The Queen's Guards
Encyclopedia
The Queen's Guards is a 1961 military drama film
directed by Michael Powell
from a script by Simon Harcourt-Smith and Roger Milner. It stars Daniel Massey
, Raymond Massey
, Robert Stephens
, and Ursula Jeans
.
), an officer in the Grenadier Guards
as he prepares for the Trooping the Colour
ceremony. John is the son of retired guardsman Capt. Fellowes (Raymond Massey
) and Mrs. Fellowes (Ursula Jeans
). John's older brother was also a Guards officer, but he was killed in action and John feels he is being forced to follow in his brother's footsteps.
The film follows John through his training where he makes some mistakes in an exercise and is told that it was a mistake like that which got his brother and a lot of his men killed. But he makes friends with Henry Wynne-Walton (Robert Stephens
) and Henry is invited home to meet Mr. and Mrs. Fellowes. Mr. Fellowes is quite fanatical about the Guards. The eldest son in the family has been a Guards officer for as long as anyone can remember, and they even live next door to the Guards barracks in London.
Capt. Fellowes is disabled, his legs don't work and he hauls himself around the house by hooking canes into loops on an overhead rail. This system was designed by the elder brother that John is always expected to live up to. His mother thinks that the elder brother is just "missing in action" and will return someday. The father knows he's really dead but never seems to give John a chance.
John is dating Ruth (Judith Stott), the daughter of George Dobbie (Ian Hunter
), a haulage contractor. When John goes to see Mr. Dobbie he tells John that he was fighting in the desert and was let down by a platoon of Guards that were meant to hold a certain position – the platoon that was led by John's brother.
John leads an assault on a desert fortress held by some rebels. To constant thoughts about how his brother died, John manages to defend against a counter-attack until Henry arrives with his men in their armoured scout vehicles. The mission is a success. John has managed to do what his elder brother could not.
Back in London, all is in readiness for the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Mr. Dobbie overcomes his dislike of the Guards to accompany Ruth to the ceremony. Capt. Fellowes manages to haul himself upstairs to see the ceremony out of the window. John is given the honour of commanding the colour party.
but before it was released. When Peeping Tom was released there was such an outcry that Powell never managed to direct another feature film in Britain.
The intention of this film appears to have been to promote the Guards regiment in some way. Powell was certainly given access to the Guards barracks and to their training areas on Salisbury Plain
. He was given permission to include many sequences of real guardsmen at the Trooping of the Colour But the production, especially the plot, is very scrappy with many details left unexplained
s (not Busby
s) and the ones on horseback outside Buckingham Palace
and at Horse Guards Parade
(and on postcards from London) are members of the Regiments of Guards, originally the sovereign
's own troops, and some of the oldest regiments in the British Army
. They perform most of the ceremonial duties at state occasions, but they are not just "toy soldiers" intended only for public display. They are fighting regiments that also do ceremonial duties. One of the main aims of the film was to show this.
There are two mounted regiments of guards, the Life Guards
and the Blues and Royals
. There are five regiments of foot, the Grenadier Guards
, the Coldstream Guards
, the Scots
, Welsh
and Irish Guards
. The mounted regiments can be differentiated by the colour of their uniforms (Life Guards - red, Blues & Royals - blue) and the regiments of foot by the arrangement of their buttons (and their cap badges and collar tabs if you get close enough). Grenadiers have evenly spaced buttons on the front of their tunics, Coldstream have buttons in pairs, Scots in threes, Irish in fours and Welsh in fives.
In their combat roles, the Guards are light armoured and reconnaissance troops. In A Bridge Too Far, Michael Caine
lead a squadron of Irish Guards to spearhead the ground-based push towards Arnhem
.
The ceremony of "Trooping the Colour" dates back to the distant past. "The Colour" is the regimental flag with all their battle honours on it. So that they could properly recognise and thus know which side they were on and where they should rally, the Colour would be paraded (trooped) in front of the regiment in a special parade before a battle. This was then turned into a ceremony. Because of the importance attached to the Colour, it is considered a great honour to be the soldier actually carrying it (the ensign), one of the Colour party protecting it, or to be in charge of the Colour party.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
from a script by Simon Harcourt-Smith and Roger Milner. It stars Daniel Massey
Daniel Massey (actor)
Daniel Raymond Massey was an English actor and performer. He is possibly best known for his starring role in the British TV drama The Roads to Freedom, as Daniel, alongside Michael Bryant...
