The Small Back Room
(a.k.a. Hour of Glory
1949
The Small Back Room
(Hour of Glory)
1949
106 minutes
Based on a 1943 novel by Nigel Balchin This is a film made in 1949 about 1943. It sets up the feeling of darkness in London during the “Blackouts” which also occurred (less realistic in America). During the film you will see and hear a great deal about lights being put out (remember A Canterbury Tale), drapes being drawn and so on, largely to make it difficult for German planes to locate targets. In America there were also “Air raid drills” although the likelihood of German or Japanese planes attacking New York or other large cities was certainly minimal.
The film is made 6 years after the events in the film take place and 4 years after the actual end of the war. While critically fairly well recieved, (except for those who still objected to the “subjective” aspects of the films hallucination sequence) the film did not do well in the box office, probably because with the war over, no one wanted to be reminded of it! Especially the darker side.
Bryon was appalled that Pressburger gave in to the censors and gave them separate flats. She suggested that at least they be next door and that her inability to be certain whose was whose would carry over to the audience.
Powell and Pressburger were loyal to their casts and crew and as we have pointed out before. Two of the performers from Black Narcissus appear in the film – David Farrar and Kathleen Byron, both of whom were in Black Narcissus
Cyril Cusak also in Gone to Earth Elusive Pimpernel, and Ill Met by Moonlight
Music is by Brian Easdale who did the music earlier for Black Narcissus and Red Shoes and would do later scores for Gone to Earth. The Elusive Pimpernel, Battle of the River Plate, Peeping Tom and Return to the Edge of the World
Christopher Challis whose work was also seen in Stairway to Heaven as a cameraman and as a cinematographer in Gone to Earth, Elusive Pimpernel, Tales of Hoffmann, Og…Rosalina!; Pursuit of the Graf Spee, Ill Met by Moonlight
Documentary (realism)
Powell (anti-realism uses location shots not for realism, but to give information about characters – composed film – film image and sound track linked (often cut to music) - this is not one – very little music but there are sounds)
Connection with German expressionism in “dream sequences” often linked to the 1945 film 4 Oscar winning film directed by Billy Wilder called The Lost Weekend. Best Picture;, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ray Milland); Best Director (Billy Wilder); Best Writing, Screenplay (Charles Brackett Billy Wilder)
Many British critics still railed at the departure from “realism” in these subjective scenes.
However it may share more in common with Alfred Hitchcock’ 1945 film Spellbound which won the Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for Miklós Rózsa Rozsa also wrote the score for lost weekend and both these films made use of the theremin as did Bernard Herrmann in The Day the Earth Stood Still and Dimitri Tiomkin in The Thing from Another World
Brian Easdale whose sparse score is heard in this film, uses it as well.
The film operates on many levels – one paralleling the difficulties facing the archers as they return to Korda’s London Films in this film from The Rank Organization
Again, not an original story. Seems to have been more of interest to Powell than Pressburger.
London Films
Production Of the Archers NOT Rank
NEED TO COMPARE THIS FILM WITH PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE or ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT (ALSO DAM BUSTERS)
LONDON SPRING 1943
Cinematographer: Christopher Challis takes over from Jack Cardiff who was in great demand after his tour with Powell Pressburger
The film is released through London films (Korda) rather than J. Arthur Rank with whom the Powell/Pressburger pair were having more problems because of Rank’s organization becoming more “business-like”. Perhaps more importantly, The Red Shoes did not get a London Premiere, since the Rank organization was convinced that it would be a financial disaster and that they wanted to get it in as many houses as possible to recoup their losses quickly. The return of the independent producers company “The Archers” to Korda was a significant shift. The pair entered into a contract to make 5 films for Korda, the first of which was to be The Small Back Room, the second would be a musical version of The Scarlet Pimpernel. This was very profitable for Powell and Pressburger (and were allowed to bring their standby’s along with them _ Heckenroth, Challis, Easdale etc.) but it locked them into a long term contract with Korda something they said they would never do. Other independents joined up with Korda as well as other companies. Korda’s company was in serious financial trouble and to raise money he entered into coproduction deals with Sam Goldwyn and David O. Selznick. Although Powell and Pressburger now so themselves as a new kind of independent, international film makers – but they were totally out of their depth, naïve about film finance and the working of the world in general. Ultimately they would be virtually destroyed by the situation.
