British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

The Best of Men

Synopsis

Towards the end of the second world war Dr Ludwig Guttmann, a brisk refugee from Nazi Germany, arrives at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire and is appalled to find the partially paralysed spinal patients heavily sedated and left to rot with bed sores. He immediately begins a new regime,disposing of old equipment and sedatives, bringing him into conflict with stern Sister Edwards and pompous consultant Cowan, as well as the patients. However the sister backs him when she realises he is treating her charges as people, not patients, talking to them and involving them in musical entertainments and sporting activity. Soon Whitehall are sending him all their spinal patients and, with visits to the pub and wheelchair sports taught by an army sergeant, he becomes the men's hero. With the war over Ludwig organizes national wheelchair sports competitions which will in turn lead to the establishment of the Paralympic games. An end title informs that in 1966, now a British citizen, Dr Guttmann was deservedly knighted for his part in bringing hope to the hopeless.

Details

Year
2012
Type of film
Features
Running time
90 mins
Director
Tim Whitby
Producer
Harriet Davison
Executive Producer
Matthew Read
Editor
David Thrasher
Screenwriter
Lucy Gannon
Director of Photography
Matt Gray
Production Designer
Sarah Hauldren
Composer
Mark Russell
Principal cast
Eddie Marsan, Ben Owen-Jones, Rob Brydon, George MacKay, Bee Bee Sanders, Leigh Quinn

Genre

Sport Disabilities Drama

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Whitby Davison Productions Ltd.

Tel: 44 (0)117 973 9121

British Broadcasting Corporation

BBC Television Centre
Wood Lane
London
W12 7RJ
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8743 8000

Sales Company

British Broadcasting Corporation

BBC Television Centre
Wood Lane
London
W12 7RJ
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8743 8000

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

No Women No Children No Women No Children

Director: Akporé Uzoh

Year: 2026

The aftermath of a sexual assault (rape). Exploring the deep-felt consequences for all involved. At its heart an epic story of a couple's fight for the survival of their love.

Black Drama
A dark haired non binary Jewish person sits amongst the men in the men's section of a synagogue. Tumtum

Director: Rebecca Ozer

Year: 2025

On Yom Kippur, Alex struggles to atone for their sins when they imagine themself in the men’s section at synagogue and feel a magnetic attraction to Jess in the women’s section. Afterwards, the two butt heads at a Break Fast event and Jess invites Alex to a queer Jewish club event. But would that raucous space provide freedom or disorientation? Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Drama LGBTQIA+ Romance Woman Director
A man with downs syndrome is standing against a backdrop of high rise buildings at dusk, looking behind himself. He is wearing dark baggy clothing and big chunky headphones Birdhouse

Director: Moritz Valero

Year: 2025

Lewis, a young, dishevelled, unsuspecting man finds himself in a cacophony of trouble, as a local gang leader, Frankie takes advantage of his need for connection and sets up shop in his flat. At its core, this film is a gritty, cinematic look into the manipulative world of cuckooing and what happens when you underestimate someone's abilities to make their own choices. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

Action Disabilities Drama Thriller