Keeper of the Flame was released in 1942, in the middle of W.W. II, the world's struggle against the forces of fascism. It is a thought- provoking (if sometimes heavy-handed) warning about the possibility of a form of fascism arising in America. The film stars Spencer Tracey and Katharine Hepburn in one of their many pairings. Tracey is excellent as Stephen O'Malley, the journalist who has been covering the war in Europe, and has come home to write about the funeral of national hero Robert Forrest. Katharine Hepburn is fine as the enigmatic widow Catherine Forrest, though her performance is rather subdued, which takes some getting used to, since the characters she portrays are generally rather fiery. Oddly, since they had great chemistry- on and off the screen- which can be seen in some of their other movies like Adam's Rib, in my opinion what worked the least in this film is the romance between the two. It feels tacked on and unnecessary to the story line. As it turns out, this is because it was tacked on; according to IMDB, Hepburn felt that the script was too dull, and wanted a romance added to give it some zing. When the producer wouldn't agree, she went above his head to Louis B. Mayer, who was already having doubts about the economic viability of a purely political film. He readily agreed to having a romance added, so one was hastily written in, and in my opinion, it doesn't work really well. The character of Stephen O'Malley is something which we might have trouble recognizing... an honest journalist. The film takes place before the U.S.A. entered the war, but O'Malley has been overseas reporting on it, and has come home with a horror for fascism and a renewed love of democracy and freedom. He wants to write a biography of Robert Forrest because he admired the man- his bravery, his patriotism, his sense of civic duty. He sees Forrest as someone who exemplified the very best values of America. When O'Malley starts investigating the accident which claimed Forrest's life, he suspects foul play, but doesn't dream what actually lies behind his death. When he eventually becomes aware of what kind of a man Forrest really was, and what he was planning to do, O'Malley tells the truth about him, despite his former admiration. This is the exact opposite of Catherine Forrest's response to learning of her husband's villainy. When Catherine admits to Stephen what she did, she says that she had to destroy the man to preserve the image. And then she destroys a lot of the evidence of what he had planned, intending- before O'Malley's investigation- to keep the public from finding out about his corruption. This is what is meant by "Keeper of the Flame"; her intention is to safeguard Robert's legacy and let the public continue to look up to the memory of her husband as a hero and loyal American. She thinks that is better than to destroy their illusions by revealing the truth about Robert Forrest. Stephen O'Malley, on the other hand, thinks that it is better for people to know the truth about their hero. Living in ignorance of the facts and blindly hero-worshiping the man might make people happier, but it wouldn't make them wiser, or more wary and on guard against his type of poisonous charisma. Unpleasant as the truth may be, it's better to face reality and deal with the fallout rather than let corruption go undisclosed and unopposed. At the start of the film, crowds of people come from all over to stand in the rain and pay tribute to Robert Forrest. This scene underscores how much he was loved by citizens of all backgrounds and ages. It also calls to mind photos of people in Germany worshipfully lining streets to see Hitler pass by. "Forward America", the youth movement Forrest founded also draws comparisons to the Hitler youth. So how did a man who had been a war hero and loyal American warp into a corrupt person intent on establishing a totalitarian form of government on his nation? Well, to begin with, he was a war hero, so his loyalty was assumed and unquestioned. Also, as admiration for this charismatic strong man grew into hero-worship, less and less questioning would be done of his methods or motives. Then, as Catherine relates, this constant adulation gradually changed Robert; he began to believe himself to be great- much greater than the little people gazing at him in admiration. Then, too, much of the world was at that time at war, and it was not at all certain that the democratic nations were going to be victorious. Indeed, for quite some time it appeared as though the fascist forces of the axis powers would come out on top. It seems that Robert Forrest looked at the situation and made a cynical calculation that this was the way the world was going, and that America would need to get on board. And, convinced of his own superior abilities and power, he believed that he was the best person to lead such a political and societal transition. In my next post, I'll discuss how Robert Forrest intended to impose his will on the U.S.A., and how all of this relates to what's going on in the world today. Related Posts: O'Malley rides past the ruined bridge which was the scene of Forrest's death. Pausing, he finds a cast horseshoe on the river bank, and