, Raymond Massey
Raymond Massey
Raymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American...
, Robert Stephens
Robert Stephens
Sir Robert Stephens was a leading English actor in the early years of England's Royal National Theatre.-Early life and career:...
, and Ursula Jeans
Ursula Jeans
Ursula Jean McMinn was a British actress on film, stage, and television.Ursula Jeans was born in Shimla, British India, to British parents, and brought up and educated in London. She was the youngest of three siblings...
.
Plot
The film tells the story of John Fellowes (Daniel MasseyDaniel Massey (actor)
Daniel Raymond Massey was an English actor and performer. He is possibly best known for his starring role in the British TV drama The Roads to Freedom, as Daniel, alongside Michael Bryant...
), an officer in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
as he prepares for the Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...
ceremony. John is the son of retired guardsman Capt. Fellowes (Raymond Massey
Raymond Massey
Raymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American...
) and Mrs. Fellowes (Ursula Jeans
Ursula Jeans
Ursula Jean McMinn was a British actress on film, stage, and television.Ursula Jeans was born in Shimla, British India, to British parents, and brought up and educated in London. She was the youngest of three siblings...
). John's older brother was also a Guards officer, but he was killed in action and John feels he is being forced to follow in his brother's footsteps.
The film follows John through his training where he makes some mistakes in an exercise and is told that it was a mistake like that which got his brother and a lot of his men killed. But he makes friends with Henry Wynne-Walton (Robert Stephens
Robert Stephens
Sir Robert Stephens was a leading English actor in the early years of England's Royal National Theatre.-Early life and career:...
) and Henry is invited home to meet Mr. and Mrs. Fellowes. Mr. Fellowes is quite fanatical about the Guards. The eldest son in the family has been a Guards officer for as long as anyone can remember, and they even live next door to the Guards barracks in London.
Capt. Fellowes is disabled, his legs don't work and he hauls himself around the house by hooking canes into loops on an overhead rail. This system was designed by the elder brother that John is always expected to live up to. His mother thinks that the elder brother is just "missing in action" and will return someday. The father knows he's really dead but never seems to give John a chance.
John is dating Ruth (Judith Stott), the daughter of George Dobbie (Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (actor)
Ian Hunter was a British character actor.Among dozens of film roles, his best-remembered appearances include That Certain Woman with Bette Davis, The Adventures of Robin Hood , The Little Princess and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
), a haulage contractor. When John goes to see Mr. Dobbie he tells John that he was fighting in the desert and was let down by a platoon of Guards that were meant to hold a certain position – the platoon that was led by John's brother.
John leads an assault on a desert fortress held by some rebels. To constant thoughts about how his brother died, John manages to defend against a counter-attack until Henry arrives with his men in their armoured scout vehicles. The mission is a success. John has managed to do what his elder brother could not.
Back in London, all is in readiness for the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Mr. Dobbie overcomes his dislike of the Guards to accompany Ruth to the ceremony. Capt. Fellowes manages to haul himself upstairs to see the ceremony out of the window. John is given the honour of commanding the colour party.
Cast
- Daniel MasseyDaniel Massey (actor)Daniel Raymond Massey was an English actor and performer. He is possibly best known for his starring role in the British TV drama The Roads to Freedom, as Daniel, alongside Michael Bryant...
as John Fellowes - Robert StephensRobert StephensSir Robert Stephens was a leading English actor in the early years of England's Royal National Theatre.-Early life and career:...
as Henry Wynne-Walton - Raymond MasseyRaymond MasseyRaymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American...
as Capt. Fellowes - Ursula JeansUrsula JeansUrsula Jean McMinn was a British actress on film, stage, and television.Ursula Jeans was born in Shimla, British India, to British parents, and brought up and educated in London. She was the youngest of three siblings...