The film links David Farrar and Kathleen Bryon from Black Narcissus again.
Change of Direction - The film is unusual in that the last three films were in color, melodramas were original set in present. Even long flashback in Blimp is not in past but recounts it Went back to war, black and white, Pay attention as usual to the opening, closing and set pieces.
Watch also for the indications of subjectivity (expressionism) in the photography. The film is known for (among other things) its suspense and tension (remember Powell worked with Hitchcock)
Powell and Pressburger had an impatience with British cinema’s insularity
Interest in cinema
Pure cinema/Composed film
Compare bomb in Sabotage with this. Hitchcock – we know what character doesn’t/ Can’t happen here in first person film.
The term Boffin: civilian research scientist working for the military
Not quite the equivalent of “egghead” “nerd” or “geek”. Boffin is more posiive. Set up as an opposition to the officer class. Something to watch for. (Like Blimp)
AFTER THE FILM
What is the film about
Basically a small independent research unit that tests military equipment is testing the Reeves gun. One of the members of the unit is a man named with Sammy who has lost a foot and has a metal one. This pains him both physically and psychologically and has made him somewhat alcoholic and prone to violence He is an expert on fuses and is approached by a soldier to help solve a problem with booby trapped bombs that Germans are dropping.
Sammy has something of a masochistic relationship with his girlfriend whom he attempts to drive away.
At a different level it is a question about masculinity and how an “injured” man attempts to maintain or re-find his masculinity. This idea is not unusual and has forerunners in many tales (perhaps Amfortas in Parsifal)
What can you say about people in the film?
Sammy
Amputee (foot) drinks,
Capacity for violence
Witty: operates as safety value for lack of power in office (can not take Susan to lunch, his expertise can be overridden about the gun) CONCEPT OF KNOWING ONE’S JOB AND COMMITTED. RB Makes fun of “Knowing their job”
Passive PRESSURE ON UNIT TO MERGE; SAMMY JUST TAKES IT ALONG WITH SUSAN’S QUESTIONS.
Expert on fuses
Parallels with Taylor (Cyril Cusak)
Parallels:
Sammy : good professional
Taylor: good professions
Sammy: (physical problem) bad leg
Taylor: (physical problem) stutter,
Sammy: Trouble at home
Taylor: Trouble at home
Sammy: Secretive Sammy doesn’t want people to know he iives with Susan Wed significant meets Susan
Taylor: secretive; does not need to go home Wed.
Contrast with
Capt. Dick Stuart (Gough read GOFF) is “whole” more typical hero
Stuart younger more “virile” starts with gazes at Susan, ends with woman reading notes.
SUSAN Works in office. May live with Sammy, Willing to stay in something of a masochistic relationship with Sammy
RB WERING. Find out much about him before we meet him (like SAMMY). Salesman - powerful. Not interested in whether gun is good or not, just politics about it.
GROUPS INVOVLED
Back room crew:: As far removed from mainstream as Sammy is from dominant image of manhood usually war heroes.;Office: Joe (dead wood – always on phone doing nothing about work), Sammy talks to more professional colleague.; Small, non incorporated, marginal, (compare with other cultures which are marginalized in general) Inspired, creative, sympathetic (Archers) These are in their minds related to “freedom” Compare Wagner – Do what you want but be ready for the consequences.
WHAT DO WE FIND OUT ABOUT THE SMALL BACK ROOM UNIT – The one in the small back room?
Prof Mair’s research section (hand written sign indicates its physical transitory nature) – small independent outfit needs to be tidied up and rationalized put under some control
Quirkiness and independences makes creativity
Independent, quirky, competent – very much the equivalent of “The Archers” set up my Rank, Ministry Of Information and left alone
Manager is sycophant salesman
Government (the ministry –presumably not MOI) is full of Machievellian bureaucrats not to be trusted and easily duped: short sighted failure to invest in Mair’s unit; machinations make Sammy crazy (much like accountants and the like in Rank organization and later Korda’s)
(remember Powell and Pressburger couldn’t handle this part of the reality of film making and when left alone, they were in trouble. Typical of many people who pontificate about those things they are incapable of)
Opening
Another odd opening from Powell: some sort of “moving subjective camera”. Titles are odd as well.
