A drama concerning the intense rivalry between two teachers at a public school.
Vincent Perrin (Marius Goring), a teacher at Bamfield College, finds his long-held resentment of his position exacerbated by the popularity of a younger new master, David Traill (David Farrar). Under the thumb of the domineering headmaster Moy-Thompson (Raymond Huntley), Perrin’s bitterness curdles into obsession when Traill announces his engagement to Isabel Lester (Greta Gynt), a woman Perrin also loves. Consumed by professional jealousy and romantic frustration, Perrin resolves to take drastic measures to remove Traill from the school for good.
The seemingly placid setting of a British public school becomes the arena for a potent psychological drama. Adapted from a popular Hugh Walpole novel, the film updates the story to a contemporary post-war setting, giving its themes of professional jealousy and personal failure a sharp immediacy. The narrative hinges on the corrosive rivalry between two masters. Marius Goring’s portrayal of the resentful Vincent Perrin is a study in festering bitterness, a contrast to the easy charm of David Traill. The casting of David Farrar, then a major British star after his role in Black Narcissus, makes Traill’s effortless popularity a particularly sharp thorn in Perrin’s side, driving the film towards its desperate conclusion.
Production Co: Two Cities Film / 92 mins / 1948
Director: Lawrence Huntingdon
Producer: Alexander Galperson
Screenplay: L.A.G. Strong, Tom Harrison (from the novel by Hugh Walpole)
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Main Cast: David Farrar (David Traill), Marius Goring (Vincent Perrin), Raymond Huntley (Moy-Thompson), Greta Gynt (Isobel Lester), Edward Chapman (Birkland), Finlay Currie (Sir Joshua Varley)
