Cause Célèbre (1987)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Kenneth Taylor, based on the play by Terence Rattigan
Directed by John Gorrie
Starring Helen Mirren, David Morrissey, Harry Andrews, Norma West, and David Suchet

Released by: Wellspring/Lance
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Rent it if you’re into the Jazz Age

Cause Célèbre is based upon the real-life criminal trial of the 1935 murder of Francis Rattenbury (Andrews). On trial for the murder are Francis’ young wife, Alma (Mirren), and Alma’s eighteen-year-old lover, Bowman (Morrissey).

The film is told mostly in flashback, as Alma’s trial commences. Going back a year to the hiring of Bowman by Alma as a kind of assistant to her maid, their relationship progresses from employee/employer to lovers rather quickly. Alma’s husband is gruff with her and obviously sees her more with affection and pity than with passion or real love. They live separate lives, and Bowman seems just the person to step in and give Alma the love and attention that she desires. Thrown into the mix is Alma’s suspiciously loyal friend and maid, Irene (West), who may not approve of her friend’s relationship with a young man, but is willing to help her cover it up. David Suchet as Alma’s trial lawyer has too little to do here for his skill, but does an excellent job of doing the right thing by his client, despite her ideas of what she should do.

One of the most important characters in the film was also one of the most important witnesses of the trial--public opinion, not a person at all. The spectre of Alma as “scandalous woman” is always on the horizon, prejudicing the jury in 1935 as much as it likely does viewers of this film today. Mirren, on the other hand, does an excellent job of making Alma not only likable, but almost pathetic in places. Her love for the young Bowman appears genuine, if a bit physical in nature, and the hollowness of her marriage to “Ratts” can’t be ignored.

The audio and video quality are consistent with a well-made TV movie. The colors are at times a bit faded and muted, but the edges are crisp, and all dialogue is balanced and unmistakable. I did find that the overall volume was rather low, but even at higher levels, the dialogue and sound effects were nice and clear.

It is too bad that there were no features on this release such as transcripts from the real trial, facsimiles of original newspaper articles, or commentary from any surviving jurors or characters. It would also have been nice to have been given more of a follow-up about what happens to the involved characters, such as Irene--something more than the brief text overlay of the final scene.

In short, this is a film that asks viewers if they are willing to throw the first stone. Being an adulteress, after all, does not make one also a murderer, and modern sensibilities about older women and younger men are a bit different than they were in Alma’s day. On the other hand, several crimes were committed here, and Bowman was only just of legal age. Are we still to be so horrified by a woman loving a man half her age? One of the most interesting lines in the film comes from the attorney O’Connor, played by Suchet: “Men will hate you because you represent what they dread. Women will hate you from jealousy.” Is this truly the case? Which sins and crimes should we judge, and which should we understand and forgive? Who really is to blame here? The filmmakers seem to suggest that no one is to blame for these tragic circumstances, and it is up to the individual viewer to agree or disagree.