Major Barbara

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Alain E Deadly boring! Abandoned at 24:24. Interesting facts: one person produced and directed! David Lean was assistant director. Deborah Kerr had a small part. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/24/25 Full Review S R I saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 movies list. My first appreciation of Pascal and Shaw. This was a pleasant surprise my not knowing what I was getting into. I did appreciate the strong cast. With Hiller, Morley, and Harrison stealing the show. The look at the Salvation Army was fun. The English class system analyzed with confusing themes condoning wealth coming from Shaw the Socialist. Regardless, the wordy writing was a bit daunting despite it being good. The score and filming were also excellent. A real triumph for Pascal. SLC DVD. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/22/25 Full Review Michael D It’s a stage bound film that has clear demarcation lines between the acts. The Salvation Army scenes are compelling. Wendy Hiller is at her absolute best and is supported by a fine cast playing the people who frequent the shelter for different reasons. Hiller and Robert Newton are brilliant together. There is a powerful chemistry there. The direction and settings enhance these wonderful scenes. Barbara renounces her Salvation Army life by casting her cap into the river. That part of her life is over and, dare I say it, so is the magic of the film. For Hiller then recedes into the background. Robert Morley and Rex Harrison take centre stage in long script bound erudite exchanges that replace the physical rawness that dominated earlier. The factory scenes are amazing (reminiscent of Metropolis) and the characters reduced to cogs in the machine including, sad to say, Barbara herself who has become mostly indistinguishable from the rest of her bourgeois family. I didn’t feel any optimism at the end. The brave new world that Barbara and Dolly join and march with alongside Bill doesn’t feel convincing. I missed those earlier scenes, the community at the shelter, the docks and the incredible vistas. An ambitious film certainly. It has scenes of unforgettable power, all of them with Wendy Hiller when she is fighting the good fight in the Salvation Army. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/17/24 Full Review Audience Member It's a strong enough storyline, but it's extremely wordy and laborious in places for it. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member just not what i expected it would be Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Clever, satirical expose of people who do all the right things for all the wrong reasons (and a few who do the wrong things for the right reasons). Propaganda at its core, but still entertaining, and Wendy Hiller is fantastic. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Major Barbara

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