it turns out that it comes from the injured foot of Christine's horse. Stephen realizes that, contrary to what she had told him, Christine had actually been at the bridge on the day of the accident. That evening, Kerndon is again demanding the keys to the arsenal from a recalcitrant Christine. O'Malley barges in and accuses her of conspiring with her cousin, Geoffrey Milford, to cause her husband's death. Since he has no real evidence to prove it, Stephen leaves the house and Christine immediately runs out to the arsenal to destroy all the papers there. On his way off the estate, Stephen runs into Geoffrey Milford at the gatehouse. He has Janet Rickards with him, and announces that they are engaged. Finally breaking his silence, Jason Rickards tells Stephen that Geoffrey and Janet have been in love for a long time but she took a job with Robert Forrest because she hero-worshiped him and believed in the things he was doing. Then, after working for him and discovering what was actually going on, she had a nervous breakdown. She was in an institution until a few days ago, when Geoffrey and Christine traveled there and arranged for her discharge. Realizing that he has falsely suspected Geoffrey and Christine, Stephen heads back to find Christine who is at the arsenal. Finding Christine there, Stephen confesses his love to her and declares that he will help her, no matter what happened. Christine finally decides to tell him the truth about her husband: the adulation of the masses gradually turned Robert Forrest into an egomaniac convinced of his own greatness. Hiding his arrogance and lust for power behind good deeds and patriotism, Forrest was actually conspiring to destroy democracy in America. Christine shows Stephen documents which outline his plans to weaken America in various ways, including turning the races, religions, and other groups against each other, allowing a fascistic type of government to arise, with himself at the head. Christine confesses that, knowing her husband was traveling to meet with his co-conspirators, she didn't tell him about the bridge being out, essentially sending him to his death. Stephen tells her that he wants to write the real story of Robert Forrest, and Christine eventually agrees. Just then, Stephen notices that there is smoke coming under the door of the arsenal. It turns out that, on orders from the rest of the conspirators, Kerndon has barred the door and set fire to the building. They try to call out, but the telephone wires have also been cut. As Stephen and Christine attempt to escape Kerndon shoots Christine, who dies in Stephen's arms, begging him to tell the world the truth about what happened. Assuming that O'Malley will be burned up, Kerndon heads away from the arsenal but to his alarm, sees a car approaching. It contains Freddie and Jane, two journalist friends of Stephen who were also staying at the hotel and have come looking for him. Intent on stopping them from rescuing O'Malley, Kerndon runs into the road and starts shooting at them. They deal with this by running him over, then rush to the arsenal, break down the door and rescue Stephen. Afterwards, Stephen keeps his promise to Christine and writes the truth about Robert Forrest, in his book entitled, "Christine Forrest: Her Life". Related Posts:Photo of the super moon over Halifax harbour, taken by local photographer Mike Bayer (mine didn't turn out very well). Also, the moon over Masstown Market (not sure who took this one): "Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars." -JRR Tolkien, LOTR I recently watched Keeper Of The Flame, a 1942 drama which takes place in the seamy world of American politics. So... quite appropriate for right now, I'd say. The film starts out with a death; Robert Forrest, prominent politician and W.W.I hero has, during a storm, driven his car over a bridge which was washed out. Seemingly all of America is devastated by the news of his death, and reporters from all over descend upon the town he lived in to cover the funeral. Among them is famed journalist Stephen O'Malley, just back from covering events in Berlin. Horrified and dispirited by what he witnessed there, O'Malley, who had admired Forrest's honesty and civic service, wishes to write the great man's biography as an inspiration to others in the dark days ahead. He hopes to convince Forrest's widow to allow him access to Forrest's papers and to interview family and friends. The widow- Christine Forrest- has been in seclusion since her husband's death, refusing to talk to the press. Like all the other reporters, O'Malley is turned away at the gates of the Forrest estate by the gatekeeper, Jason Rickards. Rickards was Forrest's sergeant during the former war, and then got a job working on his estate. While wandering around the outer wall, Stephen O'Malley meets a young boy who is grief stricken over the death of Robert Forrest. He is Jeb Rickards, Jason's son who worshiped Forrest. O'Malley listens sympathetically to the lad, who shows him a way to bypass the locked gate and enter the grounds. He gets into the house where he meets Christine, who is polite but distant, and when O'Malley broaches the subject of the biography, is totally