[Inspector Abberline]

Brighton Rock (1947)

Before I had seen Brighton Rock,it had never occurred to me that there was this British underclass,and a British gangster film,especially considering this is set in the 1930's. I suppose we are more use to American films,with Cagney and the whole history of prohibition. The film is based on the gangs that frequented the race tracks of Brighton and this is summoned really welll in the scene where Pinkie (Richard Attenborough) betrays one of his own gang Wylie Watson as Spicer, unfortunately for Pinkie the surrounding mob not only attack Spicer but also Pinkie,its a tremendously ominously scene,as the mass mob surround there victims with straight razors. And set around the slum like housing that Pinkie and his gang live,is the bright lights of Brighton Pier and the sea front,where all the holiday makers verge,not knowing that there is gang war about to erupt. Its a marvelous look at another kind of England,one which without the likes of Ealing films and The Boulting Brothers,we would probably never see.Its fascinating looking at the British criminal class at this period in time,but the films main story is the romance between Pinkie and Carol Marsh as Rose Brown,Pinkie's only reason to court Rose is that she would not be able to testify against her husband ( obviously a loop hole in the law which I assume no longer exists) .But poor old Rose is seemingly blind to Pinkie's psychotic behavior and its her love for Pinkie that make's the ending ever so tragic. Of course like all bullies Pinkie is eventually found out to be the coward he really is, Richard Attenborough's portrayal of Pinkie is a flawless piece of work,Before DeNiro cornered the market with his gangster portrayals, Attenborough managed to portray someone as equally brutal as his American counterparts at the time,not until 10 Rillington Place would he be this evil again. I must get around to reading the Graham Greene novel.