Film is dark, not unlike Contraband (Blackout). Images show even traffic lights covered. We are back during the war again
Once again a cross of a kind of documentary overlaid with expressionism. The shots show people in different uniforms (including women). There is a series of signs indicating the international nature of things, with a very non-documentary (more subjective/expressionistic) voice overs of the sounds of the languages that go with the sounds.
The film opens with Capt. Dick Stuart (Michael Gough read GOFF) looking for help with a new explosive booby trap/bomb. He is told the person to find is Sammy Rice. He will be the person from whose view point this story. The story is very much a “first person or restrictive narrative” (as opposed to omniscient narrative) with Sammy Rice (David Ferrar) being the “first” main person. Once he appears e will be in every scene, but the shots are not always his POV. So although the film is very much first person, other people’s viewpoints are possible. There are however, very few P.O.V. shots in the film.
After the set-up, the film moves to a pub where we first meet Sammy who gets a nice “star turn” close-up. The scene is largely expository where we find out about Sammy’s amputated foot than the problems his tin leg gives him. The bar keeper comments on it and his drinking (too much) as does Susan (Kathleen Bryon).
The three go to Sammy’s apartment and we see several things which are significant in the story – the photo frame, the bottle of whisky, telephone a cat and…….
HOW DOES THE CAMERA SHOW AN INTEREST BETWEEN STUART AND SUSAN AND SUSAN AND SAMMY
Orders “the usual” in pub indicating more than colleagues (also glances)
Watch how the camera reveals and hides Sammy for example for example in the scenes in the apartment. Sammy goes in the other room. We Stuart looking at Susan and her photo (POV) and when he moves we see Sammy behind him looking at him.
Stuart wants to take Susan home. She says “You have”, indicating she is living with Sammy although she says (thanks to Pressburger bowing to the censor) that she lives across the hall.
Move between realism and noir suddenly typical of Powell Pressburger.
INTENSE CLOSE-UPS show intimacy when Stuart leaves.
WHAT IS COMPLEX ABOUT LEG Freduian meaning?
DOES SHE LIVE ACROSS THE HALL?
WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM ONE ANOTHER?
LUNCH WITH CIVIL SERVANT
(Civil service character appears at restaurant) Notice how scene may start without Sammy in them, but he is there. The camera doesn’t find him immediately, thus denies him importance despite the first person approach. Sammy rarely looks at him. Probably back projection independent frame. Less likely to have to reshoot because of background errors. Doesn’t need to direct extras. They don’t distract main performers.
VERY EXPRESSIONISTIC SCENE
SUSAN not there. (SAMMY thinks it is Wed.) Home alone waiting for Susan. BOTTLE PHONE – Bottle and phone reflect in window – score appears maybe more in his mind than reflections. Small space where people come face to face with themselves. CHARGED SPACE may be happy castle, caravan in Canterbury Tale
Sammy’s confrontation with something inside self in small room. Can not do something normal. Powell goes over the top in expressionist way. Angles, lightening, objects POV shot of photo clock ticking TRACK in “through the looking glass”. Time pieces. Music picks up sound of clicking clock. Giant bottle (Like Lost Weekend (1945) Spellbound (1945) Not unlike Hiller’s dream sequence on train. Music appears – use of the theremin.
Widely criticized by critics as diverging from realistic style. Is the rest of the film realistic? Consider the sound track when we see signs in the office building showing international organizations.
Scene of vote on gun
Much noise of extraneous influences in decision making.
Defer to age and experience at the expense of vigor and efficiency.
Scenes showing Sammy’s passivity and unwillingness to fight back or attack
SCENE WITH RB ABOUT GUN
Evenly matched closeups Two shot, but RB gets longer close-ups. Followed by Sammy with back to camera, not speech, head down, RB dominated frame.
SCENE AT CLUB
At club – Camera looks up at her. She is in his frame, he is not in hers. 5 shots of each. Accusation, of his inability to fight back. He blusters.
Curious young man – gay pick up. Couple arrives taunts him.
Shot from below is he aggressive, He is taking moral high ground. – Can’t sustain Sits become equal.
Scene with decision to split up and what folllows.
He can’t sustaiin the gaze, covers eyes. He hates quarrels, she likes them. Back to pub. Powell rarely strikingly long takes.
Key in lock
Same items in first whisky telephone, photo gone, Can’t cross cut – ruins 1st person narrative. His image in frame (Sammy and Kane – destroys room) Drinking from bottle to be saved. Telephone call stops Sammy in tracks. Compare Lost Week end Spellbound
Sammy sobers up like doctor in Stagecoach to talk to Stuart. Is it a visualization of what he hears or next day?
