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Hobson's Choice [1954]
starring: Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda De Banzie, Daphne Anderson, Prunella Scales
directed by: David Lean

Price: £16.34

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Used Price: £7.99
Collectible Price: £19.99
Third Party New Price: £16.34

Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days Audience Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5099990020322
Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, PAL
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 03, 2000
Running Time: 102 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: December 17, 1954
Sales Rank: 1901

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Britain's greatest ever film director David Lean wasn't feted for providing belly-laughs. His finest films, from Great Expectations (1946) to Lawrence of Arabia (1962) are resolutely sober, which is more than can be said of Henry Horatio Hobson in his wonderfully comic encounter with the moon in Hobson's Choice. Lean's only other comedy was Blithe Spirit (1945), but here he approaches matters of the heart with a surprising lightness of touch and wins a marvellous performance from Charles Laughton--himself soon to make his one and only film as a director, Night of the Hunter (1955). The setting is late-19th century Salford (the b/w location filming is exceptional), and widower Henry Hobson forbids his three daughters to marry to avoid paying their dowries. Romance will not be thwarted by economics, and much humorous conflict ensues, interspersed with some serious and even disturbing moments--the shaving scene when Laughton gets the DTs is a queasily unbalanced. Brenda De Banzie is splendidly spirited as the eldest daughter, Maggie, while her fiancie is played by the ever excellent John Mills, who would later win an Oscar for his part in Lean's much more serious love story, Ryan's Daughter (1970). --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- David Lean, Charles Laughton, John Mills and, especially, Brenda De Banzie, make a fine film
For those who didn't know, and I was one of them, a Hobson's choice is a free choice, but where only one option is really available. At the end of Hobson's Choice, a fine, vulgar, poignant and very funny film directed by David Lean, this is what Henry Horatio Hobson faces. Elements of the plot are discussed.

Hobson (Charles Laughton) is a prosperous shoe and boot merchant in the small town of Salford, England. The time is the 1880s. Hobson is a widower, a blusterer, a man accustomed to his comforts, his drink and his ease. He is, thanks to Laughton, larger than life, a man we can laugh at but not a man we'd probably want as a neighbor. He has three daughters. Maggie (Brenda De Banzie) is 30. She is, says her father, "a bit ripe" ... Read More:

Rating:

- British humor at its absolute best
Charles Laughton stars as Henry Hobson, a hard-drinking, self-opinionated, middle-class Victorian businessman. Henry is king of his own little world, a tyrant to his three daughters and ringleader of a clutch of bar-cronies. Finally, daughter Maggie (Brenda De Banzie) decides that she must move out from Henry’s shadow if she is to have a life of her own. Seizing on their simple, but talented boot-hand William Mossop (John Mills), she begins to scheme her way through to a life for herself and her sisters. Poor Henry soon finds himself hilariously outmaneuvered at every step. [B&W, created in 1953, with a running time of 107 minutes.]

This movie is a masterpiece at many levels; it is enormously funny, while at the same time showing ... Read More:

Rating:

- Timeless and Politically incorrect
Hobson's Choice is also my all-time choice - released in 1953 about the 1800's in Salford and yet as modern in its comedy as anything made today. John Mills and Brenda de Banzie are superb in their charm and innocence. Laughton plays his best part as the ogre of a father (come father-in-law). The wonderful innocence of John Mills (Willie) on his wedding night with lines like: "Maggie's not the sort you get familiar with..." and followed in the morning with: "By Gum!" Watch it, you'll love it and the black and white just makes it better - honest! Since my review they have released the DVD - and I immediately bought two copies! Brilliant!

Rating:

- A fine film version of a classic play.
Some of the finest talent in British cinema is combined in this comedy of social class and family pride. Brenda de Banzie provides a touching portrayal of strong willed Maggie, who takes charge of her own destiny, with comic and surprising results. John Mills shows his talent for comedy as the reluctant object of her affection and Charles Laughton excels as her stubborn and drunken father.

David Lean's gentle direction shows affection for the material and ensures the piece is both comic and poignant. The film brilliantly evokes the time and place and the contrasting situations of the social classes. The backstreet scenes of working class Salford are particularly notable.

This film is a rare treat. If you don't usually ... Read More:

VHS : Hobson's Choice [1954]