Folly to Be Wise
Encyclopedia
Folly to Be Wise is a 1953 British comedy film
directed by Frank Launder
and starring Alastair Sim
, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver
, Colin Gordon
, Martita Hunt
and Edward Chapman
. It is based on the play It Depends What You Mean by James Bridie
. The film follows the efforts of a British Army Chaplain
attempting to recruit entertainment acts to perform for the troops and the complications that ensue when he does. The title is taken from the line by Thomas Gray
"where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise,".
Having recently taken over the role of entertainments officer at an army camp the Padre
Captain William Paris is disheartened so few of the troops turn out for an evening of classical music
. He visits a local pub and finds the place packed with soldiers, including his own driver. He then resolves to try and secure something more entertaining for the troops and comes up with the idea of bringing in a Brain Trust
to answer questions from the audience.
With the help of Lady Dodds the Captain manages to gather together a group of local notables, who all swiftly prove to be mildly eccentric. The group includes the opinionated Professor Mutch, who is a popular radio personality with the BBC
, and his friend the oil painter George Prout and his wife Angela. While arriving at their house, the Captain interrupts Mutch and Mrs Prout who are about to embrace. Upon meeting Mr Prout he soon finds him a cold man who verbally abuses his wife. The Trust is rounded out by the wandered Doctor McAdam and the chippy local Labour
MP Joseph Byres.
With the help of his secretary, Private Jessie Killigrew, the Captain manages to organise the event. The hall is relatively well filled. Trying to avoid anything controversial, the Captain forbids any discussion of politics
and begins with some innocuous questions about cows chasing after trains and if the Moon is inhabited? Things soon become heated when the MP takes offence at comments directed at him and threatens to start a fight. Having only just averted this, a question about marriage reveals the fragility of the Prout's marriage. Fearing any controversy, the Captain quickly announces that it is time for the interval.
As word spreads around the camp of the goings-on, the second half begins with the room completely packed. The Captain tries to steer the debate back to harmless questions about bluebottles
, but the audience demands an answer to the earlier question about marriage. As the Prouts begin arguing once again, Mrs Prout admits that the Professor is her lover. At this the whole event threatens to descend into anarchy despite the attempts of the Captain to maintain order. Desperate to restore a sense of propriety he draws the proceedings to a close, and announces that next week they will return to classical music by inviting a string quartet
. A soldier stands up and thanks the Captain for providing such entertainment and asking if the Brain Trust can be made a regular feature.
Worried about Mr Prout who has disappeared and has been drinking the heavily others follow him back to his house where they mistakenly believe that he is going to throw himself over the cliffs. Instead he is planning on a bit of quiet painting. Meanwhile the Professor has revealed himself to be an inherently selfish man, while Mr Prout is suddenly far more reasonable. He and Mrs Prout soon resolve their differences, and he tries to be a little more considerate to her.
The film ends with the string quartet playing once more and the Captain sitting almost entirely alone in the theatre.
and made by the British Lion Film Corporation. James Bridie wrote the screenplay, adapting it from his own play. Alastair Sim had previously produced the play in a 1944 run at the Westminster Theatre
and was a driving force behind bringing it to the screen. Launder was encouraged to make the film by Alexander Korda
.
Sim was nominated for a Best Actor BAFTA
for his role as Captain Paris, but lost out to Ralph Richardson
for his performance in The Sound Barrier
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Frank Launder
Frank Launder
Frank Launder was an English writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat....
and starring Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim
Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver
Roland Culver
Roland Culver OBE was a British stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:...
, Colin Gordon
Colin Gordon
Colin Gordon was a British actor born in Ceylon .He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a production of “Toad of Toad Hall”. From 1936 to 1939 he was a director with the Fred Melville Repertory...
, Martita Hunt
Martita Hunt
Martita Hunt was an English theatre and film actress.-Early life:Hunt was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 30 January 1900 to British parents Alfred and Marta Hunt...
and Edward Chapman
Edward Chapman (actor)
Edward Chapman was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s.Chapman was born in...
. It is based on the play It Depends What You Mean by James Bridie
James Bridie
James Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor....
. The film follows the efforts of a British Army Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
attempting to recruit entertainment acts to perform for the troops and the complications that ensue when he does. The title is taken from the line by Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray was a poet, letter-writer, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University.-Early life and education:...
"where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise,".
Plot
Having recently taken over the role of entertainments officer at an army camp the Padre
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
Captain William Paris is disheartened so few of the troops turn out for an evening of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. He visits a local pub and finds the place packed with soldiers, including his own driver. He then resolves to try and secure something more entertaining for the troops and comes up with the idea of bringing in a Brain Trust
Brain Trust
Brain trust began as a term for a group of close advisors to a political candidate or incumbent, prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisors to Franklin Roosevelt during his presidential administration...
to answer questions from the audience.
With the help of Lady Dodds the Captain manages to gather together a group of local notables, who all swiftly prove to be mildly eccentric. The group includes the opinionated Professor Mutch, who is a popular radio personality with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and his friend the oil painter George Prout and his wife Angela. While arriving at their house, the Captain interrupts Mutch and Mrs Prout who are about to embrace. Upon meeting Mr Prout he soon finds him a cold man who verbally abuses his wife. The Trust is rounded out by the wandered Doctor McAdam and the chippy local Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Joseph Byres.
