Andrew Crocker-Harris (Micahel Redgrave), a cold, strict teacher of ancient Greek tragedy is teaching for the last time in a private school for boys in England. Most of his students are indifferent to his lessons, while they think of him as a boring, stiff old man, the "Crock" as they call him among them. But Crocker-Harris himself has gladly taken the part of the "Crock" as he is in the west of his teaching career, with a serious health problem. He is cynical, ironic to the students and shows no emotion whatsoever. He is like a cold statue with no feelings. The mockery of his students leave him indifferent, too.
The biggest problem is not, though, his job or his serious illness. It's the death, not the biological one, but the mental and psychological one that he feels and has set him in a passive role. Trapped in a clinically dead marriage, he is passive even to his wife infidelity, with a colleague and friend. But then comes the small, warm gesture of one of his students, Taplow, to remind him that he is still living, is still able to feel and is enthusiastic for the things to happen.
"The Browning Version" is not a plot film. You won't see a lot of action or impressive scenes. It's the heroes that are the main point of the script. Each one of them, the passive professor Crocker,the infidel wife of Crocker, the fellow colleague and lover of his wife are transparent for us to see their emotions, a close-up of observation on their psychological side. All the incidents of the film leads to the necessary "catharsis" which came to the souls of spectators of tragedies in ancient Greek theater, such as those taught by Crocker. And is that "Carthasis" for Crocker that brings him back to life.
(source:https://thewonderfulworldofcinema.wordpress.com/tag/the-browning-version/)
The film is a study of manners, an ethography. The retired professor, both literally and metaphorically, the neurotic, greedy wife, the colleage who understands his mistake. They all spin around each other, until one of them breaks the routine. And then comes the Change...
The film received two awars in Cannes Film Festival, a best actor for Michael Redgrave and Best Screenplay for Terence Rattigan, on whose theatrical play, the script was based. The theatrical play was staged many times. But in film, we can find two adaptation: the one of 1951, one in 1994 directed by Mike Figgis.
Lastly, we cannot overlook its impact on later films, in terms of the student-teacher relationship, as seen in the Dead Poets Society.
Oh Captain, my captain...
