Classic Film Review: Hobson's Choice (1954)

Hobson's Choice stars Charles Laughton as Henry Hobson, a drunkard bootmaker in nineteenth-century Salford with three daughters. The eldest, Maggie (Brenda de Banzie), is the shrewdest, an effective salesperson who can make a customer buy boots when he didn't come in for them. Her sisters, Alice (Daphne Anderson) and Vicky (Prunella Scales), are less useful and want to be married but Henry doesn't want to lose his free workers. He offends Maggie by saying that she couldn't find a husband anyway at her age so she sets her sights on his best bootmaker, Willie Mossop (John Mills), and aims to teach her father a lesson.

This is an hilarious film, thanks in part to the brilliant source material but also the central three performances which are downright fantastic. My first Charles Laughton experience in They Knew What They Wanted (1940, review here) wasn't a pleasant one but this role was seemingly him at his best. The domineering drunkard who regales his pub companions with stories of his dictatorship at home is perfectly suited to Laughton's talents and he's nothing short of hilarious when he's 'following the moon' from puddle to puddle whilst in a drunken haze. Also brilliant is John Mills as Willie Mossop, the character who undergoes the biggest change throughout the film. The scenes between Willie and Maggie when she tells him they're engaged and coaxes him into marriage without him having a say in it are brilliant. However, unquestionably, the star of Hobson's Choice is Brenda de Banzie. Though little known, she outshines both Laughton and Mills, stealing almost every scene she's in.

There are too many funny moments in this to mention but there are also moments of tenderness. Personally, my favourite scene was the day after their marriage when Willie and Maggie are preparing for the day in their new shop. Willie's eyes have been opened by the wedding night and he shows his first true affection towards Maggie in a surprisingly sweet moment. Then it's back to work.

Ultimately, Hobson's Choice is about backbone - both when to grow one and when to let it crumble. The story might have been familiar to me (I saw a stage adaptation of it last year) but the excellent performances made it worth watching. I laughed out loud many times and I'm sure a rewatch would have the same effect - this is one film that I doubt will get old.

Classic Film Review: Town On Trial (1957)

Town on Trial stars John Mills as Superintendent Halloran, a detective brought in to investigate the death of an attractive young woman who was adored by all the men of the community and loathed by most of the women. The film begins with the arrest of a mystery man and, as a police officer begins reading his statement, we are taken back to the day of the murder. There are three suspects highlighted: married Mark Roper (Derek Farr), the victim's ex-boyfriend Peter Crowley (Alec McCowen) and Dr Fenner (Charles Coburn). Halloran finds his methods under scrutiny as the murderer evades justice and threatens to kill again.

This was a tense film with some expected twists and some unexpected ones leading to a genuinely nail-biting climax, beautifully filmed and acted. John Mills is as dependable as ever as Halloran and the rest of the main cast is acceptable, with the exception of Charles Coburn who is thoroughly excellent. However, the supporting cast of wives, parents and friends is patchy in places and, though they add to the overall effect of the 'town on trial', occasionally their scenes feel a little laboured.

Another problem with this film stemmed from the romance between Halloran and Dr Fenner's niece, Elizabeth (Barbara Bates). There was no need for this relationship to become romantic - it was awkward and unnecessary, seeming only to provide an ally for Halloran who would criticise him at the crucial moment. I think the relationship would've been much stronger as a mere friendship and this would've saved the audience from some shoddy scenes between the pair. Taken otherwise, however, Barbara Bates is very good as Elizabeth.

Overall, I enjoyed Town on Trial. It kept my attention throughout, particularly with the gigantic red herring towards the end which was excellently played. This film is worth watching for the finale alone with Mills at his best. This is a tense mystery with a good ending - to the actual murder plot, at least.

Classic Film Review: Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

An Ealing Studios production, Scott of the Antarctic focuses on the famous story of Captain Scott's final ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. It stars John Mills as the title character with able support from the likes of  Harold Warrender, James Robertson Justice and Kenneth More. It also boasts a score by Vaughn Williams and remarkable colour visuals - there is very little this film does wrong.

Since this was made in 1948 there has been a lot of revision over Scott's legacy. The man portrayed in this film is valiant, a gentleman and a victim of circumstance more than anything else. That depiction has been challenged since but, taken in the context of post-WWII patriotism, the positive portrayal is hardly surprising and can probably be excused. It doesn't detract from the story itself, which is as heroic as it is heartbreaking, and it was trading on the legend of Scott as it stood in popular opinion. It doesn't attempt to analyse Scott's decisions too much, reproducing mostly what is written in the diaries as his only kind of internal conflict. In this way it's closer to documentary than drama and the main players aren't really explained much more than is necessary to watch them on their journey.

