The Offence
Encyclopedia
The Offence is a 1972 drama
film, based upon the acclaimed 1968 stage play This Story of Yours by John Hopkins
, directed by Sidney Lumet
under the working title Something Like the Truth. It stars Sean Connery
as police detective
Johnson, who kills Kenneth Baxter (Ian Bannen
), a suspected child molester, while interrogating him. The film explores Johnson's varied, often aggressive attempts at rationalizing what he did, including using the effect gruesome sights have had on him in his job as a police officer. It is not until the end of the film that Baxter's death is seen in a prolonged flashback, revealing Johnson's true motives for killing him. The tagline is "After 20 years what Detective-Sergeant Johnson has seen and done is destroying him." It is the only film that Sir Harrison Birtwistle
has written music for.
The film was one of two feature films starring Connery after his debut as James Bond
that had not seen a North America
n release on DVD
by 2008, the other being Woman of Straw
(1964). In 2008, an online petition was set up to bring the film to North American DVD and Blu-ray Disc
. By that time, the film was available on the iTunes Store
in several countries, including the United States, and also the Amazon.com
video on demand service, Amazon Unbox
. MGM
and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
eventually gave The Offence a manufactured-on-demand DVD-R
release in North America in April 2010.
s, rape
s, and other violent crimes he has investigated.
His anger surfaces while interrogating a man named Baxter (Bannen), whom he suspects of raping a young girl; by the end of the interrogation, Johnson has beaten him to death. Johnson is suspended and returns home for the night, and gets into a violent argument with his wife, Maureen (Vivien Merchant
). The following day, Johnson is interrogated by Detective Superintendent Cartwright (Trevor Howard
), and during the long interrogation flashbacks show the events during the night when Johnson killed Baxter. During the interrogation, Baxter — whose guilt or innocence is left ambiguous — had begun taunting Johnson, insinuating that Johnson secretly wanted to commit the sort of sex crimes he investigated. Johnson at first flew into a rage and struck Baxter, but he eventually admitted that he did indeed harbor obsessive fantasies of murder and rape, and that he was losing his mind under the strain. He then tearfully begged Baxter to help him; when Baxter recoiled from him in disgust, Johnson snapped and killed him. The film ends with another flashback, this time of Johnson attacking the police officers who pulled him off of Baxter, and muttering, "God...my God..." as he realizes what he has done.
in Diamonds Are Forever
, United Artists
pledged to back two of Connery's film projects of his own free choosing, including free choice for his own role, provided they would be costing $2m or less. The Offence, made under the working title of Something Like the Truth due to Connery's choice of Hopkins' script, was completed in one month with a budget of $1 million. The action sequences of the physical interaction between Connery and Bannen were designed by an uncredited Bob Simmons
, who had designed similar action scenes for the Bond films.
The Offence was a commercial failure and did not yield a profit for nine years, even going unreleased in several markets, including France
, where it did not premiere until 2007. United Artists pulled out of the deal and the next project, a film version of Macbeth
that Connery was to direct, was scotched by Roman Polanski
's adaptation
.
The film was shot mainly on location in Bracknell
, Berkshire
.
of the film which contained no extras or trailers. Simultaneous releases from MGM were made in other PAL
format countries, such as Germany
and Australia
. On October 20, 2008, the film was again released on DVD in the UK by Optimum Releasing
, again without extras or trailers. As of 2009, the film has not been released on DVD in North America
, one of the few films of either Sean Connery
or Sidney Lumet
not to do so. In April 2010, MGM finally put the film out on a U.S. DVD-R. It is available as an exclusive from Amazon.com. This DVD-R is widescreen and contains no extras. A Region 2 DVD (with no extras) became available in 2011.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film, based upon the acclaimed 1968 stage play This Story of Yours by John Hopkins
John Hopkins (writer)
John Richard Hopkins was an English film, stage, and television writer.Born in southwest London, he graduated from St Catharine's College, Cambridge...
