Brighton Rock (1947)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

John Boulting

Writers:

Graham Greene (novel)
Graham Greene (screenplay)

Release Date:

December 1947 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Plot:

Pinkie Brown (Richard Attenborough) is a small town hoodlum who's gang run a protection racket based at Brighton race course...

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Murder | Teenage Boy | Psychopath | British Noir

Cast

Richard Attenborough	...	Pinkie Brown
Carol Marsh	...	Rose Brown
Hermione Baddeley	...	Ida Arnold
William Hartnell	...	Dallow
Harcourt Williams	...	Prewitt
Wylie Watson	...	Spicer
Nigel Stock	...	Cubitt
Victoria Winter	...	Judy
Reginald Purdell	...	Frank
George Carney	...	Phil Corkery
Charles Goldner	...	Colleoni
Alan Wheatley	...	Fred Hale
Lina Barrie	...	Molly
Joan Sterndale-Bennett	...	Delia
Harry Ross	...	Bill Brewer

Also Known As:

Young Scarface (USA)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Norway:16 (1948) | Sweden:(Banned) (1947-1957) | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1994) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Brighton Pavilion, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Charter Film Productions

Trivia:

The film was meant to end with Rose listening the poisonous recording made by Pinkie, which contained the line, "You said you wanted to know how I feel; well, here it is: What you want me to say is 'I love you'. The truth is I hate you, you little slut..." However, this ending was vetoed by the British Board of Film Censors, who made the film-makers shoot a happy ending. In this version, the film ends with the record getting stuck and repeating the phrase "I love you..." The camera then tilts up to a crucifix, suggesting Rose's salvation.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Ida and her friend observe Pinkie and Rose from the hotel lobby balcony, their voices are heard speaking to one another while their mouths are closed.

Quotes:

Ida: Now listen, dear. I'm human, I've loved a boy or two in my time. It's natural, like breathin. Not one of them's worth it, let alone this fellow you've got hold of.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Empire of the Censors (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

More Than Ever

Early British Gangster Film

Crime films have often been a stable of British cinema, with excellent films ranging from Get Carter, Layer Cake, Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday. Brighton Rock is a very early example of this British trend.

Set in the mid-1930s, Brighton is a popular seaside town, but has a dark underbelly with gangsters commit murder, extort local businesses and run protection rackets. One small crew is battling for its place, and it including a 17-year-old sadist Pinkie Brown (Richard Attenborough). His crew kill a man, but there is a witness to the murder, Rose (Carol Marsh), a 17-year-old waitress and a committed Catholic. Pinkie sets to resolve the problem by getting Rose to fall in love with him, and marry him, because a wife can not testify against their husband. At the same time, a performer, Ida Arnold (Hermione Baddeley), doubts the inquest into Fred's death. She does not believe her friend would commit suicide and starts to investigate. She finds out about Pinkie and sets out to save Rose. As well as these two main plots they is also a small sub-plot involving a tuft-war between Pinkie's gang and a gang leader called Colleoni (Charles Goldner). Pinkie has to choice between Colleoni or his small crew.

It's plot is an interesting, fairly simple plot, with an interesting detective story with Ida and functions of the Pinkie's character. The sub-plot involving gang-warfare could have been played up a bit more. Pinkie was a truly despicable character, and nothing was beneath him. He was willing to use violence and play on people's emotions. It was Richard Attenborough's break out performance. Rose is a very sympathetic character, who is mentally manipulated for Pinkie's own ends. She is the moral centre of the film. Ida is a good, clever character and well played by Hermione Baddeley as brassy cockney type.

The direction is solid, with some good tracking and continuous shots, especially near the beginning in the middle of Brighton. John Boulting knew how to handle the story and the pacing for the most part, and he knew how what to do during set-pieces and character development, but some moments of the film dragged and some could have been played for longer.

A decent early effort.