George Bernard Shaw's three-act play, "Major Barbara," premiered on the stage in 1905 London. It wasn't made into a movie until this film came out in 1941. Shaw was involved with the film and wrote some additional material for it. The story has three main elements. One is the Salvation Army and caring for the poor on the streets of London. Another is related – advocates follow God and serve him in their service to those poor. And the third is industry that provides jobs so that people don't wind up poor and on the streets. In this case, it's specifically the munitions industry.
This is a wonderful movie with witty dialog. It is well written, directed, filmed and acted by the entire cast. And what a cast! Rex Harrison is Adolphus Cusins, Robert Morley is Andrew Undershaft, Robert Newton is Bill Walker, Sybil Thorndike is The General, Marie Lohr is Lady Britomart, Deborah Kerr is Jenny Hill and Wendy Hiller is Major Barbara. Hiller gives a performance worthy of an Oscar. But, she didn't even get a nomination; nor did the film receive any awards recognition.
The film came out in the summer of 1941. England was at war. It had survived and won the Battle of Britain in the skies over England the year before. It had been pushed off the continent at Dunkirk on June 4, 1940. And, it was engaged in a massive land war against Germany in North Africa. Many women and children had died in the London bombings, and in the German conquest of Europe. Thousands of soldiers and sailors already had lost their lives. America was not yet in the war, but the Western world was feeling the ravages of war.
Now comes a movie – a comedy, no less – based on a Bernard Shaw play with a strange message. It says that munitions manufacturing is better for society than the charitable works of the Salvation Army and similar groups. The reasoning is that the factory work feeds, clothes and shelters people so they don't wind up on the street. But the charitable work just provides soup and a cot for a night's sleep, and the people remain downtrodden the next day.
I don't deny that Shaw had good intentions in pointing out the value of business providing jobs versus charities feeding people out of work. But, it's also plain that Shaw is poking fun at the Christian charitable groups. His satire is as plain as day. One must remember that Shaw was a professed atheist. Most atheists, like agnostics, Christians or followers of any other belief, are content just to hold their views and let the other fellow have his. But, professed atheists are different. It is their "duty" or need to put down any beliefs contrary to their own. Similarly, zealous Christians know their calling is to spread the good news.
The Salvation Army was born in London in 1865. William Booth founded it as the East London Christian Mission. Then, in 1878, he reorganized the mission as the Salvation Army. He gave it a military structure and became the first General. When Shaw wrote his play in the early 20th century, the Salvation Army had spread around the world. So, Shaw pokes fun at the Salvation Army (and other Christian charitable groups). Those who deny any satire fail to see or understand Shaw's glaring exaggeration.
When Andrew leads Barbara, Adolphus and others on the tour of his huge munitions complex, he takes them to a workers' housing community. Isn't it marvelous? Nice new homes and whole neighborhoods laid out with parks and playgrounds for the children. I'd like to know where such model communities exist in any industrial country. Surely they're not in England or America. Nor were there any Communist countries in the world that provided such model accommodations for their workers. So, just where was this great beneficence of the munitions industry in Great Britain? There have been company housing plots in coal mining areas and others, but they are more indentured than ideal communities.
Yet, the ending message of this play is that the Undershaft munitions industry was more beneficial to the public and individual people than the Salvation Army. But that message flew in the face of the reality of the times. The exaggerated satire was lost on the public at a time when churches and charitable groups were rising to help care for the homeless, orphaned, hungry and lost millions that were being created by war. And that war, incidentally, was made possible by the endless supply of munitions from the Undershafts of the world. As it turned out, Shaw's social satire was doomed by the reality of events of the time. Shortly after he wrote his play, the world plunged into World War I. Right when the play was made into this superb movie, the world was beginning to feel the ravages of World War II. So, Shaw won his point in his play, but he lost it on the stage of real life.
All that aside, today we should look at this film and see the comedy, the satire and the contradictions. And enjoy some stupendous performances. We should enjoy seeing Rex Harrison beating the bass drum for the Army band. Or see the demure Deborah Kerr in her movie debut. Wendy Hiller's role was refreshingly convincing and uplifting. Even when she had a change of conscience toward the end. Which, by the way, was not so convincing to audiences — again, because of the war taking place. Hiller gave a superb performance. She finally did receive an Oscar – in 1959. She won best supporting actress for her role in "Separate Tables" of 1958.