With the help of his secretary, Private Jessie Killigrew, the Captain manages to organise the event. The hall is relatively well filled. Trying to avoid anything controversial, the Captain forbids any discussion of politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and begins with some innocuous questions about cows chasing after trains and if the Moon is inhabited? Things soon become heated when the MP takes offence at comments directed at him and threatens to start a fight. Having only just averted this, a question about marriage reveals the fragility of the Prout's marriage. Fearing any controversy, the Captain quickly announces that it is time for the interval.
As word spreads around the camp of the goings-on, the second half begins with the room completely packed. The Captain tries to steer the debate back to harmless questions about bluebottles
Blue bottle fly
The blue bottle fly or bottlebee is a common blow-fly found in most areas of the world and is the type species for the genus Calliphora.-Description:...
, but the audience demands an answer to the earlier question about marriage. As the Prouts begin arguing once again, Mrs Prout admits that the Professor is her lover. At this the whole event threatens to descend into anarchy despite the attempts of the Captain to maintain order. Desperate to restore a sense of propriety he draws the proceedings to a close, and announces that next week they will return to classical music by inviting a string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
. A soldier stands up and thanks the Captain for providing such entertainment and asking if the Brain Trust can be made a regular feature.
Worried about Mr Prout who has disappeared and has been drinking the heavily others follow him back to his house where they mistakenly believe that he is going to throw himself over the cliffs. Instead he is planning on a bit of quiet painting. Meanwhile the Professor has revealed himself to be an inherently selfish man, while Mr Prout is suddenly far more reasonable. He and Mrs Prout soon resolve their differences, and he tries to be a little more considerate to her.
The film ends with the string quartet playing once more and the Captain sitting almost entirely alone in the theatre.
Production
The film was shot at Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
and made by the British Lion Film Corporation. James Bridie wrote the screenplay, adapting it from his own play. Alastair Sim had previously produced the play in a 1944 run at the Westminster Theatre
Westminster Theatre
The Westminster Theatre was a London theatre, on Palace Street in Westminster. It was originally built as the Charlotte Chapel in 1766, which was altered and given a new frontage for use as a cinema from 1924 onwards. It finally became a theatre in 1931 after radical alterations...
and was a driving force behind bringing it to the screen. Launder was encouraged to make the film by Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
.
Reception
A contempary New York Times review described the film as a "cheerful British import". While noting that the film did not "succeed in building into towering proportions the fragile theme of what makes a marriage tick" the cast had made it "all worth while". The review praised the performance by Alastair Sim in particular.Sim was nominated for a Best Actor BAFTA
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.-Superlatives:...
for his role as Captain Paris, but lost out to Ralph Richardson
Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
for his performance in The Sound Barrier
Cast
- Alastair SimAlastair SimAlastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
- Captain William Paris - Elizabeth Allan - Angela Prout
- Roland CulverRoland CulverRoland Culver OBE was a British stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:...
- George Prout - Colin GordonColin GordonColin Gordon was a British actor born in Ceylon .He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a production of “Toad of Toad Hall”. From 1936 to 1939 he was a director with the Fred Melville Repertory...
- Professor James Mutch - Martita HuntMartita HuntMartita Hunt was an English theatre and film actress.-Early life:Hunt was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 30 January 1900 to British parents Alfred and Marta Hunt...
- Lady Dodds - Janet Brown - Jessie Killegrew
- Peter MartynPeter MartynPeter Martyn, Irish soldier, 1772-1827.Martyn was a member of one of the Tribes of Galway. He was born in Castlebar, County Mayo in 1772. He joined the Austria-Hungary Imperial Service in June 1790 as a Second-Lieutenant in the 1st Cuirassier Regiment...
- Walter - Miles MallesonMiles MallesonWilliam Miles Malleson was an English actor and dramatist, particularly known for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles in several Hammer horror films, with a fairly large role in The Brides of Dracula as the...
- Doctor Hector McAdam - Edward ChapmanEdward Chapman (actor)Edward Chapman was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s.Chapman was born in...
- Joseph Byres M.P - Cyril ChamberlainCyril ChamberlainCyril Chamberlain was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early Carry On, Doctor in the House and St. Trinian's films....
- Drill Sergeant - Michael RipperMichael RipperMichael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
- Drill Corporal - Robin BaileyRobin BaileyRobin Bailey was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.Although often chosen for upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Judge Graves in Thames Television's Rumpole Of The Bailey, Bailey is perhaps most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Uncle Mort in I Didn't Know...
- Intellectual Corporal - Michael KellyMichael Kelly (actor)Michael Kelly was an Irish actor, singer , composer and theatrical manager who made an international career of importance in musical history...
- Staff Sergeant - George Cole - Soldier in audience
- Martin BoddeyMartin BoddeyMartin Boddey was a British film and television actor.He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity.-Selected filmography:* The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery * Cairo Road...
- Brigadier