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Hobson's Choice

Directed by David Lean

Sidewalks of London

Directed by Tim Whelan
Screening on Film
  • Hobson's Choice

    Directed by David Lean.
    With Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda de Banzie.
    UK, 1954, 35mm, black & white, 107 min.
    Print source: HFA

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.

  • 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: HFA

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.

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Rosine Mbakam, 2025 McMillan-Stewart Fellow