Review: Comrades (1986) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Director Bill Douglas’s production of Comrades (1986) achieves a remarkable authenticity and timelessness

Comrades tells the true story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. In 1834, six farm workers hailing from Tolpuddle village in Dorset, England, found themselves in legal trouble for allegedly taking a clandestine pledge as participants in the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. They faced arrest under a relatively unknown law during a wage dispute, which ultimately resulted in their conviction in the case of R v Loveless and Others. Consequently, they were sentenced to penal transportation to Australia.

Douglas takes a slow, poetic and realistic approach to telling the story. At three hours long, this is a slow burning film which presents each scenario in rather matter of fact style as oppose to engaging in cinematic flourish. The power is in the realism and the beatitude of the scenery and cinematography. In many ways, the cinematography harkens back to scenic paintings of the period which, while beautiful, also generates an unparalleled sense of authenticity. Thus, suspension of disbelief is almost automatic and assists in communicating the moral and political messages with utmost clarity.

Scottish actor Alex Norton plays several different, yet totemic characters throughout. While artistically interesting, it mainly serves to underpin the universality of the working class message being set forth. He also serves to show many examples of early pre-cinema such as magic lantern shows and heliography. The theme of the power of mass communication (particularly the visual) as a means of recruiting fellow workers to the struggle for equality unfolds in ever increasing ways as the film progresses.

With an ensemble cast including greats such as Vanessa Redgrave and James Fox, Comrades is just as relevant a film today as it was when produced and released during the Thatcher years in Britain. In the increasingly unequal society that is unfolding in Britain, as elsewhere, Comrades presents a timeless and beautifully filmed moral tale.