“Lord Jim,” (1966)

“Lord Jim,” (1966), directed by Richard Brooks, 3.5 stars

“I've been a so-called coward and a so-called hero and there's not the thickness of a sheet of paper between them” – Tuan (“Lord”) Jim

Young Jim, long before the title “Lord” is bestowed upon him, is an extremely green British sailor with plenty of energy and an ardent sense of adventure.  Unfortunately, on his very first voyage, he and his fellow crew members abandon ship and the ship’s passengers during a fierce and fearsome storm.  When their life boat arrives in port, the ship they left behind is there, having been rescued soon after their hasty and cowardly departure.  Although the captain and other deserters manage to slip away, Jim faces up to his overarching sense of shame by fessing up publicly to his crime, for which he is removed from service by a naval court of inquiry.  From that point forward he must lay low, finding work at odd jobs as best he can.  Much later, as Jim helms a small craft containing a cargo of dynamite, native members of the crew light the boat on fire in an attempt to sabotage the mission by detonating the explosives.  Rather than flee danger yet again by jumping overboard, Jim risks his life and extinguishes the fire, thereby gaining the good graces of Stein (Paul Lukas), a businessman for whom the dynamite was destined.

What happens next is an up-river journey not altogether dissimilar to “Heart of Darkness,” another work by “Lord Jim” author, Joseph Conrad.  Stein sends Jim and the dynamite upstream into the jungle on behalf of villagers who are attempting to rebel against a devious and mercilessly sadist known as The General (Eli Wallach). The General oversees a tin mining operation and has commandeered members of the local community to work in the mine.  Jim is captured and then tortured by The General, but the rebels manage to free him by draping him in a shroud and ushering him out of the fortress.  Before the night is over, Jim has devised a plan which ultimately allows the rebels to capture the fortress and free the imprisoned workers. For his planning and leadership, the natives designate him as Tuan” or “Lord.”

But Jim can never fully emotionally extricate himself from his past.  He lives in fear of being exposed to the locals who look up to him, and he worries that he will once again succumb to his fears during a critical moment when he must display disciplined leadership.  Pride and principles exact a cost, and dearly-won payments are made by others, not only our harried hero.  Peter O’Toole’s incredible intensity works to the film’s advantage.  Both arch-villains, first the General and later Gentleman Brown (James Mason), are quick to identify Jim’s weakness—an exaggerated tendency toward heroics —and each is able to advance his own agenda by relying on Jim to behave in a predictable manner.  There are some well-argued philosophical dialogues scattered throughout, and I wish I could have rewound the film and listened to them all again.

The 70mm print was vivid and pristine, bringing out all of the fine detail in the grand architecture and lush landscape of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex.  It’s no surprise that the film was nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for best art direction and cinematography.