Review for Hobson's Choice

Directed by David Lean.

And with that sentence do I really need to go on? I will, but really that is all you need to know. This is a film by the Greatest British Director of All Time! This is one of those films that really proves that David Lean wasn't just a Director of extravagant epics like Lawrence of Arabia, but also a wonderful Director of personal, carefully crafted and acted films.

Hobson's Choice is adapted from the play by Harold Brighouse and is really a wonderful 'kitchen-sink' drama before they even existed. Henry Hobson is a successful shop owner in Salford. It's the 19th Century and so marriage is still talked of with 'settlements' to entice the husbands' and their families. He has three daughters, though he believes his eldest Maggie is past her prime at thirty. But she sets her sights on the shops' boot-maker, Will Mossop and further sights on running her own shop. This leads to many quarrels and problems with all of the family and their standing in society. And this becomes even worse when the extent of Henry's drinking problem is revealed.

This film went on to win the BAFTA for Best British Film and though it was nominated for four other BAFTAs it was surprisingly ignored at the Oscars? Though this was the year of On the Waterfront. This is a film that is just brimming with quality, from the costumes, to the editing, to the music and of course the wonderful acting. This is a film that hits all the right notes and even though you could argue that it is a little slow at times and very 'wordy' I enjoyed every single minute of it.

The performance of Charles Laughton as Henry Hobson is just phenomenal and one of his finest. I can understand if those in America couldn't understand the Northern twang everyone was speaking with, but his expressive performance throughout is just wonderful. Even more so is the duo of Brenda De Banzie and John Mills as Maggie and Will Mossop. These two work beautifully together with Mills' performance as the 'not quite all there' Mossop as a perfect fine line between innocence and stupidity. De Banzie is great as the manipulative Maggie, but because you understand why she is doing it, you never dislike her methods.

My only issue with the film is the ending. Not because it is terrible, but simply because I wanted more. As the film ends with a 'By Gum!' by Will Mossop, I really wanted to know what happened next. It's always surprised me that the play and film never yielded a 'what happens next' sequel, as I'm sure everyone would want to know what happened in the lives of the Hobson/Mossop family. I know I would. Granted, no doubt they would mess it up, so maybe it is better that they didn't, however maybe at the time, in the hands of writers David Lean and Norman Spencer, it could have been just as good.

Considering this is supposed to be a '60th Anniversary' the lack of extras is quite disappointing. When you consider the quality of the film and the fact this is a David Lean film, it is shocking that they could only find two people to talk about it. Two interviews are included with star Prunella Scales and co-writer Norman Spencer. Both are nice, but nothing hugely special. The lack of any other documentaries, look at Lean or anyone else involved or even a
Trailer is sad to see when you consider how great the film is.

Hobson's Choice is a wonderfully British film, not suffering from age or for its lack of frills, but a simple film that tells a story in such a way that makes it wonderfully entertaining. The Direction and Acting is simply perfect and it is very rare that you find a film that could be both a Drama and Comedy at the same time, but this film manages it. If you think David Lean is just epics then maybe you should give this film a try and it will prove why he is often referred to as the master of the film world.