OUTSIDE VS INSIDE SCENES
CONSIDER OPPOSITIONS:
Interior vs. exterior places
Interior: the small back room; Sammy’s apartment (another small back room); pub/bar; the Hickory Tree; subway; tent in Wales. Even the non visualized places like Cpl. Taylor’s home life is depressing with trouble. Also room where meeting about Reeves gun takes place is tense and surrounded with noise like other places (conversation with Cpl. Taylor)
Inside is Cramped, claustrophobic
Places that lack comfort (home, small black room, tent) Hickory tree is where Sammy’s unwillingness to dance is brought up.
Intrusions: Telephone ringing, couple in night club
Exteriors: Stonehenge; Tent; Chesil Bank both tied to military: Stonehenge for test of gun
STONEHENGE: Englishness – timelessness (Celtic fringe built perhaps earlier than pyramids)
Juxtaposition of ancient stones with modern warfare and “tribes of people with briefcases”
WALES
VISIT Victim in field (Wales – Celtic fringe)
Interiors shot in studio. Not Sheperton, Denham but Islaworth
Interior dark. 2 actors we know (Stuart and Sammy) 2 we don’t (Doctor Roddy Hughes) and (Brian Forbes 1st appearance in film)
CHESIL BANK: Test of Sammy in defusing bomb
Chesil bank – nice choice – a pebble beach where pebbles slip and make the defusing difficult since any move could explode the bomb. Starts with long shots get closer and closer
Here the shifts starts to happen where there is a move to redeem Sammy. His shift is toward physical exhaustion, not self-pity. As he talks to Strang he starts to side with life rather than death. Has no family, unit is knowledgeable so he is best choice but “Heaven can Wait”. When Strang comes to help him, Sammy waves him off, and says finally it was a personal matter (redemption ) Continues with Strang’s speech at train about any other part of you (foot, mental state concerning both sexuality and ability to hold down relationship with Susan. Therapy, heterosexual union, return home are rewards for proving his masculinity to the military
The film deals with the problems that the war has left on Britain. One can equate Sammy Rice with Britain in general and its “wounds” which still impact the population. (The book was made during the war and is somewhat different).
TRACKING SHOT
Move from safety to danger Difficult on pebbly beach
10 years ago stopped surfing (amputation?)
Defusing sequence praised as well as the other disliked.
IN ORDEAL ON THE Beach has regained manhood “says :feet” up on something and Strand says “any other part of you”
Has become paternal father figure for Taylor now – talks with authority, Intense eye contact.
Sammy regains manhood in world of men, and not can reestablish it with Susan.
Goes to see Holland at the end. Has priorities right. Respects Sammy.
Sammy can take own personnel. Like Archers
Small back room of flat may also become a happy space.
LACK OF BACKGROUND MUSIC MUCH SOUND.
Diegetic in club. Odd for Powell (documentaries with music) Lots of natural sound – people walking across grates.
Play acting – reflexivity. When Morley comes in to lab. Similar to coffee machine
SEX (love) AND PATRIOTISM (adventure) need to prove manhood and win war (IKWIG as well)
SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Early films strong parts for women. What follows other than Gone to Earth, strong women go – to Hollywood, theater
Failed at Box office Why?
Small back Room got a luke warm reception critically, did badly financially. (The war was over and most people probably didn’t want to be reminded about it – especially such a depressing part of it).
Some relationship to Blimp in the opposition to older set approaches rather than young inventive approaches
FILM HAS psychosexual SEXUAL IMPLICATIONS
Love scenes very intimate in extreme close ups. Made public unhappy watching its intimacy and not knowing where it was going
Questions about sexuality
Feet and shoes (consider Red Shoes, ruby red shoes in Wizard of Oz as a sexual/maturation symbol. Insertion of foot into shoe. Sammy’s loss of foot. Bothers him with pressure.
Bomb looks phallic
What is the meaning of the end “Have a drink Sammy”
To be opened at V Day (victory) War (with self) is over?
AFTER THE FILM
Compare women and men
Black Narcissus (hysteria - internal) Sexual problems
Red Shoes (hysteria - internal) inability to intgrate career with personal love)
Matter of Life and Death (trauma – external) psychological
Small Back Room (trauma – internal) psychological