Films and Filming – Aug 1958

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THE WIND CANNOT READ

RICHARD MASON’S novel had some success. There is little stature to his screenplay, which has stripped the characters down to women’s novelette standards, and produced yet another (and rather tame) study in stiff-upper-lipmanship. It is, of course, U ; if it were non-U, then Bogarde (as the R.A.F. lad in wartime India to study Japanese at an interrogation officers’ course) would not conveniently marry his teacher (a pure as ivory performance from Yoko Tani); and the Japanese tortures would not be so dastardly, or the British put up such a jolly good show.

For two hours the cliche-ridden plot wends its way through foot after foot of location material (of course, there had to be a love scene beneath the Taj Mahal), and by the time Madame Butterfly has done her big death scene (sighs of relief from the censor and the Pinewood pukka sahibs) the final effect on this critic was as though we had sat through Around the World in Eighty Years.

A colleague suggested that this was a fine woman’s picture. I hope so. I hope very much a lot of people will find the interest and pleasure that I found lacking. That alone can justify the making of these dated romances with their peculiar brand of anaesthetised sex.

With Lawrence off the production schedule, it looks as though Bogarde must still wait for Pinewood to offer him a really good role. As for John Fraser, his accent has a disconcerting way of changing from Scottish (Geordie) to Mayfair (twee). The direction closely follows the script, with a few imaginative touches, too few, unfortunately, to give this tedious storytelling any stamp of individuality.

P.G.B.

Directed by Gilbert Thomas.
Produced by Betty Box.
Screenplay by Richard Mason, from his novel.
Director of photography, Ernest Steward.
Editor Frederick Wilson.
Art director, Maunce Carter.
Assistant director, Geoffrey Haine.
Music by Angelo Lavagnino, conducted by Muir Mathieson.
British. Rank Film Distributors Eastmancolor. Cert. U. 115 mins.

Flight Lieutenant Michael Quinn, DIRK BOGARDE;
“Sabby” (Suzuki San), YOKO TANI;
Squadron Leader Fenwick, RONALD LEWIS;
Flying Officer Peter Munroe JOHN FRASER;
The Brigadier, ANTHONY BUSHELL;
Lieutenant Nakamura, HENRY OKAWA;
Bahadur, MARNE MAITLAND;
Flying Officer Lamb, MICHAEL MEDWIN;
Hobson, RICHARD LEECH;
Moss, ANTHONY WAGER;
Itsumi San, TADASHI IKEDA;
Corporal Mori, YOICHI MATSUE;
The Doctor, DONALD PLEASANCE;
First Nurse, JOY MICHAEL;
and Second Nurse, AVICE LANDONE.