Hobson's Choice

( 12 )

Overview

A "Hobson's Choice," as any slang expert will tell you, is no choice at all. In this 1953 filmization of Harold Brighouse's 1915 play Hobson's Choice, hero John Mills finds after several reels of evidence to the contrary that he does have a choice over how he'll conduct his life after all. Mills is the assistant to domineering boot-shop owner Charles Laughton, who lords it over his employees and three daughters by day, then tumbles through the streets on many a drunken evening. Laughton's "old-maid" daughter ...
See more details below
DVD (B&W)
$38.68
BN.com price
(Save 3%)$39.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (DVD)
  • All (13) from $26.02   
  • New (11) from $30.07   
  • Used (2) from $26.02   

More About This Product

Overview

A "Hobson's Choice," as any slang expert will tell you, is no choice at all. In this 1953 filmization of Harold Brighouse's 1915 play Hobson's Choice, hero John Mills finds after several reels of evidence to the contrary that he does have a choice over how he'll conduct his life after all. Mills is the assistant to domineering boot-shop owner Charles Laughton, who lords it over his employees and three daughters by day, then tumbles through the streets on many a drunken evening. Laughton's "old-maid" daughter Brenda DeBanzie breaks free of her father's tyranny, marries Mills, and together with her new husband sets up a rival boot shop when Laughton refuses her a dowry. Father rants and raves, but finally agrees to a merger with his daughter that will assure Mills a large measure of freedom over managing things. The winner of the British Film Institute "Best Film" award of 1954, Hobson's Choice chalked up another international success for director David Lean.
Read More Show Less

Special Features

Audio Commentary featuring Film Scholars Alain Silver and James Ursini, Coauthors of David Lean and His Films; ; The Hollywood Greats: Charles Laughton, 1 1978 BBC documentary abou the actor's life and career, featuring interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues; ; Theatrical Trailer
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble
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, Ruggles of Red Gap 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.
All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam
Hobson's Choice is one of director David Lean's best comedies, featuring a fine performance by Charles Laughton as the domineering boot-shop owner whose drunken behavior causes his family to rebel. Filmed on location in Salford, England, Hobson's Choice marvelously recreates the late Victorian era, and makes a credible stab at the linguistic flavor of the region. The story is told with Lean's trademark subtlety, most apparent in the wedding-night scene between Brenda De Banzie and John Mills. One of Lean's greatest strengths as a director was his versatility over a wide range of motifs and settings. The intimate, back-and-white domestic comedy of Hobson shows little evidence of the widescreen, epic grandeur that would inform such later Lean work as Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Passage to India. Cinematographer Jack Hildyard does a fine job of keeping Hobson's Choice visually interesting.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 2/17/2009
  • UPC: 715515042116
  • Original Release: 1954

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: B&W
  • Language: English
  • Time: 1:48:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 10,458

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Charles Laughton
John Mills Willie Mossop,
Brenda de Banzie
Daphne Anderson Alice Hobson
Prunella Scales Vicky Hobson
Derek Blomfield Freddy Breenstock
Helen Haye Mrs. Hepworth
Joseph Tomelty Jim Heeler
Julien Mitchell Sam Minns
Gibb McLaughlin Tudsbury
Philip Stainton Denton
Dorothy Gordon Ada Figgins
Madge Brindley Mrs. Figgins
John Laurie Dr. MacFarlane
Raymond Huntley Nathaniel Beenstock
Jack Howarth Tubby Wadlow
Herbert C. Walton Printer
Richard Wattis Albert Presser
Technical Credits
David Lean Director, Producer, Screenwriter
John Armstrong Costumes/Costume Designer
Wynyard Browne Screenwriter
Jack Hildyard Cinematographer
Muir Mathieson Musical Direction/Supervision
Wilfred Shingleton Production Designer
Norman Spencer Screenwriter
Peter Taylor Editor
Malcolm Arnold Score Composer
Read More Show Less

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Hobson's Choice
1. Opening [5:13]
2. Hobson's Girls [9:24]
3. No Settlements [6:12]
4. A Working Partnership [7:37]
5. Daylight Robbery [7:22]
6. Capital [11:25]
7. Big Fish [10:11]
8. Wedding Day [7:26]
9. A Free Man [12:47]
10. Wedding Night [9:00]
11. A Clean Slate [8:55]
12. Mossop & Hobson [12:25]
Read More Show Less

Menu

Disc #1 -- Hobson's Choice
   Play The Movie
   Chapters
      Color Bars
   Commentary
      Genre Expectations
      Power Dynamics
      Protofeminist
      Dreams
      Visual Puns
      Larger Than Life
      Dissolution
      Music
      Diminished Capacity
      Jitters
      Springboard
      In Control
      Color Bars
      Commentary: Off/On
   Trailer
   The Hollywood Greats: Charles Laughton
      Play
      Index
         "It Was All Enormous"
         Acting and Elsa
         Inferiority Complex
         Roses From Garbage Heaps
         New Directions
         Last Acts
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 12 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(8)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 12 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    My favorite David Lean movie. My Favorite Charles Laughton performance.

    This film is light in touch yet deep in competence. David Lean may be better known for his direction of Great Expectations, Bridge on the River Kwai, Lauwrence of Arabia and others, however he never showed a more refined touch than with this film, Hobson's Choice. The performances are all around superb. John Mills is delightful. Brenda de Banzie is inspirational and Prunella Scales (best known in America as Mrs. Fawlty of "Fawlty Towers") is hilarious. Each of these performers, along with others in the supporting cast, make this movie worth watching several times but it is Charles Laughton's, Hobson, that shines brightest. A truly magnificent performance. He stretches the realm of possibility just to the breaking point and lets go with an elasticity rarely seen. He's Chaplin, Michel Simon and a circus bear all wrapped up in a seamless and perfect portrayal of a likeable tyrant. The musical score by Malcolm Arnold is amazing. The lighting and cinematography by Jack Hildyard are sublime and seductive. Great location shots. I love this film and enjoy watching it over and over.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Excellent Choice

    An essential film for fans of Charles Laughton. The story is charming and very witty. John Mills and Brenda de Banzie give sterling performances, and the quiet determination of their characters is the
    perfect foil for Laughton's bellicose, outrageously overbearing Hobson.
    If you like the wry humor of British cinema, you will love this film.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Hobson was between a rock and a hard place.

    This film has long been a family favorite. It is wonderful to have this pristine copy on dvd. The performances are off the charts good. I would loan Will Mossup the money any day of the week. Check it out.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 9, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 12, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 31, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 10, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 16, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 17, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 26, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 11, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 5, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 12 Customer Reviews