A British drama; A story set in Northern England about a man from a slum in Ancoats, Manchester 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 words about fame in his 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, a man from the slums rising to cabinet rank, is himself seduced by the trappings of power and finds himself the type of politician he originally despised. Michael Redgrave gives a grand performance, and embodies the gradual shedding of heartfelt beliefs as vanity replaces commitment. The film will have appeal to those viewing the period between the 1810 and 1946 as an unjust period of British life, particularly the right of women's suffrage. More will observe that the trappings of fame are likely to 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 is first rate.
Review of Fame Is the Spur
