Director Charles Crichton holds a special place in British cinema. Throughout the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s he edited, produced, and directed a slate of films that not only earned him critical and commercial success but solidified the legacy and identity of British cinema. His link to the famed Ealing series reached its zenith with The Lavender Hill Mob starring Alec Guinness. His final film, which he also co-wrote, probably has a bigger following in the US than his others combined, A Fish Called Wanda. Thanks to Kino Lorber, you can now revisit one of his classics that pairs his impressive work behind the camera with the magnificent Peter Sellers (The Pink Panther, Dr. Strangelove).
Sellers plays Mr. Martin, an accountant at a tweed weaving company in Scotland. It’s a family owned business that, after the death of the patriarch, falls into the hands of young Robert MacPherson (Robert Morley). The new head of the family is besotted by Angela Barrows (Constance Cummings), an American who seeks to apply her knowledge of business efficiency to this traditional company. Her ideas to revolutionize and streamline production sets her at odds with the employees at the factory, none more so than the very traditional Mr. Martin, who soon decides to take matters into his own hands and eliminate Mrs. Barrows.
The title hints at a battle of wits, a interplay between men and women. While this does form the backbone to the film, the themes explored are more concerned with tradition vs. modernization. A business steeped in history, workers as proud of their ways as their finished product, is an increasingly rare thing in this day and age. The era Battle of the Sexes is set in is on the cusp of this transition. The late 1950s marked a time still reeling from the fallout from World War II, as is evident in the film. It was a time when large degree of industrialization and advancement took place. A less dry way to put it is “change is hard.” Barrows is a whirlwind unsettling the natural order of things, and Mr. Martin is determined to stop her.
It’s a civilized affair, a comedy of manners that meanders into the farcical with a creeping vein of inept darkness as Mr. Martin contemplates a lethal solution to the Barrow problem. Plenty is extracted from the premise of stiff British tradition going head to head with the capitalist-charged efficiency of the Americans, but the cast and writing make it very much a character piece, something Crichton puts first in terms of direction while deftly weaving in more comedic and tense moments.
Mr. Martin is played by Sellers as a repressed type that gradually becomes more unhinged. It’s a measured work from the actor and all the more impressive for it. Cummings provides the perfect foil while the film also serves as a fine example of Robert Morely’s often overlooked supporting actor work. Horror fans even get a glimpse of a young Donald Pleasence in the film. Clearly there are aspects of the movie that have dated ideas about men and women, notably in the workplace, that time has corrected. It makes Battle of the Sexes feel rather antiquated, sure, but it adds to the genteel charm of the piece. The ideas and writing is nothing too boundary pushing, again as you’d expect, but a great ensemble greatly elevate the film.
Perusing the internet for images of Battle of the Sexes, it’s immediately apparent that this release is an immediate step up in quality. There are moments of haziness. some scenes looking a little soft, but overall the image quality is good, a natural grain is preserved and no significant defects or damage from the source film stock is apparent. Special features are limited to a number of trailers.
While the lack of any extra is disappointing, if understandable, this presentation of Battle of the Sexes is a delight to behold. This is a film that showcases some of the best work from both director Crichton and star Sellers. Witty, farcical and utterly charming.
Battle of the Sexes is available from Kino Lorber on November 1st.
Originally published at cinapse.co on November 2, 2016.