Hobson's Choice
Sidewalks of London
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Hobson's Choice
Directed by David Lean.
With Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda de Banzie.
UK, 1954, 35mm, black & white, 107 min.
Print source: Harvard Film Archive
A stubborn, widowed bootmaker (Laughton) lords over his employees and his three daughters while they keep his business operational and he spends his days at the pub. When his eldest daughter (de Banzie), once dismissed by her father as a spinster, falls for a bootmaking apprentice (the late John Mills), the patriarch finds his unstable world challenged by the new couple, who set up a rival boot shop. Harold Brighouse's stage play was adapted for the screen twice before David Lean offered his unique spin on this Victorian-era drama.
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Sidewalks of London (AKA St. Martin's Lane)
Directed by Tim Whelan.
With Charles Laughton, Vivian Leigh, Rex Harrison.
UK, 1938, 35mm, black & white, 85 min.
Print source: Harvard Film Archive
Charles Laughton and Vivien Leigh star as street musicians performing on the sidewalks of London's theater district. Laughton's world-weary busker takes Leigh's homeless waif under his wing and helps her refine her struggling act. When she catches the eye of an opportunistic theater owner (Harrison), her star quickly rises while her former partner continues to toil in the streets. Although written specifically for the talents of Laughton, who gives one of his finest performances, the film features a compelling turn from Leigh as a morally conflicted performer.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Ballad of a Soldier / The Forty-First
Nightfall / Great Day in the Morning
Verboten! / Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street
I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name / The Jokers
Hearts of the World / True Heart Susie
Anna Christie / The Long Voyage Home
Suddenly Last Summer / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Quiet Days in Clichy / Henry and June
The Freshman / The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sheep Has Five Legs / The Law is the Law
Hobson's Choice / Sidewalks of London
I Know Where I'm Going / Outcast of the Islands
An Inspector Calls / The Belles of St. Trinian's
Mother Joan of the Angels / Thérèse
Dawn of the Dead / Strange Behavior
