Good movie but grossly overrated

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Replacing a teacher who was killed in a tragic accident John Ebony and his wife arrive at an English public school . Teaching 5B a class of truculent boys they insinuate that they killed the previous teacher . Ebony disbelieves them but when they state that they did in fact murder the previous teacher and threaten that he will be next Ebony starts to worry for the safety of him and his wife An early cinematic effort from John Mackenzie UNMAN WITTERING AND ZIGO is one of these films you vaguely remember watching years ago and despite having an instinctive memory of it as not being very good something about it sticks in your mind . This was the case with me and thought perhaps being 15 years old Carolyn Seymour's Silvia Ebony who sizzles repressed sexuality might have had everything to do with that but there's more to it than mere teenage hormones . What it is that the premise is very persuasive and what might have been an outrageous idea does become somewhat credibleThe problem is that it doesn't seem developed all that well . Watching it after a gap of decades I was constantly reminded of how stagey some parts of the film were and wasn't in the least surprised that coming to this page I found out it was originally a play by Giles Cooper . Mackenzie probably tries his best to make it a cinematic film but this isn't really the sort of premise that can be all that cinematic since it's a small type of thriller and the screenplay isn't all that special

John Mackenzie, the director of this film, passed away last month. He is probably best remembered for the sublime 1980 gangster drama 'The Long Good Friday' with Bob Hoskins. 'Unman, Wittering & Zigo' ( 1971 ) is not as well known, but just as gripping. I first saw it on B.B.C.-2 one Sunday night sometime around the late '70's, and it frightened the life out of me. I was due back at school the next day, and it was pretty rough, with a minority in my class thinking they had the God-given right to do as little work as possible and laugh at those wishing to get good grades. I was fearful they might start copying the boys in this movie.Adapted by Simon Raven from a radio play by Giles Cooper, the story begins with the death of a teacher - Mr.Pelham - who falls from a cliff. The coroners' verdict is accidental death. A replacement arrives at Chantry boarding school for boys - the idealistic 'John Ebony' ( David Hemmings ). He finds class Lower Five B to be arrogant, insufferable, yet quick-witted. One of their number, Wittering ( Colin Barrie ), is forever being picked on. They claim to have murdered Pelham, and will do the same to him unless he co-operates. The boys have devised what they call a 'modus operandi' - in return for his life, he must fake exam results and pass bets to the bookie. When Ebony tries to tell the headmaster ( Douglas Wilmer ), he realises he has no proof of what the boys are doing, and hands in his notice. Under the terms of his contract, he must stay until the end of term, so he decides to try and discover who the gang's ringleader is. The 'modus operandi' ends. Enraged, Lower Five B punish him by tormenting his attractive wife Silvia ( Carolyn Seymour )...Strongly reminiscent of Lindsay Anderson's 'If...' ( 1968 ), this darkly comic film has not been on television in years nor available on D.V.D. or Blu-Ray. It deserves to be better known. The cabal of Lower Five B are thoroughly evil, basically Malcolm McDowell's 'A Clockwork Orange' gang in blazers. Ebony is so terrified of them he even has a weird nightmare in which he is stripped naked in a forest and carried aloft. But the scene which disturbs the most is Silvia trapped by a gym, and the boys calmly announcing their intention to gang-bang her.The cast are good, particularly Hemmings - who also produced - and Seymour. Amongst the boys are Michael Kitchen, Tom Owen ( son of Bill ), Michael Cashman, and James Wardroper. Other familiar faces are Tony Haygarth, Barbara Lott, Donald Gee, and Hamilton Dyce.The revelation at the end may strike some as contrived, but I have noticed that teenage gangs often tend to be led by the unlikeliest candidates, so maybe its not so contrived after all.'Zigo', incidentally, does not appear even though his name is in the title. We are told he is in Jamaica recuperating from an illness. Being amongst this lot would make anyone sick. In an amusing touch, he is listed in the closing credits as 'Zigo...Absent'!

I came across this obscure and barely released film by chance,intrigued by it's synopsis. And like it happens with every buried treasure it was a revelation. Director John McKenzie, and cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, skilfully made this film into a close knit mystery with a bit of a disappointing ending which doesn't hurt the overall impression.David Hammings is a new teacher at a boarding school who gets to teach a class from hell. Not by violence, but by sinister mind games,and subtle or not so subtle threats, they creep him into playing their game. What will happen is there to be seen. There is no need to explain why they are so twisted, there can be many reasons, and the boarding school system with it's rigid rules can be one of them, but than again, it may not be.This movie is not on DVD and it probably will never be, but mystery film buffs, if you come across this gem, be sure not to miss it.

When a school teacher dies in an accident, his replacement quickly begins to suspect his students of murder.Using its theatrical origins to claustrophobic effect, Unman, Wittering and Zigo very cleverly builds up layer upon layer of tension and menace, as Hemming's naive and idealistic Mr. Ebony is quickly and easily outclassed by his pupils, seemingly at every turn. Dismissed by his headmaster, and humoured by both his wife and a fellow teacher, Ebony is slowly ground into submission by the boys as they repeatedly claim to have killed his predecessor. However, when the boys attempt an assault on his wife as a way of further controlling Ebony, the web they have spun begins to unravel until eventually another tragedy forces out the truth.Chilly and chilling, Mackenzie is well-served by his actors, both adult and juvenile. Hemmings captures just the right note of bewilderment and impotence, whilst Seymour turns the potentially thankless role of Mrs. Ebony into a striking portrait of independence, determination and naturalism - her performance during the attempted assault by the boys is quite brilliant. Standout amongst the boys are Hoye, Owen and Cashman, all conveying stonewall confidence collectively, whilst allowing just the faint trace of fear and uncertainty when separated from their classmates. Unsettling allusions to Ebony's ambivalence and a vaguely sexual response to his ordeal add to the mix, and only a slightly dissatisfying and unbelievable conclusion mar what is otherwise a deeply disturbing, grown up story. Highly recommended, if you can track it down.