MovieChat Forums > The Winslow Boy (1950) Discussion > As I remember, in this film version they...

As I remember, in this film version they show the trial-


-while in the play and the other film version, it takes place offstage and we never actually get to see it. To anyone who's seen the 1948 film recently, am I remembering correctly?

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yes...there were a couple of trial scenes

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Yes - the trial is covered in some detail in the film, with Robert Donat shining in his Barrister's role. The verdict though is only shown by the arrival of the maid at the house, she being the only person in the household who was actually in court at the time. The conclusion of the case came unexpectedly early. Old man Winslow was at home with his daughter, Mrs Winslow was on the way to the court with the older brother and the Winslow Boy was at the pictures !!

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I've just watched the Optimum Releasing DVD of this, which has been transferred from a beautifully restored print and runs 114 minutes. The BBFC website has it listed as running 115 minutes when it was submitted to them in 1948 and they made no cuts in it before passing it. Now here's the strange thing. The cross examination of the postmistress by Robert Donat in the last few minutes takes place off screen, although some people are of the opinion that it was in the film originally. However, this would seem doubtful, unless the film originally ran a few minutes longer. At any rate, the scene isn't on the present DVD. But it was obviously filmed, because there is a still on the back of the DVD case of the end of the trial where everybody is looking happy and Donat is shaking hands with the boy. It seems, therefore that for some reason, the final trial scenes never made it to the final release version and the boy's dialogue was changed to the effect that he wasn't in court when he won the case, but was at the pictures. I wonder why that was done. It seems a very odd thing for them to do.

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He was at the pictures, not at the trial, in the original play.

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