This is a wonderful movie with witty dialog. It is well written, directed, filmed and acted by the entire cast. And what a cast! Rex Harrison is Adolphus Cusins, Robert Morley is Andrew Undershaft, Robert Newton is Bill Walker, Sybil Thorndike is The General, Marie Lohr is Lady Britomart, Deborah Kerr is Jenny Hill and Wendy Hiller is Major Barbara. Hiller gives a performance worthy of an Oscar. But, she didn't even get a nomination; nor did the film receive any awards recognition.
The film came out in the summer of 1941. England was at war. It had survived and won the Battle of Britain in the skies over England the year before. It had been pushed off the continent at Dunkirk on June 4, 1940. And, it was engaged in a massive land war against Germany in North Africa. Many women and children had died in the London bombings, and in the German conquest of Europe. Thousands of soldiers and sailors already had lost their lives. America was not yet in the war, but the Western world was feeling the ravages of war.
Now comes a movie – a comedy, no less – based on a Bernard Shaw play with a strange message. It says that munitions manufacturing is better for society than the charitable works of the Salvation Army and similar groups. The reasoning is that the factory work feeds, clothes and shelters people so they don't wind up on the street. But the charitable work just provides soup and a cot for a night's sleep, and the people remain downtrodden the next day.
I don't deny that Shaw had good intentions in pointing out the value of business providing jobs versus charities feeding people out of work. But, it's also plain that Shaw is poking fun at the Christian charitable groups. His satire is as plain as day. One must remember that Shaw was a professed atheist. Most atheists, like agnostics, Christians or followers of any other belief, are content just to hold their views and let the other fellow have his. But, professed atheists are different. It is their "duty" or need to put down any beliefs contrary to their own. Similarly, zealous Christians know their calling is to spread the good news.
The Salvation Army was born in London in 1865. William Booth founded it as the East London Christian Mission. Then, in 1878, he reorganized the mission as the Salvation Army. He gave it a military structure and became the first General. When Shaw wrote his play in the early 20th century, the Salvation Army had spread around the world. So, Shaw pokes fun at the Salvation Army (and other Christian charitable groups). Those who deny any satire fail to see or understand Shaw's glaring exaggeration.
When Andrew leads Barbara, Adolphus and others on the tour of his huge munitions complex, he takes them to a workers' housing community. Isn't it marvelous? Nice new homes and whole neighborhoods laid out with parks and playgrounds for the children. I'd like to know where such model communities exist in any industrial country. Surely they're not in England or America. Nor were there any Communist countries in the world that provided such model accommodations for their workers. So, just where was this great beneficence of the munitions industry in Great Britain? There have been company housing plots in coal mining areas and others, but they are more indentured than ideal communities.
Yet, the ending message of this play is that the Undershaft munitions industry was more beneficial to the public and individual people than the Salvation Army. But that message flew in the face of the reality of the times. The exaggerated satire was lost on the public at a time when churches and charitable groups were rising to help care for the homeless, orphaned, hungry and lost millions that were being created by war. And that war, incidentally, was made possible by the endless supply of munitions from the Undershafts of the world. As it turned out, Shaw's social satire was doomed by the reality of events of the time. Shortly after he wrote his play, the world plunged into World War I. Right when the play was made into this superb movie, the world was beginning to feel the ravages of World War II. So, Shaw won his point in his play, but he lost it on the stage of real life.
All that aside, today we should look at this film and see the comedy, the satire and the contradictions. And enjoy some stupendous performances. We should enjoy seeing Rex Harrison beating the bass drum for the Army band. Or see the demure Deborah Kerr in her movie debut. Wendy Hiller's role was refreshingly convincing and uplifting. Even when she had a change of conscience toward the end. Which, by the way, was not so convincing to audiences — again, because of the war taking place. Hiller gave a superb performance. She finally did receive an Oscar – in 1959. She won best supporting actress for her role in "Separate Tables" of 1958.