I generally like the dialogue in David Mamet's films very much, and "The Winslow Boy" is no disappointment in that respect. The dialogue is quick, intelligent, and skillfully layered. The lighting also is a surprise--quite expressive and textured for a "little" historical film.
Even so, the emotions in this film are so repressed that there is very little dynamic at all to the drama. While the performances are all good, I found the boy's character to be less compelling than the rest of the cast; this problem is compounded by the fact that is is hardly on the screen at all during the second half of the film, which gives us even less opportunity to connect with him.
But the biggest (dramatically speaking) problem I had with the film is that the major plot point--the courtroom scenes and the ultimate legal decision--is played totally off screen! It seemed as though, rather than dramatizing the story of "The Winslow Boy", Mamet decided at some point to instead angle for the romantic interest between the lawyer and the Winslow sister, as well as her struggle for women's suffrage. Admittedly, these were interesting developments, but they both proved to be dead ends that only served to dilute the overall effect.
Disappointing!
Even so, the emotions in this film are so repressed that there is very little dynamic at all to the drama. While the performances are all good, I found the boy's character to be less compelling than the rest of the cast; this problem is compounded by the fact that is is hardly on the screen at all during the second half of the film, which gives us even less opportunity to connect with him.
But the biggest (dramatically speaking) problem I had with the film is that the major plot point--the courtroom scenes and the ultimate legal decision--is played totally off screen! It seemed as though, rather than dramatizing the story of "The Winslow Boy", Mamet decided at some point to instead angle for the romantic interest between the lawyer and the Winslow sister, as well as her struggle for women's suffrage. Admittedly, these were interesting developments, but they both proved to be dead ends that only served to dilute the overall effect.
Disappointing!