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Film Reiliews FILm REIlIEWS Why Rock The Boat? Managing editor of the Witness is a pro-union speech he's not absolutely hard-nosed, hard-hearted taskmaster certain he believes. In part a last ditch An exciting film in a quiet and unpre­ wi th the charmingly appropriate name effort to win the love of Julia Martin, tentious way, Why Rock the Boat? of Philip L. Butcher (Henry Beckman). pro-union journalist from a rival paper, intrigues you, charms you and makes Under his strong, misguided leadership Harry's actions are also a final testi­ you laugh without ever feeling it is the paper is undyingly dedicated to mony to his true inability to conform to cheap laughter easily earned. stepping on the toes of absolutely no Butcher's unreasonable philosophies. Comedy is a delicate art - the less one, especially those toes belonging to Without the considerable skills of direct­ apparent the effort, the more effective advertisers and politicians. Try as he or Howe, writer Weintraub and the re­ and funny it will appear and the more may, Harry is unable to hide an innate markably believable and agile perform­ spontaneous and pleasurable the result­ tendency to chafe against the often ance of actor Gillard, the scene could ing laughter. So easy to misfire, film absurd restrictions placed on Witness have killed the film because of its intro­ comedy is a delight when skillfully employees. Not long after being hired duction of a form of slapstick into a scripted, directed and performed - all (to replace a young man fired for the film otherwise low-key in its approach. with a degree of good-natured restraint. cardinal sin of mis-spelling the name of But it works, precisely because its wild And Why Rock the Boat? is indeed a an important advertiser) Harry finds his abandon is in perfect harmony with delight! own status clearly defined by an irate Harry's physical and emotional state. This feature belies the popular view P.L. Butcher who announces he will give Although William Weintraub has that a film lacks true excitement unless him a chance but only because Harry acknowledged toning down the biting it jolts you out of your seat, induces has the least important and lowest pay­ satire of the original novel, the film's you to laugh or sob uncontrollably, or ing position on the paper - " I can't say inven tive satiric forays still hit their drives you out of the theatre with a goodbye to anyone as refreshingly inex­ marks square on and may be all the sudden attack of nausea. Here, you re­ pensive as you. " more successful and scathing because of main seated - calm, dry-eyed and But in spite of his conformist inten­ a delicious veneer of good-natured mis­ smiling. In complete control of your tions, poor Harry is constantly tripped chievous fun. faculties, you are able to appreciate the up by his own sublimated inclination to Particularly memorable, quite aside pleasure of smiling and laughing with a rebel. He is genuinely horrified when his from the swipes at newspaper life, are film instead of at it. This is indeed whimsical but scathing practice stories two ispired send-ups. One deals with exciting: to laugh instinctively without inexplicably begin appearing on the benevolent brotherhood associations: in feeling manipulated or conned; to res­ front page of the Daily Witness. Stolen this case it is the Bellringers Club, whose pond with genuine delight instead of from Harry's desk, the unsigned stories meetings consist of dull speeches greet­ derision. cause a furor and provoke an unsettling ed with catatonic "enthusiasm" by Directed by John Howe, Why Rock search for the " phantom" writer. Un­ members who stand up and ring their the Boat? is a National Film Board edited, screamingly funny, but far from little hand bells on cue. The second tar­ production, written and produced by flattering to their common subject - get is the erotic love scene, and involves William Weintraub who based his screen­ P.L. Butcher - the stories are definitely a delightful show-stealing cameo perfor­ play on his 1961 satiric novel. Both not in keeping with the paper's obses­ mance by Patricia Gage as Elizabeth book and film trace the early days in sive conservatism. Harry watches help­ Scannell, a predatory married woman the career of a young aspiring reporter lessly as his "little" indiscretion mush­ (the city editor's wife, no less) who named Harry Barnes. rooms wildly and threatens to undo all shares a quiet fireside moment popping It is the winter of 1947 and the his well-meaning attempts to become as popcorn with young Harry Barnes. Pop­ engagingly naiVe but ever-eager Harry acceptably innocuous