Brighton Rock (1948)

Pinkie Brown is a small-town hoodlum whose gang runs a protection racket based at Brighton race course. When Pinkie murders a journalist called Fred Hale whom he believes is responsible for... See full summary »

Director:

John Boulting

Writers:

Graham Greene (from the novel by), Graham Greene (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell

Cast

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

Storyline

Pinkie Brown is a small-town hoodlum whose gang runs a protection racket based at Brighton race course. When Pinkie murders a journalist called Fred Hale whom he believes is responsible for the death of a fellow gang-member, the police believe it to be suicide. This doesn't convince Ida Arnold, who was with Fred just before he died, and she sets out to find the truth. She comes across naive waitress Rose, who can prove that Fred was murdered. In an attempt to keep Rose quiet Pinkie marries her. But with his gang beginning to doubt his ability, and his rivals taking over his business, Pinkie starts to become more desperate and violent.

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Plot Keywords:

british noir | based on novel | gang | protection racket | police | 

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Taglines:

Graham Greene's Shocking Thriller of the RAZOR GANGS!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 1948 (France)

Also Known As:

Brighton Rock

Filming Locations:

Brighton Pavilion, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,626, 21 June 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$223,887, 30 October 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC),Charter Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Graham Greene was reputedly delighted with the end result.

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Goofs

When Ida and her friend observe Pinkie and Rose from the hotel lobby balcony, their voices are heard speaking to one another whilst their mouths are closed.

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Quotes

Mother Superior: [while comforting Rose after Pinkie's death] You or I cannot fathom the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: Brighton today is a large, jolly, friendly seaside town in Sussex, exactly one hour's journey from London. But in the years between the two wars, behind the Regency terraces and crowded beaches, there was another Brighton of dark alleyways and festering slums. From here, the poison of crime and violence and gang warfare began to spread, until the challenge was taken up by the Police. This is a story of that other Brighton - now happily no more.

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Connections

Featured in Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film (2014)

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Soundtracks

Overture from 'The Hebrides' (Fingal's Cave)
(uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Played when Pinkie is talking to Rose when it starts to rain

User Reviews

young Richard Attenborough movie

Stunning film from England starring Richard Attenborough as small time crime boss Pinky Brown. I never knew he had it in him to play a role like this one. The rivalry between Pinky's gang and the bigger and more efficient one run by Colletti provides somewhat of a background story with a great scene at a racetrack where Colletti's boys are waving around straight razors, but the real story is Pinky's murder of one of his own guys on a beach front amusement park ride, the cover-up, how he tries to deal with Hermione Baddely and a sweet young waitress, and his dealings with the guys in his own gang, which are all done with incredible precision. How Pinky got so mean is an interesting question to ponder. So the character is evil but with intriguing depth, a tribute to writer Graham Greene who apparently thought him up, and the characterization by Attenborough is, IMHO, unequaled.