthisstatue, thehumancost.Butwhathe’sreallyquestioningisthisplay, anditswoefulinadequacytorepresentthemanifoldcomplexitiesoftheWar.ThisisBrechtianfilmmakingatitsmostsubtle.Weareconstantlymadeawareoftheartificeofthefilm, thetheatrical-thestilteddialogueisspokenwithdeliberatestiffness;theatricalritualsareemphasised(theinitialinterrogation;thecourtscene, whereactorsliterallytreadtheboards, enunciatingthepredictablespeeches;themirror-playputonbythehystericalsoldiersandtherats;thereligiousceremony;thehorriblefarceoftheexecution).Prosceniumarchesaremadeprominent, audiencesobserveevents.Thisisaplaythatwouldseektocontain, humanise, explaintheGreatWar.Thisisahopelesstask, asLosey’sprovisionalapparatusexplains, ’real’photographsofharrowingdetritusfadingfromthescreenasifeventhesearenotenoughtoconveytheWar, nevermindawell-made, bourgeoisplay.Losey’svisionmaybeapocalyptic-itquestionsthepossibilityofrepresentationatall-thevarioustagsofpoetryquotedmakenoimpactonhardmenmenwhorattledthemoffwhenyoung;theShakespeareandualityof’noble’dramacommentedonby’low’comedy, effectsnotranscendence, nogreaterinsight.Losey’scameraworkandcompositionrepeatedlybreaksourinvolvementwiththedrama, anywishwemighthaveformanlysentimentality;inoneremarkablesceneanofficertakesanAubreyBeardsleybookfromthecameraman!Thisideaofthetheatricalevidentlymirrorstherigidclass’roles’playedbythemaincharacters(Hamp’sfatherandgrandfatherwerecobblerstoo;presumablyHargreaves’werealwaysSandhurstcadets).Loseyalsotakesasideswipeatthekitchensinkproject, byusingitstools-historyhasbornehimout.