Daybreak (1948)

A hangman conceals his true identity when he falls in love, and sets up home with his girl on a barge in the river Thames. Tragedy strikes when the hangman's assistant tries to seduce his ... See full summary »

Director:

Compton Bennett

Writers:

Muriel Box, Sydney Box,

Stars:

Ann Todd, Eric Portman, Maxwell Reed

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ann Todd	...	Frankie
Eric Portman	...	Eddie
Maxwell Reed	...	Olaf
Edward Rigby	...	Bill Shackle
Bill Owen	...	Ron
Eliot Makeham	...	Mr. Bigley
Jane Hylton	...	Doris
Margaret Withers	...	Mrs.Bigley
John Turnbull	...	Superintendent
Maurice Denham	...	Inspector
Milton Rosmer	...	Governor
Lyn Evans	...	Waterman

Storyline

A hangman conceals his true identity when he falls in love, and sets up home with his girl on a barge in the river Thames. Tragedy strikes when the hangman's assistant tries to seduce his boss's wife - after a fight, the hangman is presumed drowned. The woman commits suicide, but the hangman has in fact survived, and manages to save his assistant from the gallows.

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Plot Keywords:

british noir

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1949 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Amanhecer Fatídico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sydney Box Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Release delayed for two years, owing to censorship problems.

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Soundtracks

"The Wedding March"
(uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

User Reviews

One of the saddest films I've ever seen

Daybreak is totally fascinating - the kind of movie you can stare at, open mouthed, for the full hour and a half. Ann Todd as always is wonderful, but this has to be one of her best performances by far. Apparently a lot of the movie was cut by the censors upon its release leaving gaps in the story, and you do get this sense at least with Todd's character - there's a slight hint that she may have been a prostitute but this isn't followed through and is just forgotten.

Without spoiling the ending - and don't read the plot summary before you see the film! - this is one of the most heartbreaking shows of misunderstanding ever. Todd lives with husband Eric Portman on a barge and his business sends him away for long periods of time, leaving her along with the very seedy Norwegian "Olaf", and leaving it up to the audience to guess what he does to her. One night she begs her husband to stay, or take her with him, but he can't, and yet she won't tell him why. He comes home and finds Olaf present, but unfortunately gets the wrong idea about why he is there.

It's a shame so much was cut from this fine film, but what is left is sufficient to garner it a 10/10. The scene especially where Todd and Portman meet is an utter delight!