, directed by Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
under the working title Something Like the Truth. It stars Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
as police detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Johnson, who kills Kenneth Baxter (Ian Bannen
Ian Bannen
Ian Bannen was a Scottish character actor and occasional leading man.-Early life and career:Bannen was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, the son of Clare and John James Bannen, a lawyer. Bannen served in the British Army after attending St Aloysius' College, Glasgow and Ratcliffe College,...
), a suspected child molester, while interrogating him. The film explores Johnson's varied, often aggressive attempts at rationalizing what he did, including using the effect gruesome sights have had on him in his job as a police officer. It is not until the end of the film that Baxter's death is seen in a prolonged flashback, revealing Johnson's true motives for killing him. The tagline is "After 20 years what Detective-Sergeant Johnson has seen and done is destroying him." It is the only film that Sir Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
has written music for.
The film was one of two feature films starring Connery after his debut as James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
that had not seen a North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n release on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by 2008, the other being Woman of Straw
Woman of Straw
Woman of Straw is a 1964 British crime thriller starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was directed by Basil Dearden and written by Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1964 novel by Catherine Arley.- Plot :...
(1964). In 2008, an online petition was set up to bring the film to North American DVD and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
. By that time, the film was available on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
in several countries, including the United States, and also the Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
video on demand service, Amazon Unbox
Amazon Unbox
Amazon Instant Video is an Internet video on demand service, only available in the United States, offered by Amazon.com which offers television shows and films for rental and purchase. The service became available on September 7, 2006 as Amazon Unbox...
. MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
eventually gave The Offence a manufactured-on-demand DVD-R
DVD-R
DVD-R is a DVD recordable format. A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB. Pioneer has also developed an 8.5 GB dual layer version, DVD-R DL, which appeared on the market in 2005....
release in North America in April 2010.
Plot summary
Detective-Sergeant Johnson (Connery) has been a police officer for 20 years, and is deeply affected by the murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
s, and other violent crimes he has investigated.
His anger surfaces while interrogating a man named Baxter (Bannen), whom he suspects of raping a young girl; by the end of the interrogation, Johnson has beaten him to death. Johnson is suspended and returns home for the night, and gets into a violent argument with his wife, Maureen (Vivien Merchant
Vivien Merchant
Vivien Merchant was a British actress.-Career:Merchant performed in many stage productions and several films, including Alfie and Frenzy...
). The following day, Johnson is interrogated by Detective Superintendent Cartwright (Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
), and during the long interrogation flashbacks show the events during the night when Johnson killed Baxter. During the interrogation, Baxter — whose guilt or innocence is left ambiguous — had begun taunting Johnson, insinuating that Johnson secretly wanted to commit the sort of sex crimes he investigated. Johnson at first flew into a rage and struck Baxter, but he eventually admitted that he did indeed harbor obsessive fantasies of murder and rape, and that he was losing his mind under the strain. He then tearfully begged Baxter to help him; when Baxter recoiled from him in disgust, Johnson snapped and killed him. The film ends with another flashback, this time of Johnson attacking the police officers who pulled him off of Baxter, and muttering, "God...my God..." as he realizes what he has done.
Cast
- Sean ConnerySean ConnerySir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
as Detective Sergeant Johnson - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Cartwright, Detective Superintendent - Vivien MerchantVivien MerchantVivien Merchant was a British actress.-Career:Merchant performed in many stage productions and several films, including Alfie and Frenzy...
as Maureen Johnson - Ian BannenIan BannenIan Bannen was a Scottish character actor and occasional leading man.-Early life and career:Bannen was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, the son of Clare and John James Bannen, a lawyer. Bannen served in the British Army after attending St Aloysius' College, Glasgow and Ratcliffe College,...
as Kenneth Baxter - Peter BowlesPeter Bowles-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...
as Detective Inspector Cameron - Derek NewarkDerek NewarkDerek Newark was an English actor.He appeared in a large number of film and television roles, including The Baron , The Avengers , Z Cars , Barlow at Large in the recurring role of Det. Insp...
