MovieChat Forums > Fortunes of War (1987) Discussion > Am I supposed to like Guy Pringle?

Am I supposed to like Guy Pringle?

posted 16 years ago by Angel_of_Mons_1914
7 replies | jump to latest

I think one of the more brilliant and compelling aspects of this mini-series is the fact that I don't particularly come to like Guy Pringle and I'm not particularly sure if I am supposed to; the jury remains forever out. Yes, he is humble and an idealist (albeit a Marxist, but I can live with that given the context) but beyond that he does little to win my affection or praise throughout the series. Even at the end, after learning that Harriet was still alive, he is back to his old ways within hours, totally unrepentant for his past neglect of his wife.

I can relate to him certainly, particularly when Harriet chides him for being more attentive to ideas than her; it is something I have to deal with in my own life, but even Yakimov and Dobby, good old stoic Dobby come off as more likable. Have I interpreted this correctly or am I missing something?

[–] persistenceofvision 14 years ago

I never liked Harriet Pringle particularly, but I guess you're supposed to understand why she resents Guy's neglect of her. He's obviously pretty oblivious to his surroundings (including Harriet) a lot of the time. Sometimes I think this is meant to be endearing, for instance when he's sitting on the deck of a ship reading John Donne, while everyone else frets about their future.
Obviously he's an enthusiastic Marxist, and the series was shot during the Cold War, so I think that part of him is meant to seem naive and idealistic at best. As for the guy's staunch belief in literature (mounting a production of Troilus and Cressida in the midst of total war) - that could be endearing or irritating depending on your point of view. When I watched this on TV in the '80s, my mother thought that Guy was meant to be lovably scatterbrained and Harriet a cold b itch, but I think that had a lot to do with her having the hots for Kenneth Branagh...

[–] flagday53 13 years ago

Isn't the line something like "Everyone likes Guy Pringle" so we are supposed to assume that to his peers he was likeable. But the more they got to know him the more they recognized his undeserving affection from Harriet, a wonderful woman, and his neglect at every turn.

He is attentive to his friends, and his friends are everyone. He doesn't discriminate and as a result everyone just gets the superficial likeable Guy.

SPOILERS - By the end, I see him cracking a bit, really missing Harriet but then he moves on like he's a juggernaut. Mourn? I just think he used Harriet for backup, comfort, in the hours he didn't have his entourage with him. Selfish in my view. What I can't fathom is how a woman like that could be satisfied with a man like that. She clearly needed more.

[–] marudd50 8 years ago

We don't get to choose who we fall in love with.

Beauty is truth, truth beauty.

[–] ib011f9545i 8 years ago

he is not likeable but he is interesting.
I am watching the whole thing on dvd after nearly 30 years.
Guy seems like a bit of a far left bore (Jeremy Corbyn?)I like the series a lot but I wish other characters would have challenged him on his communism,his views would have changed after the nazis attacked the USSR?

[–] Clatskanie 8 years ago

I liked Harriet, a humble woman trying to create a full marriage. Guy I thought was homosexual at heart.

LL

[–] dulisse77 8 years ago

Loved Harriet. In the books she wasn't well acquainted with Guy before she married him (war time romance). She wasn't aware of his need to be everyone's friend.

I saw Guy as one of those people who doesn't need love particularly but needs many friends. Not a bad person, just not a very warm person.

If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.

[–] ancadraghici 8 years ago

I did not like him very much either. He was an intellectual and they are more rational than emotional or sentimental. Their main interest will always be their profession and intellectual interests. An extreme version is Prof. Lord Pinkrose. They are more interested in putting out plays or giving lectures about Byron than make themselves likable. And not even war can make them see things different.