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Windom's Way
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Wikipedia article
'Windom's Way' is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Peter Finch and Mary Ure. Made in Eastman Color, it is set during the Malayan Emergency.
Premise
Dr Alec Windom is a British doctor who works in a village in Malaya. He is visited by his estranged wife Lee.
Cast
Main cast
* Peter Finch as Alec Windom* Mary Ure as Lee Windom
* Natasha Parry as Anna Vidal
* Robert Flemyng as Colonel George Hasbrook
* Michael Hordern as Patterson
* Grgoire Aslan as Mayor Lollivar
Supporting cast
* John Cairney as Jan Vidal* Marne Maitland as Commissioner Belhedron
* George Margo as Police Officer Lansang
* Kurt Siegenberg as Kosti
Cameo/Uncredited cast
* Martin Benson as Samcar, Rebel Commander* Sanny Bin Hussan as Father Amyan
* Burt Kwouk as Father Amyan's Aide
* Olaf Pooley as Colonel Lupat
* John A. Tinn as Patrol Leader
Original novel
The film was based on a 1952 novel by James Ramsey Ullman, which was reportedly inspired by Dr. Gordon S. Seagrave, who was imprisoned for allegedly helping the Karen people. The novel was set in the fictitious island state of Papaan.
Ullman says he wanted to tell the story how "in between man call him the liberal can get caught between the rollers of fanaticism or authoritarianism on either side; the case of a man trying to do his job and be a human being among other human beings and how hard this is in the twentieth century." Ullman admitted the story of Seagrove "was somewhere in the back of my mind" when he wrote the book.
The book was a Literary Guild choice and became a best seller in the US. Ullman wrote a first draft of a play based on the book.
Production
Film rights to 'Windom's Way' were bought by Carl Foreman, who wrote the script. He sold the rights to this and two other properties to Earl St John of Rank Film Productions, who in January 1955 announced it as part of its schedule for that year (but it would not be made for another two years).
The script was rewritten and 'Anglicized' by Anthony Perry. Perry's draft was considered too "political" and was rewritten by Jill Craigie to be softened. However, the resulting work was considerably more left-wing than Rank's other colonial war films of this time such as 'The Planter's Wife' and 'Simba'.[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UyYTDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA386&lpg=PA386&dq=vincent+porter+sue+harper&source=bl&ots=978Q3rMq7B&sig=R2UhMp6T53KbfjIFniBqZYP0amw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLzJmegsPMAhUB_2MKHZcZDfEQ6AEIQzAI#v=onepage&q&f=false 'British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference'] by Sue Harper, Vincent Porter Oxford University Press, 2003 pp 43-45
Ronald Neame had just left 'The Seventh Sin' (1957) during production. He was contacted by his old producing partner John Bryan who suggested Neame make 'Windom's Way' with Peter Finch.
Finch made the film immediately after returning from Australia where he made 'Robbery Under Arms'. Part of the location shoot took place in Corsica. The rest was filmed at Pinewood.
Neame says Corsica was a "difficult location".Neame p 156
Reception
Box Office
"It was not a successful picture, I'm afraid", said Neame later. "I think it fell between two stools, neither politically profound nor exciting enough as an action film. John just liked the book very much and I would have directed anything to get back to the studios again."Brian McFarlane, 'Autobiography of British Cinema' p 433"The finished film may have had too many messages for people to stay interested", Neame later wrote. "It was neither a hit nor a disgrace."
Critical
'Variety' called it "a slowish but well-made intelligent drama".[https://archive.org/details/variety209-1958-01/page/n5/mode/1up?q=windom Review of film] at VarietyThe 'New York Times' said the film was "without any topical teeth" in which Windom's "political sympathies, like the geography, are so vague that one need have no fear of being subverted by associating with him in this film. All one needs to worry about, precisely, is being a little provoked and bored."[https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D04E4D71E31E73BBC4953DFB6678383649EDE New York Times review of film]
Awards
The film was nominated for four British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards in 1958.References
Notes
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