Astonished Heart
Film Reviews
(<Starring Noel Coward,
Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton.) 89 mins. ? *he Astonished Heart or Pride Goes Before a Fall. . et aH psychiatrists take a warning that the cinema eaches them, that the greater their knowledge of the ^uman heart and mind, the greater will be the faster of their own personal lives, and there is Fave doubt whether there can be any other end r them but suicide. Dr Milne in Mine Own ^ xecutioner did just avoid that, but the approved j e^h?d, used by the brain specialist (James Mason) (N Upturned Glass and again by the psychiatrist 0el Coward) in The Astonished Heart is a spectacar fall from a height, doubtless psychologically symbolic.
Unt e W^? are not *n danger, however, may see D tyj0ubled some of the greatest acting and finest ^ eduction on the screen to-day. It is difficult Ds ?kVer-praise t’ie actin8 Celia Johnson, the 0rH iatrist’s unglamorous wife, who makes of the ainary, something sublime. It was, perhaps, a y to set the scene in two such extravagant luxury ne Htrnents, f?r the quality of the acting did not s ec| any extraneous material effects, but that is a ne r Refect to set against the finish?almost the Ejection?of every movement and word, ar c *s t^le assumPtions about psychology that ah6 ? interest now, and it is difficult to feel content ^ ?ut the assumptions made in this film. Here, on! tragedy the psychiatrist’s personal life is not th y ‘?he popular theme of authority dethroned, ir^u8h that is a strong element. The dramatic of th t^le conversations in the consulting room, tin doctor’s lecture, and of his clinical observacanr t0 woman who, he knows, is intending to th? ate him, all this is part of the now familiar ^nie of the pompous and omniscient psychiatrist ?Se fall, at any rate, resembles Lucifer’s. But it is not only that the doctor was too clever, that his knowledge of the workings of his heart and mind were not matched by his power to control those workings ; running through the film there seems to be an identification of psychological knowledge with the fruits of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, forbidden, on divine authority, to men. To those who transgress, there is death and damnation. The search for a Bible in the flat, and the finding of one in the possession of the cook (who seems the only happy person in the story)?the quotation from Deuteronomy, ” The Lord shall smite thee with madness and blindness and astonishment of heart “, as the psychiatrist sees Leonora? his complete enslavement to passion with death as the only solution?these, together with a good deal of uncertainty about the value of his treatment to his patients, make a story, the moral of which must be unacceptable to readers of Mental Health. P.E.W.
Round Pegs. 16 mm. 15 mins. Central Film Library.
This is a shortened version of two films previously made on personnel selection in the Army. It is a factual document, coherent and intelligent, based on data derived from different methods of psychological investigation used in the Army to determine a man’s aptitude for a particular job, his likelihood of resisting a breakdown and his general adaptability to other people. The commentary, which is clear and well spoken, ends by suggesting that a similar method might be applied in civilian life with regard to vocational guidance, the details of which, however, have still got to be worked out.
This is a well-made film, easily understandable and useful for anyone interested in psychological testing and personnel selection. E.H.R.
Should Parents Tell ? This film, which is sponsored jointly by the British Social Hygiene Council, and the National Baby Welfare Council, might have been really good, had it gone just a little further in some respects, and not so far in others.
The story is interesting and the standard of acting higher than in many films of this type. It shows two girls in a middle class American family, both of whose lives are spoiled by the lack of adequate sex instruction. The older girl marries, but runs away on her honeymoon. (One imagines because she cannot face the sexual side of marriage.) She eventually returns to her husband, but makes life so unbearable for him that he takes to drink, consorts with a prostitute, and infects his wife with V.D. which causes the death of their child. The younger girl has a love affair at 16, becomes pregnant and being unable to confide in her parents has an illegal operation.
Having seen this film, one is tempted to ask ” what is it that parents should tell ? ” Is it about the sexual side of marriage, the dangers of promiscuous intercourse, the horrors of illegal operation, or how a baby is created ? Although the film places on parents the responsibility for instructing their children it does not say how this should be done, or at what age.
The diagrams showing the process of fertilization and growth of the foetus are excellent but the effect is spoiled by what one must assume to be a cut at the end, as the actual birth is not shown.
It would seem that a film of this kind, to be of any constructive value, should deal with the positive aspects of sex as well as the negative and destructive side. One would have appreciated some indication as to the value of giving sex instruction as well as the dire results of not doing so. C.H.S. Good Mothers. 16 mm. 11 mins. Central Film Library.
This is a Danish film on a Danish national organization called Mother’s Help. It is a lively film, stimulating, well photographed, sympathetic, honest, not over-stating the facts but arousing one’s keen admiration for this set-up in Denmark. The Mother’s Help is an organization which sets out tc help mothers of all classes, particularly unmarried mothers, to make provision for their children and for themselves during a period before and after the birth. It is a thoroughly enjoyable film which should be particularly helpful for social workers, health visitors, moral welfare workers and organizations dealing with mothers and in particular wit*1 unmarried mothers. E.H.R. |
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
Material currently under copyright, made available with a Creative Commons license chosen by the publisher.
Material that is in the public domain
Material identified by the Welcome Trust as an Orphan Work, made available with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.