Conduct Unbecoming (film)
| Conduct Unbecoming | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Michael Anderson |
| Starring |
Michael York Richard Attenborough Trevor Howard |
| Music by | Stanley Myers |
| Cinematography | Robert Huke |
| Edited by | John Glen |
| Distributed by | British Lion |
Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Conduct Unbecoming is a 1975 British drama film, an adaptation of the Barry England play Conduct Unbecoming, first staged in 1969. It was directed by Michael Anderson and starred an ensemble cast of actors including Michael York, Richard Attenborough and Trevor Howard.
Plot
Two young British officers arrive to join a prestigious regiment serving in India. One, Lieutenant Drake (York), from a middle-class background, is extremely eager to make the right impression while the other, Lieutenant Millington (James Faulkner), the son of a General, is not taken with the idea of the army, and keen to get out as soon as he possibly can. Almost as soon as they arrive, Millington gets off on the wrong foot with his comrades, causing them to dislike him.
A number of ladies associate with the regiment, many of them widows of officers who have died on active service. One of the most feted of these is Mrs Marjorie Scarlett, whose husband Captain Scarlett was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross in fighting on the North-West Frontier. During an evening in the mess, involving the younger officers taking part in a ceremonial tradition that involves the pursuit and sticking of a pig, Mrs Scarlett runs in claiming to have been attacked, and identifies Lieutenant Millington as her attacker.
Millington has clearly seen this as a quick way back to England, and is apparently not bothered by the disgrace. He does not co-operate with the officer selected to defend him, Lieutenant Drake, and is adamant in his refusal to deny his guilt. The trial, convened by the officers of the regiment in secret, to protect reputations, is expected to be a formality.
However, as the court begins to examine the apparently open-and-shut circumstances of the case, a number of elements of doubt creep into the case, including the nature of the attack and the veracity of some of the evidence being given. This leads to Drake beginning to dig a little further, and having found a similar attack had taken place six months before, long before Millington had joined the regiment, he begins to suspect the culprit was in fact one of the other officers.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael York | Lieutenant Drake |
| Richard Attenborough | Major Roach |
| Trevor Howard | Colonel Strang |
| Stacy Keach | Captain Harper |
| Christopher Plummer | Major Wimbourne |
| Susannah York | Mrs Scarlett |
| James Faulkner | Lieutenant Millington |
| Michael Culver | Lieutenant Fothergill |