as Mrs. Fellowes - Judith Stott as Ruth Dobbie
- Elizabeth ShepherdElizabeth ShepherdElizabeth Shepherd is an English character actress whose work has spanned the stage and both the big and small screens. Her surname has been alternately billed as "Shephard" and "Sheppard"....
as Susan - Duncan LamontDuncan LamontDuncan William Ferguson Lamont was a British actor. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, but brought up in Scotland, he had a long and successful career in film and television, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions....
as Wilkes - Peter Myers as Gordon Davidson
- Ian HunterIan Hunter (actor)Ian Hunter was a British character actor.Among dozens of film roles, his best-remembered appearances include That Certain Woman with Bette Davis, The Adventures of Robin Hood , The Little Princess and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
as Mr. George Dobbie - Jess ConradJess ConradJess Conrad OBE is an actor and singer from England.-Career:Having started his career as a repertory actor and film extra, Jess Conrad was cast in a television play "Bye, Bye Barney" as a pop singer...
as Dankworth
Cast notes
- Daniel Massey is the son of Raymond Massey, whose daughter Anna MasseyAnna MasseyAnna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
is also an actress. - This was the only time Raymond and Daniel Massey appeared on film together and it's fitting that they appeared as father and son.
Production
The Queen's Guards was made after Michael Powell had made Peeping TomPeeping Tom (film)
Peeping Tom is a 1960 British psychological thriller directed by Michael Powell and written by the World War II cryptographer and polymath Leo Marks. The title derives from the slang expression 'peeping Tom' describing a voyeur...
but before it was released. When Peeping Tom was released there was such an outcry that Powell never managed to direct another feature film in Britain.
The intention of this film appears to have been to promote the Guards regiment in some way. Powell was certainly given access to the Guards barracks and to their training areas on Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
. He was given permission to include many sequences of real guardsmen at the Trooping of the Colour But the production, especially the plot, is very scrappy with many details left unexplained
The Guards and The Colours
The soldiers in the red uniforms with the BearskinBearskin
A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and is still worn by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies.-Origins:...
s (not Busby
Busby
Busby is the English name for the Hungarian prémes csákó or kucsma, a military head-dress made of fur, worn by Hungarian hussars. In its original Hungarian form the busby was a cylindrical fur cap, having a bag of coloured cloth hanging from the top. The end of this bag was attached to the right...
s) and the ones on horseback outside Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
and at Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London, at grid reference . It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and Beating Retreat.-History:...
(and on postcards from London) are members of the Regiments of Guards, originally the sovereign
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
's own troops, and some of the oldest regiments in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. They perform most of the ceremonial duties at state occasions, but they are not just "toy soldiers" intended only for public display. They are fighting regiments that also do ceremonial duties. One of the main aims of the film was to show this.
There are two mounted regiments of guards, the Life Guards
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
and the Blues and Royals
Blues and Royals
The Blues and Royals is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal...
. There are five regiments of foot, the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, the Scots
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
, Welsh
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
and Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
. The mounted regiments can be differentiated by the colour of their uniforms (Life Guards - red, Blues & Royals - blue) and the regiments of foot by the arrangement of their buttons (and their cap badges and collar tabs if you get close enough). Grenadiers have evenly spaced buttons on the front of their tunics, Coldstream have buttons in pairs, Scots in threes, Irish in fours and Welsh in fives.
In their combat roles, the Guards are light armoured and reconnaissance troops. In A Bridge Too Far, Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
lead a squadron of Irish Guards to spearhead the ground-based push towards Arnhem
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
.
The ceremony of "Trooping the Colour" dates back to the distant past. "The Colour" is the regimental flag with all their battle honours on it. So that they could properly recognise and thus know which side they were on and where they should rally, the Colour would be paraded (trooped) in front of the regiment in a special parade before a battle. This was then turned into a ceremony. Because of the importance attached to the Colour, it is considered a great honour to be the soldier actually carrying it (the ensign), one of the Colour party protecting it, or to be in charge of the Colour party.
Reception
The Queen's Guards almost entirely disappeared after its initial release. Contemporary reviews of it were not kind, and it had only a short run in cinemas, and was shown on British television just once.External links
- The Queen's Guards reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages