But in addition to the sheer treat of the perfection of the costumes and sets, the film also contains some of the most harrowing emotional content of any historical drama of which I am aware. It is a story almost entirely of well-intentioned people who are either inspired by or profoundly threatened by the idea of a whole new human order, and who react accordingly. This could not be further removed from a simple-minded political tract. It is a serious attempt to understand the social and individual psychology of idealism. More simply, it is an examination of the way people hurt one another without wanting to in the pursuit of what they genuinely believe to be the best.
Idealists are never easy to cope with, never comfortable people to know.
Happened Here . The only professional actor in the cast is Jerome Willis, who gives a powerful but never aloof performance as General Fairfax, radiating the confidence of noble birth in every scene in which he appears. He epitomizes the system of social class and privilege in the face of which the Diggers seem puny adversaries indeed. The film, like the novel on which it is based, is shot through with a sense of inevitable tragedy. At least not yet.