Based on the real-life 1908 case of George Archer-Shee, The Winslow Boy is a thoroughly British drama about one family’s fight against bureaucracy. It’s also a tale about a quest for truth— and the sacrifices that can sometimes come with it.
Edwardian naval cadet Ronnie Winslow (Neil North) is accused of the theft of a 5-shilling postal order and expelled from his naval academy without any chance to defend himself. On returning home, his father Arthur (Cedric Hardwicke) becomes determined to prove his innocence and engages the services of the famous barrister, Sir Robert Morton (Robert Donat), to help him clear his son’s name. During his quest for justice, the case eventually reaches The House Of Commons, causing public outcry and a political furore.
While the world The Winslow Boy portrays is painfully narrow, claustrophobic, and dated, there’s no doubt that Anthony Asquith’s (The Browning Version, Pygmalion) take on the seminal play by Terence Rattigan, still resonates. StudioCanal’s latest edition will maybe not be as high-profile as some of their other re-releases, but The Winslow Boy well deserves the epithet ‘Classic’. Fully-restored, with a wealth of extras, this new edition arrives on DVD and digital, and on blu-ray for the first time.