Brighton Rock (1947 film)
| Brighton Rock | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | John Boulting |
| Produced by | Roy Boulting |
| Written by | Graham Greene Terence Rattigan |
| Based on |
Brighton Rock 1938 novel by Graham Greene |
| Starring |
Richard Attenborough Hermione Baddeley William Hartnell Carol Marsh |
| Music by | Hans May |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Peter Graham Scott |
| Distributed by | Charter Film Productions |
|
Release date
|
December 1947 |
|
Running time
|
92 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £190,147 (UK) |
Brighton Rock is a 1947 British gangster film noir directed by John Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough as violent gang leader Pinkie Brown (reprising his breakthrough West End creation of the character some three years earlier),Carol Marsh as the innocent girl he marries, and Hermione Baddeley as an amateur sleuth investigating a murder he committed. The film was adapted from the 1938 novel Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, and was produced by Roy Boulting through the Boulting brothers' production company Charter Film Productions. It was later released in the United States under the title Young Scarface.
In Brighton in 1935, a gangster named Kite is found dead, shortly after a newspaper published a story exposing local rackets and gang wars. Kite's old gang, now led by the psychopathic teen-aged hoodlum Pinkie Brown, learns that the reporter who wrote the story, Fred Hale, will be in town for one day for a promotional stunt (similar to the real-life "Lobby Lud" promotion). Fred will play "Kolley Kibber", leaving cards around town that can be redeemed for a monetary prize, with a larger prize for the first person who publicly identifies Fred as Kolley Kibber. Pinkie and the gang hold Fred responsible for Kite's death. They confront Fred in a local pub, threaten him, and pursue him through the crowded resort town before Pinkie finally murders Fred on an amusement ride. While Fred is attempting to elude the gang, he meets brassy, outgoing Ida Arnold, a middle-aged entertainer currently appearing in a local show. Ida takes a liking to Fred and notes that he appears to be afraid. The police think that Fred's death is a heart attack or suicide, but Ida suspects foul play and begins her own amateur investigation.
To establish an alibi for himself, Pinkie sends one of his gang members, Spicer, to distribute Fred's "Kolley Kibber" cards throughout the town, making it look like Fred was going about his business normally. Spicer errs by leaving one card under the tablecloth in a restaurant, creating a risk that the waitress would be able to identify Spicer. Pinkie visits the restaurant and discovers that the sweet, naive young waitress Rose found the card and noticed that Spicer, not Fred, had left it. Pinkie warns Rose not to speak about the person who left the card, and as part of gaining her confidence, asks her out on a date. Pinkie is also being pressured by Colleoni, the older and more powerful leader of a rival gang, and by the police, who want him to leave town to avoid further gang warfare. Deciding that Spicer is a liability, Pinkie sends him to the racetrack in hopes that Colleoni's men will kill him there. However, Pinkie is also attacked by Colleoni's men and both he and Spicer escape with their lives. Pinkie ends up finishing Spicer off himself by pushing him down a stairwell.
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