as possible. ping popcorn will never again seem an (Stuart Gillard) is fresh from his studies This is only a portion of Harry's entirely innocent pastime after this clas­ at McGill University. Armed with a painful yet comic struggle to discover sic scene which makes fun of excessively scrapbook of his writings for the univer­ and balance what he really is with what steamy love scenes while revelling glor­ sity paper and with even less experience he thinks he should be in order to iously in its . own peculiar brand of in the ways of the world, our hero succeed in life. For the remainder of the eroticism. bravely sets out to make his mark on film's 112 minutes we are treated to a John Howe's direction reveals excep­ life. Or, more precisely, he sets out to succession of witty and quietly hilarious tional feeling for understated comedy as make his mark in the exciting and glam­ misadventures made all the more amus­ well as a sensitive ability to recreate ourous world of "JOURNALISM". ing because of their low-key presen­ effectively the realities of a past era too Cold reality dictates the first rung in tation and a certain unerring ring of often obscured by the excessive nostal­ Harry's climb up the ladder to success: truth. When Harry's increasing frus­ gia of less capable directors. In Why he is hired as an $18-a-week cub report­ trations in both work and love ultimate­ Rock the Boat? with the talented con­ er for Canada's dullest newspaper, the ly converge and explode, understate­ tributions of cinematographer Savas fictitious Montreal Daily Witness. Infor­ ment is set aside in favour of a marvel­ Kalogeras, production designer Earl med by veteran Witness reporters not to lously raucous climatic scene. A fine Preston and costume designer Philippa "rock the boat" with any fancy ideals blend of satire and slapstick, this scene Wingfield - not only does the look and or else face immediate unemployment, has a drunken and love-sick Harry feel of the 1940's come alive through Harry is no fool and opts for survival as Barnes casting aside all caution as he careful attention to physical and visual he sets out to keep the boat as steady as staggers over the desk-tops in the Wit­ detail, but there is a real sense of what it possible. ness newsroom delivering a stirring must have been like to be a young 74 Cinema Canada person starting a career in 1947. The film could be stronger dramatic­ ally if the leisurely pace were tightened somewhat. No scenes need be excised, just trimmed slightly to make the over­ all production as compact and biting as its individual scenes, and yet retain enough of the leisurely pacing to pre­ serve one of the most effective aspects of the film: the fact that we are per­ mitted an experience of Montreal in the 40's which allows us to appreciate the era more completely, and to understand more fully the depicted experience of young Harry Barnes, cub reporter. The supporting cast is uniformly im­ pressive from the memorable appear­ Stuart Gillard and Ken James ance of Patricia Gage and Henry Scene from "Why Rock The Boat?" Beckman's suitably menacing P.L. Butcher, through Ken James's charm­ ingly raffish Ronny Waldron (Witness photographer and Harry's confidant), to the solid performances of all members of the Witness staff including Sean Sullivan as city editor Herb Scannell, Budd Knapp as Fred O'Neill and Patricia Hamilton as Hilda. Only Tiiu Leek's performance as love-interest Julia Martin is a disturb­ ingly weak link in an otherwise strong chain. This is due primarily to an uncer­ tainty, perhaps partly attributable to director Howe, of whether to portray Julia as a one-dimensional send-up or a more substantial and complex character. Leek's Julia is affable and somewhat amusing in her superficiality; and, in of a certain detached sympathy. Why Rock the Boat? keeping with the style of the film, she is What a pleasure it is to watch Gillard, supposed to be rather unreal and larger as Harry subtly yet perceptibly evolves A person must be pretty big at the than life. But then so is Harry Barnes, during his newspaper apprenticeship and Board to get to be the producer of his and actor Gillard has managed to bal­ his excursion into the world of own screenplay of his own novel. Or ance caricature with human complexity. romance! It is a bravura performance of perhaps A Matter of Fat so impressed Thus, one can only assume that Leek's a different breed - instead of a series of the NFB heavies that they decided to emerging talents are not as yet clever and dazzling character revela­ give William Weintraub the big chance, ready for such a challenge.
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