Hobson's Choice
1953 · Movie · 107 min. · United Kingdom
David Lean backs up vicious wit with tender romance in this thrilling adaptation of Harold Brighouse's play. As Henry Hobson, a tyrannical bootshop owner, Charles Laughton (Mutiny on the Bounty) is a comical drunk of Falstaffian proportions. When Hobson forbids his daughters to marry (their unpaid labor supports his pub visits!), his eldest daughter defiantly sets her cap for Willie, the shop's best bootmaker. Brenda de Banzie (The Man Who Knew Too Much), as the eldest daughter, hounds the flabbergasted Willie into marriage, resulting in a thriving new shop of their own. As Willie, John Mills (Great Expectations, The Big Sleep) performs a gradual metamorphoses from painfully awkward to gently confident. Together, the sweet couple turn a crafty business deal into a loving partnership.
Direction David Lean
Cast Charles Laughton · John Mills · Brenda De Banzie · Daphne Anderson · Prunella Scales · Richard Wattis · Derek Blomfield · Helen Haye · John Laurie
Soundtrack Malcolm Arnold
Screenplay David Lean · Norman Spencer · Wynyard Browne · Harold Brighouse
Cinematography Jack Hildyard
Original title Hobson's Choice
7.3
1K votes (FilmAffinity)
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