The Winslow Boy

The Winslow Boy (1999)

In pre-WWI England, a youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft, but his parents raise a political furor by demanding a trial.

Date of release
1999-03-18
TMDB
6.8 / 10 (81)
Runtime
1h 44m
Genres
Drama
Director
David Mamet

Casting

Interesting facts

The Winslow Boy is a 1999 American period drama film directed by David Mamet and starring Nigel Hawthorne, Rebecca Pidgeon, Jeremy Northam and Gemma Jones. Set in London before World War I, it depicts a British family defending at all costs the honour of its naval cadet young son against a false charge of theft. The screenplay was adapted by Mamet based on Terence Rattigan's 1946 dramatic play The Winslow Boy.

Production

Shot in London, the film was directed by David Mamet who originally had thought of making a theatrical production of Rattigan's dramatic play, which had been previously filmed in 1948. After failing to find backers for the project, Mamet decided to adapt the play for the big screen. It was produced by Sarah Green with Sally French, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard as associate producers.

Neil North who played the title role in the 1948 version also appears in this version (as the First Lord of the Admiralty). In the audio commentary for the DVD release, Mamet says he had already cast North in the film before he was told that North also appeared in the 1948 version.

In the DVD commentary, Jeremy Northam claims that film director Mike Newell originated the role of Ronnie Winslow in the original stage production. However, this is mistaken; Northam has confused another actor who is also named Michael Newell, who became a real-estate agent. Mike Newell (the director) was born in 1942, and since the play premiered in 1946, it is not possible for a four-year-old to have played that role.

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