The inspiration behind hobson s choice was great expectations, charles dickens, and this film joins david leans other classic adaptation, oliver, as probably one of the best film of the era. The film also features prunella scales in one of her first cinema roles as vicky. Hobsons choice definition is an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative. The gorgeous blackandwhite hobsons choice is the more sublime of the two, ranking with the best ealing studio. Hobsons choice 1931 film complet en francais streaming. Hobsons choice may have been in black and white, but it was a david lean production filmed at shepperton with charles laughton in the lead. Its first english production took place on june 22, 1916, at the apollo theatre, london, with the following cast. Rent hobsons choice 1954 starring charles laughton and john mills on dvd and bluray. I suppose the stereotypical drunk acting was a hoot at the time, but now it just looks embarrassing.
Hobsons choice featuring charles laughton and john mills is streaming with. Hobsons choice movie tv listings and schedule tv guide. Hobsons choice 1954 the movie title stills collection. This third film version of harold brighthouses play hobsons choice moves the locale from turnofcentury london to 1914 new orleans. Henry hobson is a widower, who owns a prosperous shoemaking shop in salton, a. It was also adapted to the screen and tv at least three times. This workingclass comedy charts the descent into alcoholism of henry hobson laughton, a boot maker in 19th century salford. Its a comedy and drama movie with a high rotten tomatoes critics score of. Watch have gun will travel season 5, episode 30 hobsons choice.
And the younger generation triumphs as, in comedy, it always must. I can remember standing with my mother watching them film on arlington st about 19523. Find out when and where you can watch hobsons choice on tv with the full listings schedule at. Written by harold brighouse the play was first produced in 1916 on the stage. David lean is best known for his epic lateperiod historical dramas exploring the psychological contradictions of outsized figures, like lawrence of arabia, the bridge on the river kwai, and doctor zhivago. It was alexander korda who suggested harold brighouses 1915 stage comedy hobsons choice to david lean as a possible film project. Ellipse animation, fresh jade et tungsteno films acteurs. Henry hobson owns and tyrannically runs a successful victorian boot makers shop in salford, england. Set in the 1890s, this adaptation of harold brighouses working class comedy, a favourite rep company standby since. A hit in england and a modest boxoffice success in the united states, the film went on to win the golden bear at the.
In the forties and early fifties, having moved to directing, he made several luminous films, including adaptations of such classic and important contemporary works from the stage and page as harold brighouses hobsons choice, noel cowards blithe spirit and still life brief encounter, in the film version, and charles dickenss great. The 1954 hobsons choice that you will see at the new beverly by david lean is a special film. Like king lear, hobsons choice gives us a battle of the generations. Hobsons choice is a great film from david lean and should be seen again and again whenever its broadcast. At its core, hobson s choice has a towering performance by charles laughton, whose henry hobson is a marvelous mixture of snarling brute and whimpering child, huffing and sputtering his way through scene after scene of delightfully sexist dialogue. A hobsons ch oice, as any slang expert will tell you, is no choice at all. Filmed on location in salford, england, hobsons choice marvelously recreates the late victorian era, and makes a credible stab at the linguistic flavor of the region. Hobsons choice film clip 50th anniversary restoration duration. The title is a pun hobsons choice is no choice at all, precisely the situation henry hobson finds himself in by the end of the play. In this 1953 filmization of harold brighouses 1915 play hobsons ch oice, hero john mills finds after several reels of.
Hobsons choice film clip 50th anniversary restoration. Hobsons kickstarted this caribbean cocktail craze in san francisco. A stingy widower with a weakness for overindulging in the local moonraker public house, he exploits his three daughters as cheap labour. It is widely believed that hobsons choice derives from the english tudor businessman thomas hobson. Hobsons choice 1983 a gruff shoemakers jack warden eldest daughter sharon gless marries his best worker richard thomas and opens a rival shop in 1914 new orleans. If you want to see someone charge up the stairs, watch arsenic and old lace. He hired out horses and gave his customers no choice. The girls each want to leave their father by getting married, but henry refuses because marriage traditions require him to pay out settlements.
With richard thomas, sharon gless, jack warden, lillian gish. That with the score trying to underline the hilarity is simply painful to watch. The play has also been turned into a ballet plot summary. A hobsons choice, as any slang expert will tell you, is no choice at all. It had been filmed twice before, by percy nash in 1920 and thomas bentley in 1931. At the start of the story, set in lancashire in the 1880s, the portly horatio hobson has become wealthy by making his three daughters work for him for free in his upmarket shoe shop, and exploiting the talents of a modest shoemaker named willie mossop. Mills is the assistant to domineering bootshop owner charles laughton, who lords it over his employees. Hobsons choice is one of director david leans best comedies, featuring a fine performance by charles laughton as the domineering bootshop owner whose drunken behavior causes his family to rebel. Daughter of the owner of a shoe store rebels against her father by. Rent hobsons choice 1954 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. The winner of the british film institute best film award of 1954, hobsons choice chalked up another international success for. Hobsons ch oice is a 1954 british romantic comedy film directed by david lean.
Hobsons choice a lancashire comedy in four acts by harold brighouse hobsons choice was originally produced in america. The title of the play hobsons choice comes from the phrase meaning a choice which is really no choice at all. Hobsons choice definition, the choice of taking either that which is offered or nothing. Read book parental choice a critical reconsideration of choice and the debate about choice. This sly but warmhearted british movie from the legendary director david lean tells a classic tale of the dangers of greed. I particularly enjoy the scenes of 19th century salford and the way the film is played out between a small group of actors but. At the end of the play, the central character, henry horatio hobson, formerly a wealthy, selfmade businessman but now a sick and broken man, faces the unpalatable prospect of being looked after by his daughter maggie and her husband will mossop, who used to be one of hobsons underlings. Henry hobson charles laughton is a successful bootmaker, a widower and a tyrannical father of three daughters. Based on the play hobsons choice by harold brighouse, it follows the tale of a coarse bootshop owner who becomes outraged when his eldest daughter decides to marry a meek cobbler. Screen adaptation of harold brighouses classic lancashire comedy.
Hobsons choice definition of hobsons choice by merriam. Hobsons choice is a 1931 british comedy drama film directed by thomas bentley and starring james harcourt, viola lyel, frank pettingell and herbert lomas. It was produced by the leading british company of the time. An unsung comic triumph from david lean, hobsons choice stars charles laughton as the harrumphing henry hobson. Hobsons choice uses that reflection of the moon in laughtons big drunk scene when his big round face replaces the moons image to become the big yellow cheese in the lake. Hobson choice definition of hobson choice by the free.
Horatio hobson jack warden is the boozy, tyrannical owner. Maitai myers platinum, myers dark, and cruzan dark rums, orange and pineapple juices amaretto and kahana macadamia nut liqueur. Hobsons choice is a crisply directed comedy of lively and quirky characters in a vivid world of social snobbery and workingclass life, but for all the deftlyplayed humor, its leans warmth that makes the film so satisfying. Henry hobson charles laughton, a british widower, is the overbearing owner of a shoe shop.
Full text of hobsons choice, a threeact comedy see other formats. An unsung comic triumph from david lean, hobsons choice stars the. And it fits what david lean works with in later films the idea that perhaps there are no perfect binaries when it comes to people. Hobsons choice is a cheerful little slice of death, warmed over and served with some lively comic sauces by producerdirector david lean and actor charles laughton. It is based on the play of the same name by harold brighouse. Henry hobson charles laughton owns a boot shop in victorian england but spends more of his. Alfred nobel, the swedish inventor, is staying at the carlton hotel, preparing for a series of demonstrations of his new. Hobsons choice is a fulllength stage comedy written by harold brighouse in 1915. The expression is best known in the uk, but became used worldwide following the successful eponymous 1954 film starring charles laughton. Hobsons choice is a 1954 comedy about a victorian father trying to keep his daughters from marriage. Hobson choice synonyms, hobson choice pronunciation, hobson choice translation, english dictionary definition of hobson choice. It was on a row of shops between north james henry st.