as Frank Jessard - Ronald RaddRonald RaddRonald Radd was a British television actor.Radd starred in some 60 different TV shows between 1955 and 1976 including The Avengers, Danger Man, and Z-Cars...
as Lawson - John HallamJohn HallamJohn William Francis Hallam was a Northern Irish character actor.- Career :He appeared in many film and television roles including Nicholas and Alexandra , Murphy's War , The Pallisers , The Mallens , Flash Gordon , Dragonslayer , the BBC television adaptations of Prince Caspian...
as Panton - Richard MooreRichard Moore (actor)Richard Moore is an English actor known for playing Jarvis Skelton on ITV's Emmerdale from 2002-2005.-Early and personal life:Moore was born in 1940, and lived in Burnley, Lancashire during his early life...
as Garrett - Anthony SagarAnthony SagarAnthony Sagar was an English character actor. Although rarely receiving top billing, he was regarded as a stalwart and appeared in many well-known films and in many television sitcoms and dramas such as The Moonstone, Dad's Army, The Avengers and Steptoe and Son.-Career:Sagar was born in...
as Hill - Maxine GordonMaxine GordonMaxine Gordon is a British actress who is perhaps most famous for her role as Jane Edmonds, the child victim of the 1972 Sidney Lumet film The Offence. She has also had notable roles in the sitcom ...And Mother Makes Five as Jane Redway, and the drama series Midnight is a Place as Anne...
as Janie Edmonds, The Raped Girl - Hilda FenemoreHilda FenemoreHilda Lilian Fenemore was an English actress with a prolific career in film and television from the 1940s to the 1990s...
as Woman on the common - Rhoda Lewis as Woman at the school
- Cynthia Lund as Child at the school
- Howard Goorney as Lambert
Background
When Connery agreed to return as James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
in Diamonds Are Forever
Diamonds Are Forever (film)
Diamonds Are Forever is the seventh spy film in the Eon Productions James Bond series, and the sixth and final Eon Productions film to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film is based on Ian Fleming's 1956 novel of the same name, and is the second of four James Bond films...
, United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
pledged to back two of Connery's film projects of his own free choosing, including free choice for his own role, provided they would be costing $2m or less. The Offence, made under the working title of Something Like the Truth due to Connery's choice of Hopkins' script, was completed in one month with a budget of $1 million. The action sequences of the physical interaction between Connery and Bannen were designed by an uncredited Bob Simmons
Bob Simmons (stunt man)
Bob Simmons was an English actor and stunt man, best known for his work in many British made films, most notably the James Bond series.-Biography:...
, who had designed similar action scenes for the Bond films.
The Offence was a commercial failure and did not yield a profit for nine years, even going unreleased in several markets, including France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where it did not premiere until 2007. United Artists pulled out of the deal and the next project, a film version of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
that Connery was to direct, was scotched by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
's adaptation
Macbeth (1971 film)
Macbeth is a 1971 British-American drama film directed by Roman Polanski, based on William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth, about the Highland lord who becomes King of Scotland through treachery and murder. It features Jon Finch as Macbeth and Francesca Annis as Lady Macbeth...
.
The film was shot mainly on location in Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
DVD releases
In 2004, MGM UK released a DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the film which contained no extras or trailers. Simultaneous releases from MGM were made in other PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
format countries, such as Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On October 20, 2008, the film was again released on DVD in the UK by Optimum Releasing
Optimum Releasing
StudioCanal UK is a film distributor company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films and independent British, Irish and American films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.Optimum was acquired by...
, again without extras or trailers. As of 2009, the film has not been released on DVD in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, one of the few films of either Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
or Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
not to do so. In April 2010, MGM finally put the film out on a U.S. DVD-R. It is available as an exclusive from Amazon.com. This DVD-R is widescreen and contains no extras. A Region 2 DVD (with no extras) became available in 2011.
Critics
External links
- Original theatrical trailer for The Offence