opposed to the idea. After he leaves, however, Clive Kerndon, her late husband's private secretary, is worried about what the journalist, left to his own devices, will write. He suggests to Christine that it would be better to cooperate with O'Malley on the biography so that they can have some control over the project. Meanwhile, on the way back to his hotel, O'Malley's taxi driver- Orion Peabody- gossips to him about how Robert Forrest and Christine's cousin Geoffrey Midford hated each other. To Stephen's surprise, Christine shows up at the hotel and tells him that she's changed her mind and now wants him to write her husband's biography. They arrange for him to come back to the estate the next day. As O'Malley looks out the window to watch her leave, he realizes that it's Midford who is driving her car. The next day, the gossipy Orion again drives him, using the trip to tell O'Malley that Christine paid the overdue mortgage on Geoffrey Midford's farm. While chatting, Orion bumps the taxi into Dr. Fielding's car at the gate of the estate. The doctor is there to have a look at Jeb, who is running a high fever. Stephen enters the gatehouse to visit the boy, and Jeb tells him that his sister Janet used to work as Robert Forrest's secretary, but suddenly left her job and left home. At this point, Jason enters the room and says that Jeb is too ill to talk. While at the gatehouse, O'Malley uses the telephone to call up to the house to let them know that he is there. He asks to speak to Mrs. Forrest, but to his confusion, Stephen is connected to an old lady who turns out to be Robert Forrest's elderly mother. She lives in a separate house on the estate grounds. Jason comes in and, upset, forbids Stephen the use of the 'phone. O'Malley starts work on the biography, but begins to suspect that there are things that are being hid from him, that Christine and others close to the late hero don't want out in the open. Robert Forrest had founded a youth movement called "Forward America" and some representatives from around the country arrive at O'Malley's hotel, hoping to meet with Christine to express their condolences. They are disappointed when they, too, are turned away from the gates of the estate. Thinking that this is a shame, Stephen intends to ask Christine to change her mind when he goes to the estate the next day, only to be told when he gets there that she has gone on a sudden journey with Geoffrey Midford. In her absence, Stephen asks Kerndon about possibly meeting Robert Forrest's mother, but the secretary says that it's not possible. Later on, trying to piece events together, O'Malley questions Dr. Fielding about Janet Rickards. The doctor tells him that Jeb's sister suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be sent to a sanitarium. Christine returns from her mysterious trip and stops in at the gatehouse to check on the still-ailing Jeb. Stephen finds her there and they travel up to the main house together. On the way there, he asks Christine about a large stone windowless building on the grounds. She tells him that it's the arsenal, a place where her husband used to go to collect his thoughts. As Stephen works in Forrest's office, he overhears Kerndon asking Christine to give him the keys to the arsenal, which she refuses to do. Later, Christine goes out to the arsenal, gathers up a bunch of her husband's papers and sets them on fire. Meanwhile, when Stephen asks Kerndon about the arsenal, the secretary lies to him and says that the building is used merely for storage. After they talk, O'Malley exits the house to walk about the grounds. An alarmed Kerndon calls somebody in New York and assures whoever it is that he will take care of the arsenal. While walking, Stephen meets Christine as she's leaving the arsenal. They walk together to the stables, where Christine checks on her favourite horse who has an injured leg. She tells Stephen that her horse's injury prevented her from riding to the bridge and seeing that it was out. Despite his growing feelings for Christine, Stephen doesn't think that she's being honest with him. He tells her that he's wondering if the bridge could have been sabotaged, and asks her to trust him and tell him what she knows. She won't confide in him, and they end up riding to the elder Mrs. Forrest's house where, being mentally unbalanced, she lives under the care of a nurse. They visit with her, but the old woman rages about her son being murdered, and accuses Christine of deliberately not telling Robert that the bridge was damaged. Frustrated and angry because no one will give him straight answers, Stephen tells Christine that he's suspending work on the biography and rides off alone. (To Be Continued...) I spent Remembrance Day in the valley with my sister's family, attending the cenotaph service in Wolfville in the morning, then spending the afternoon enjoying the crisp fall day. Anyone who has been completely wrapped up in politics for days on end needs to unplug from social media and realize that there are more important things in life. "Niece In Leaves""No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face." -John Donne Related Posts: |
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