Unless you're die-hard fans of Alec Guinness or John Mills (or preferably both), you'll probably be bored to tears when you rent Tunes of Glory. It's an oft-used plot, that of a commander of his troops butting heads with his rigid replacement, but since I've seen so many of those movies, I'm a pretty hard sell. This one involves a Scottish brigade, so you'll get to hear Alec trying out a very effective brogue and literally dancing around in a kilt. In fact, one particular bone of contention is the way the men dance at a ball, and John Mills insists on extra dance practice first thing in the morning. It sounds very inconsequential on paper, but it's one of the major plot points.
Much of the push and pull isn't too interesting, so you'd better be in it for the acting. A Scottish accent is very difficult to master, and if it weren't for his signature facial expressions, you might not know it's Alec Guinness under the red wig and brogue. John Mills wears a flattering salt and pepper hairpiece, and he has a couple of tearful scenes with his powerful blue eyes to show the strain is too much for him, but this isn't one of those movies that'll really stand out in your mind for years to come. For a laugh, since the movie ends with an extremely depressing tone, I'll end this review with my oft-said remark, "Why wasn't it David Niven?" He's Scottish! To be fair, I'm sure Richard Todd wanted the part, too.
Much of the push and pull isn't too interesting, so you'd better be in it for the acting. A Scottish accent is very difficult to master, and if it weren't for his signature facial expressions, you might not know it's Alec Guinness under the red wig and brogue. John Mills wears a flattering salt and pepper hairpiece, and he has a couple of tearful scenes with his powerful blue eyes to show the strain is too much for him, but this isn't one of those movies that'll really stand out in your mind for years to come. For a laugh, since the movie ends with an extremely depressing tone, I'll end this review with my oft-said remark, "Why wasn't it David Niven?" He's Scottish! To be fair, I'm sure Richard Todd wanted the part, too.