Fame Is the Spur

A British drama; A story about a man from a slum in Ancoats, Manchester, England, who rises to political power, abandoning on the way, his radical views for more conservative ones. The film's title is a reference to the poet Milton's poem Lycidas, meaning all politicians deny they love popularity more than they love the people, and so, in this film, an idealistic champion of the oppressed, is himself seduced by the trappings of power and finds himself the type of politician he originally despised. Michael Redgrave gives a grand performance, showing the gradual shedding of heartfelt beliefs. The film will appeal to people who view the period between 1810 and 1946 as unjust, particularly the right of women's suffrage. Others will observe that the trappings of fame would make anyone succumb to what Milton also described as "that last infirmity of noble mind." The film plays at a pedestrian pace, but the production and direction are first-rate.