The first half of the film is necessarily choppy as the narrative focuses on a number of things in rapid succession: Scott's first expeditions, deciding he wants to conquer the South Pole, gaining funding for that, the various legs of the journey. While there are good moments in these sections it does feel a little laboured, as though they are inserted for the sake of completeness but without real conviction. Once the five men break from the rest of the crew, though, the tension picks up: the final third of the film is engaging and compelling as they reach the South Pole, discover they've been beaten and start the lonely trek back to civilisation. Mills and the other four refrain from over-acting but the inner-emotions of the men are still hinted at. The final moments of the journey are described with subtlety and are all the more hard-hitting for that.

Arguably, the star of this film is the landscape which, I believe, was actually Norway. Thanks to excellent direction, the ice is the villain, the humongous obstacle in the way of the goal. The idea of man versus nature has never seemed so stark.

Scott of the Antarctic is an excellent film but is very pro-Scott. However, don't allow that to put you off; it's worth a watch for the spectacular filming alone, even if the tale wasn't as compelling now as it was just over a hundred years ago.

Classic Film Review: This Happy Breed (1944)

Written by Noel Coward and directed by David Lean, This Happy Breed is essentially the story of a working-class family between the two wars. Just after WWI the Gibbons family move into a suburban house: Frank (Robert Newton), Ethel (Celia Johnson) and their three children along with Frank's sister Sylvia (Alison Leggatt). Their next door neighbour happens to be a man Frank met during the war, Bob Mitchell (Stanley Holloway), and he has a sailor son, Billy (John Mills). The film follows the fates of these characters until the outbreak of WWII.

Because of the scope, the film can feel a little fragmented at the beginning, particularly in regards to the three children: Vi (Eileen Erskine), Queenie (Kay Walsh) and Reg (John Blythe). Once these are firmly established, though, it becomes intricate and interesting. We see the major events of the period - the General Strike, the abdication etc - through the eyes of this typical family. In addition, of course, they live their lives with the children getting older, getting into trouble and getting married.

This turns out to be a compelling narrative primarily because of the talents of the cast. Newton and Holloway make a great double-act as friends going through middle-age (and often getting drunk along with it) while Johnson's performance as Ethel is both repressive on the outside and emotional underneath, as befitting the era. There are plenty of on-going strands such as the rivalry between Sylvia and her brother's mother-in-law and Billy's love for Queenie. There are a couple of shocks along the way but these are tempered by as happy an ending as you can get when your audience knows WWII is about to start. We live with the Gibbons family for two decades and it feels very strange to say goodbye to them after that journey.

There was, for me, one stand-out moment of the film. When Vi is delivering some terrible news to her family, the radio is on in the background. She tells her aunt and her grandmother then goes out to the garden to tell her parents. The room is empty but the radio keeps on playing jazzy upbeat music until her parents reappear alone, completely shell-shocked. It's just a beautiful moment of film.

There isn't a bad performance in this one and the writing is excellent. If you're looking for a portrait of an 'ordinary' family between the wars (with a few dramatic elements thrown in along the way) then this is well worth a watch.

Classic Film Review: The History of Mr Polly (1949)

Starring John Mills as the title character, The History of Mr Polly is an adaptation of a story by HG Wells. Alfred Polly is a somewhat directionless dreamer who we first encounter being sacked from his job for being late (he was busy reading elsewhere). When his father dies he comes into a little money and finds himself marrying a woman he barely knows and starting a shop. Fifteen years later, their marriage is stale and painful so Alfred decides to kill himself. When he can't do that right, he just leaves but as he walks away from one problem he walks straight into another.

This is a very episodic film which flits around a fair bit with various jumps in time. As such, it can be difficult to know anyone but Alfred Polly himself. The supporting cast is huge but each have their own little moments to shine. My personal favourite was Uncle Pentstemon played by Moore Marriott, an Albert Steptoe figure who seems to appear just at funerals and weddings. Sally Ann Howes also marks her mark as Christabel, a schoolgirl who climbs over a wall and makes Alfred fall head over heels in love with her. Unfortunately, she isn't quite as serious as he is.

There are some wonderful little moments in this film and Mills is perfect as Alfred. Nevertheless, the time shifts do make it tricky to warm to, although the scenes where he tries to kill himself are nothing less than hilarious. I enjoyed this one for the comedy and Mills combined together. Watch out for the 'bit of arson', the barge crossing and the nightgown chase.