FOYLE'S WAR

THE WHITE FEATHER

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: brief sexual content, violence

Rated:

While anti-German tensions are mounting in England, an elite group of Nazi supporters continue to establish themselves in Sussex. The charismatic leader of this group, called The Friday Club, is Guy Spencer (Charles Dance). He makes the acquaintance of Foyle's new sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howells) on a rainy afternoon and invites him into the hotel where he's giving a lecture. Anti-Semitic to the hilt with a former record of embezzlement and other underhanded dealings, Spencer passes some propaganda to Milner, who is conflicted about his feelings over the war. Having lost the lower part of his leg fighting the Germans, he is attempting to adjust to his much-altered life. His wife is hardly supportive and sometimes downright hostile. He's eager to flee to the office every day and page through his boss' intriguing case files.

Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) is asked by his chief superintendent to interview Edith Johnstone (Lisa Ellis), a girl accused of cutting telephone wires near a military camp. Defiant in the wake of treasonable charges, Edith refuses to tell him why she committed the act, nor who put her up to it. Convinced she's protecting someone, Foyle investigates her place of employment, The White Feather Hotel. Edith's sweetheart David Lane (Ed Waters) cannot believe she would do such a thing. Both he and his father are heavily patriotic. He believes the hotel's owner Margaret Ellis (Maggie Steed) put her up to it. The woman is known for her fascist leanings and is a heavy supporter of Guy Spencer. During the course of Foyle's investigation, the hotel hosts one of the annual, private meetings of the Friday Club.

The gathering, made up of elite London socialites, revolves around anti-Jewish sentiments, mockery, and pro-German feelings. Margaret's son is appalled by their blatant anti-patriotism and becomes one of Foyle's chief suspects when murder comes into play. In a den of conspiracy, prejudice and revenge rears its ugly head. One of the guests is shot to death during a temporary blackout. Who could it have been? They all have motives for murder... the Jewish guest staying in the hotel, the woman working for the war department, locals who disapproved of the Friday Club. Foyle and his driver Samantha (Honeysuckle Weeks) must discover the truth, retrieve a stolen war document, and unearth the killer before he strikes again. This is one of the best episodes in Foyle's War. The themes are very current to this day... anti-war propaganda, patriotism on different levels (one thought-provoking speech involves Spencer telling Foyle that he may not agree with the war but is still a patriot and loves his country), and violence against groups who don't share your opinion.

The Friday Club promotes peace but some of its members are unabashedly violent. They attack and beat up a Jewish boy in the street during the meeting. One man also considers murder, but "thinking about it and doing it are two different things." The conclusion is meaningful without being overly morbid. There's also less area of concern in this episode than the others. Two men throw another against a wall, hit, punch, and kick him, leaving him lying unconscious in the street. The victim is shot and killed with bloody results (seen in flashback). Soldiers are unloaded from boats, having been brought back across the channel after suffering losses. A bloodied body is shown. Suicide is attempted. There is some talk about Freud's theories, and mild profanity. The film casts anti-Semitics in a bad light. Milner is forced to come to a conclusion about his loyalties and learns the truth about Spencer's friendship toward him.

Fraught with possibilities to tease the intellect, Foyle's War also manages to satisfy on an emotional level... the conflict between Milner and his less-than-understanding wife, Sam's constant attempts to win over her boss, and Foyle's pride in his son. The three leading characters work very well together, the mysteries are well thought-out and not easy to solve (a second viewing reveals where you missed vital clues), and they have decent outcomes. While being historically correct, they also manage to tackle difficult topics with maturity. For WWII or mystery buffs in general, this is a winner.