MovieChat Forums > The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) Discussion > The Sgt. Watson vs. Capt. Harris debate

The Sgt. Watson vs. Capt. Harris debate

posted 4 years ago by Wuchak (8100)
16 replies | jump to latest

The stiff-upper-lipped British officer, Capt. Harris, and his sergeant, Watson, provide tension and a complex character study:

The respectable-but-moronic officer always seems to make the quasi-heroic decision that, while admirable on the surface, is usually the dumbest choice. Sgt. Watson realizes this and is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Lost in the vast Sahara, does the British Army's chain of command mean anything in such a survival situation? Should Watson follow this boneheaded officer to a premature grave in the name of respect and loyalty or should he follow the wiser choices for the sake of survival? Towns (Stewart) despises the sergeant for choosing the latter, but is Watson really wrong? It provides a good debate.

Watson has a realistic disagreeable side, obviously, but I agree with his ballsy decision to rebel against Harris' wannabe-heroic folly, not to mention his naive pompousness. Sincere or not, respectable or not, Harris was arrogant and needed taken down a peg or three as in "Your vaunted authority in the British Army doesn't mean squat here, Jack, wake up to reality!"

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Totally disagree

[–] Wuchak (8100) 4 years ago

He's the kind of idiot officer who would "lead" his soldiers into a suicide charge in the name of heroic "glory" (rolling my eyes). Watson wasn't stupid enough to blindly obey him in this particular situation since it would've unnecessarily landed him in a premature grave. He grasped that he and Harris were now equals in this survival environment and Harris' former authority didn't mean much if he gave asinine commands. The Captain needed to eat some humble pie and taste the folly of his own stupid decisions -- death -- without forcing the same on others.

Don't get me wrong, Watson is obviously loathsome in some ways and Harris is noble on the surface, but he was also a dumb phukk pompous officer and Watson was smart enough to recognize it. Let's give credit where credit's due.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Give me an example

[–] Wuchak (8100) 4 years ago

Capt. Harris is akin to Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) in “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” an eye-rolling proper stiff-upper-lip Brit who’s certainly worthy of respect as far as utter boldness goes, but he's what my dad would’ve called a "goon." Col. Nicholson and Capt. Harris are so infected by stubbornness and a sense of superiority that they can't see the obvious. They’re realistic and fascinating characters who can't see the forest for the trees and are therefore total morons, completely unbeknownst to them due to their self-blinding pride.

The examples you ask for are in the movie: Watson recognized Harris’ suicide march for what it was and wisely refused to participate. Yes, he ignobly faked an injury, but he later showed daring by standing up to the asinine officer and his “heroic” death-wish.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

What made you think Harris recognized it

[–] Wuchak (8100) 4 years ago

You mean Watson?

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Yes, sorry

[–] Wuchak (8100) 4 years ago

Even the viewer could recognize it as a suicide march, let alone Watson. And that's what it turned out to be.

No doubt Watson would respectfully follow any reasonable order from Harris -- and did -- but not a wannabe heroic death-wish command. The new survival environment they were in changed the dynamics of their relationship and therefore Watson no longer had to be blindly obedient to the sincere, but sincerely stupid decisions/orders of this pompous stiff-upper-lipped officer.

This is just my viewpoint based on evidence in the film; but I understand why many detest Watson and give him zero credit: The movie sets the viewer up to respect the gallant Harris and loathe the craven Watson yet -- at the same time -- illustrates the valiant idiocy of Harris and the bold wits of Watson. It's a complex, brilliant character study hidden in the film.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

But how do we actually know Watson would follow?

[–] Wuchak (8100) 4 years ago

Watson continued to be the obedient subordinate to Harris after the crash, but he drew the line when Capt. Wannabe-Hero ordered him on what he knew was a suicide mission.

I'll have to rewatch the film for details since I haven't seen it for like 7-8 years.

Anyway, remember the idiotic suicidal charge on the South Carolina coastal fortress at the end "Glory" (1989)? If you were an enlisted member of the platoon you HAD to do it -- follow the CO -- or lose your sense of manhood and be branded a coward, not to mention be executed. The charge of course proved to be utterly fruitless and practically everyone needlessly perished in the assault. I bring this up because Capt. Harris is the type of glory-obsessed officer who would lead his men on such a doomed "heroic" fray. Watson understood this and basically said "FU, Captain. If you have a misguided death-wish then knock yourself out, but you're not taking me down with you."

This is all I have to say on the topic; you're welcome to draw your own conclusions and have the last word.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I never understood why Watson continued to be obedient?

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

But how do we actually know Watson would follow?

[–] PaladinNJ (20309) 4 years ago

Harris was not an idiot, he was an idealist. He felt it was his responsibility as an officer to protect these people no matter what the risk. Watson was just a coward.

[–] Wuchak (8100) 4 years ago

Yes, an idiot idealist who had no qualms about unnecessarily getting others killed due to his dumbaxx "heroic" decisions. Watson's life didn't mean anything to him because -- in his narcissistic delusion -- he was still the "authority" and Watson the "subordinate." To him, Watson existed to obey his every command, however stupid. Wake up call: Not when you're separate from civilization lost in the desert wilderness. The pecking order of civilization -- including the military -- meant nothing there; only the wits & will to survive.

Call Watson a coward or whatever you want -- I admit he's loathsome in some ways -- but he had the scruples to recognize the above and make a stand against the pompous officer. Harris desperately needed some humble pie and he got it.

The movie itself makes this point: It sets the viewer up to respect the gallant Harris and detest the craven Watson yet -- at the same time -- illustrates the idiocy of Harris and the bold wits of Watson. It's a complex, brilliant character study hidden in the film.

[–] strntz (10797) 4 years ago

You see Watson the way I see him. He's a definitely a scumbag but he did possess enough sense to know that a suicide mission would accomplish nothing. Who knows, if the risky mission might have had the real possibility of saving the others, he just might have gone along with Harris. In any case, Watson was right: the Arabs would not help but would kill the interlopers.

The way Hollywood normally treats cowards who disobey orders from good officers like Harris is to punish them in some horrible way, or perhaps kill them. Watson was not punished in the film and indeed survived the flight back to civilization the same as the heroes did.

[–] Adam60z (3749) 4 years ago

I thought Watson was just a regular guy who understandably hated Captain Harris. His uncontrolled glee when he found out Harris is dead would be totally legit except that Doctor Reneau was killed also. I applaud Watson for not going willingly on Harris' suicide missions.

[–] strntz (10797) 4 years ago

Yeah, I forgot about Watson's smug satisfaction when learning of Harris' and Reneau's demise, but I wouldn't go so far as to say his hatred of Captain Harris was understandable.