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66.74.85.223
PAINTING: "Double Portrait of Henry Ford and the Standard Coupe, 1930"
Mates,
I don't ordinarily like to raise alarms, but those who receive TCM Turner Classic Movies on their television machines should give themselves a wonderful treat this evening (1.14.10) with "Hobson's Choice" at 11PM Eastern and 8PM on the West Coast.
On the Imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047094
This is the saga (1954) of an imperious, self-important, pub denizen Manchester shoe maker, Henry Hobson (Charles Laughton) and the relationship to his three daughters and his bootmaker Will Mossop (John Mills). One daughter, Maggie Hobson (Brenda de Blaize) rebels and chaos leads to redemption. Devotees of "Fawlty Towers" will appreciate the young Prunella Scales as daughter Vicky.
While my description sounds a bit dry, this is an amazingly funny movie, with every second contributing, is fantastically photographed and the score by Malcolm Arnold is noteworthy. Laughton is at his stolid best- this is one of his three of four best performances. And, for me, this is the finest work of John Mills- wonderfully subtle as he is transformed by Maggie from deferential dungeon dweller to self-respect and independence, "BY GOOM!". And of course, David Lean keeps all the balls in the air throughout- fantastic directing.
If you're wondering about the meaning of the title, "Hobson's Choice" it's an English expression that means that a person is presented with only a single option- more or less a fait accompli - take it or leave it.
See this movie!
Cheers,
Bambi B
Follow Ups:
Excellent recommendation. The scene with Willie preparing for and anticipating his wedding night is priceless.
-Wendell
Wendell Narrod,
I'm glad you liked "Hobson's Choice". I watch it about every five-eight years or so and never tire of it and always see new details.
The scene you mention of Willie on wedding night is just fantastic- the way he lingers over finishing the writing exercise, glancing apprehensively at Maggie's shadow under the door, and pausing to really burn in the period at the end of the phrase, "There's always room at the top." The Malcolm Arnold score really contributes to his scene as well- the string leitmotif he uses for Maggie scurrying about and then the heroic military music when the frightened Willie gathers his courage and walks into the bedroom is priceless. Something that is really powerful is that Willies naive expression and posture is changed the next morning- he is visibly changed and suddenly on the road to self-confidence. He just stares at Maggie and says "By Goom!"- telling a very complex story in just seconds- brilliant!
And, the photography always impresses me- the only other black and white films that are comparable in this respect for me are, "Touch of Evil" and "The Third Man"
Cheers,
Bambi B
We grabbed it a year or so ago when it first came to the local video store, just because it's a David Lean film. My wife and I both enjoyed it far beyond our expectations.
Rod
The cast is marvelous and Mills plays a very different role for him to perfection. "Lean" and mean....
And there is a new version on dvd. Excellent.
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