A script by Nigel Balchin from a novel by Howard Spring makes for a well-crafted screenplay on the classic theme of a radical politician from the slums, gradually ditching his principles as he moves up in life. Secret Beyond the Door is a 1947 American film noir psychological thriller and a modern updating of the Bluebeard fairytale, directed by Fritz Lang, produced by Lang's Diana Productions, and released by Universal Pictures. Executive producer: Fillippo Del Giudice. It is the biography of a fictitious politician named Hamer Radshaw, born into a working-class Manchester family around 1860. In the end like MacDonald, Redgrave ends up co-opted by the very forces he fought against. It stars Michael Redgrave, Rosamund John, Bernard Miles, David Tomlinson, Maurice Denham and Kenneth Griffith. (uncredited), Radshaws' Secretary Bryson DeChambeau unveils frightening display of power in build up to the Masters, Bishops warn Boris Johnson against worsening the north-south divide over Covid-19, The madness of no crowds: Fans sitting in cinemas but not stands is an absurdity. As an idealistic champion of the oppressed, he rises to power as a Labour M.P., but is seduced by the trappings of power and finds himself the type of politician he originally despised. • Crowther was an advocate of foreign-language films in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly those of Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini. The film's costumes were designed by Cecil Beaton. The film's plot concerns a man who is accused of a seemingly motiveless murder. Cloudflare Ray ID: 5e72a6f75e742c7a It was produced by Ronald Neame and distributed by British Lion Film Corporation. Fame Is the Spur. A paraplegic young baroness mistakes compassion for love. Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. was an American journalist, author, and film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. The film was a project of the Festival of Britain and adapted by Eric Ambler from the controversial biography by Ray Allister. None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. Allmovie wrote, "sometimes slow-moving, this is an interesting look into the reasons why the Labor [sic] and the Conservative factions are at loggerheads with each other in Great Britain" ;[4] while Bosley Crowther in The New York Times at the time of the 1949 American release thought, "this John and Roy Boulting film has vivid authority and fascination...But, unfortunately, a full comprehension of the principal character in this tale is missed in the broad and extended panorama of his life that is displayed...Mr. Redgrave is glib and photogenic; he acts the 'lost leader' in a handsome style. A light comedy, the film is about a beautiful and playful mermaid played by Glynis Johns and her effect on the men in she meets. It came originally from Milton's 'Lycidas' (a poem that incidentally also provided the title for Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel). Fame is the Spur is a British television series which first aired on the BBC in 1982. https://archive.org/stream/variety167-1947-09#page/n65/mode/1up, "Fame Is the Spur (1947) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie", "Movie Review - Fame Is the Spur - THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; ' Fame Is the Spur,' British Film Based on Novel by Spring, Opens at Little CineMet", H Victor Weske as Wartime Miners' Representative. (uncredited), Man in Election Crowd Fame is the Spur is a novel by Howard Spring published in 1940. • Its plot involves a British politician who rises to power, abandoning on … It was based on Robert Ardrey's 1939 play Thunder Rock. It begins in the late 19th century and ends somewhere around the middle of the 20th. - quote by John Milton on YourDictionary. [6]. But he does not bring anything out about him that is not stated arbitrarily"; [5] while the Radio Times reviewer David Parkinson has praised Redgrave's "powerhouse performance, with his gradual shedding of heartfelt beliefs as vanity replaces commitment having a chillingly convincing ring. Fame. (uncredited), (unimpressed) Welsh Miner That last infirmity of noble mind. Premiership Final preview: Maggie Alphonsi's player ratings - who stands out among Exeter Chiefs and Wasps title hopefuls? But such is Redgrave's dominance that there's little room for other characters to develop or for any cogent social agenda." Body and Soul is a 1947 American film noir sports drama directed by Robert Rossen and starring John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere, and William Conrad. Official Sites The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with a host of cameo appearances by actors including Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier. Allmovie wrote, "sometimes slow-moving, this is an interesting look into the reasons why the Labor [sic] and the Conservative factions are at loggerheads with each other in Great Britain" ; [4] while Bosley Crowther in The New York Times at the time of the 1949 American release thought, "this John and Roy Boulting film has vivid authority and fascination...But, unfortunately, a full comprehension of the principal character in this tale is missed in the broad and extended panorama of his life that is displayed...Mr. Redgrave is glib and photogenic; he acts the 'lost leader' in a handsome style. Michael Redgrave gives a grand performance, and embodies the gradual shedding of heartfelt beliefs as vanity replaces commitment. Filming & Production Fame is the Spur is a 1947 British drama film directed by Roy Boulting. As an idealistic champion of the oppressed, he rises to power as a Labour M.P., but is seduced by the trappings of power and finds himself the type of politician he originally despised. The film is adapted from the 1946 play of the same name by Warren Chetham-Strode. The full quote from Milton runs: 'Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise/(That last infirmity of noble mind)/To scorn delights, and live laborious days.'. Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise (That last infirmity of noble mind) To scorn delights, and live laborious days. But Fame is the Spur is not a 'quotation-title' in quite the ordinary sense that, say, Brave New World, The Grapes of Wrath or A Handful of Dust are quotation-titles. An adaptation of the Lord Peter Wimsey story Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers, Busman's Honeymoon stars Robert Montgomery, Constance Cummings, Leslie Banks, Googie Withers, Robert Newton and Seymour Hicks as Mervyn Bunter. It is based on the 1940 novel Fame Is the Spur by Howard Spring, which was believed to be based on the career of the Labour Party politician Ramsay MacDonald. It covers the rise of the socialist labour movement in Britain from the mid 19th century to the 1930s. - quote by John Milton … A politician from an impoverished background's life is examined, showing the battle fought and compromises made on the way. Denis Waldock provided additional dialogue. "[6], https://archive.org/stream/variety167-1947-09#page/n65/mode/1up, "Fame Is the Spur (1947) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie", "Movie Review - Fame Is the Spur - THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; ' Fame Is the Spur,' British Film Based on Novel by Spring, Opens at Little CineMet", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fame_Is_the_Spur_(film)&oldid=969129043, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, H Victor Weske as Wartime Miners' Representative, This page was last edited on 23 July 2020, at 15:32. The screenplay by Abraham Polonsky is partly based on the 1939 film Golden Boy. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, Wartime Miners' Representitive In the United States it was known as Johnny in the Clouds and distributed by United Artists. But such is Redgrave's dominance that there's little room for other characters to develop or for any cogent social agenda. A British drama; A story about a man from a slum in Ancoats, Manchester who rises to political power, abandoning on the way his radical views for more conservative ones. It stars Anne Crawford, Dennis Price, Tom Walls, Stephen Murray, Linden Travers and David Tomlinson. | (uncredited), Woman Who Opens Front Door The key is in what comes after. The black-and-white film noir drama is about a woman who suspects her new husband, an architect, plans to kill her. Before they started sending up British institutions The Boulting Brothers actually took them seriously so that while, in the late fifties they might have been satirising British politics, in 1947 they were looking at politics with a very straight face. - quote by John Milton … [2] Its plot involves a British politician who rises to power, abandoning on the way his radical views for more conservative ones. But he does not bring anything out about him that is not stated arbitrarily";[5] while the Radio Times reviewer David Parkinson has praised Redgrave's "powerhouse performance, with his gradual shedding of heartfelt beliefs as vanity replaces commitment having a chillingly convincing ring. When Hamer Radshaw, a young man from a North country mill town, commits to help the poverty-stricken workers in his area, he takes as his Excalibur a sword passed down to him by his grandfather from the Battle of Peterloo, where it had been used against workers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Stefan Zweig. A Kid For Two Farthings is a 1955 film, directed by Carol Reed. Fame is the Spur is a 1947 British drama film directed by Roy Boulting. | Made at Denham Studios, London, England. More will observe that the trappings of power make anyone succumb to what Milton described as "That last infirmity of noble mind." Peck's other Oscar-nominated roles are in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), and Twelve O'Clock High (1949). Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise, That last infirmity of noble mind To scorn delights, and live laborious days But the fair guerdon when we hope to find, And think to burst out into sudden blaze, Comes the blind Fury with th' abhorred shears, And slits the thin-spun life. It was written by Gordon Wellesley based on the Guy des Cars novel The Brute. It is a tribute to Michael Redgrave that he took on such an unaccustomed role, and if his Manchester accent doesn't carry conviction, we must remember that the public was still ready to accept the now-derided 'Shepperton cockney' that had been such a familiar staple of their wartime film-diet. Googie Withers and Margaret Rutherford are also featured in the film. To scorn delights, and live laborious days.” And so, in this film, an idealistic champion of the oppressed, a man from the slums rising to cabinet rank, is himself seduced by the trappings of power and finds himself the type of politician he originally despised. It stars Michael Redgrave, Rosamund John, Bernard Miles, David Tomlinson, Maurice Denham and Kenneth Griffith. Beware of Pity is a 1946 British romantic drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Lilli Palmer, Albert Lieven and Cedric Hardwicke. John Milton Quote: “Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. With cinematography by James Wong Howe, the film is considered by some to be one of the best films about boxing.