Laughton’s outstanding performance is overshadowed only by one: John Mills as mentally stunted Willie Mossop, a humble, ambitionless man with a great talent for boot making. Mills portrays the simple charm of the dimwitted boot hand with extreme precision, and, along with furtive glances and exaggerated stammer, gives a shining performance as illiterate Salford-born Willie. Throughout the performance Mills excels, from the moment we see him in Act one as the rabbit-like shadow of a man, to the final scene where Willie has become a confident assertive businessman, the product of fine tutoring by capable wife Maggie. In my opinion, the final scene is where Mills really shines. Seeing him give his proud speech to Hobson about how he’s the “owner of a business that is starving yours to death”, winning a partnership in Hobson’s shop, then winning an argument with his wife (a great achievement in itself) really show how much Willie has grown in confidence, but when Hobson leaves Mills switches smoothly back to the same simple old Willie, worried that he “bore on him too hard”. This performance really proves that Mills is an actor of great prowess, and equals the stature of Laughton easily.
The part of ambitious “old maid” Maggie was played by Brenda de Banzie. Maggie is unusual for women of her time because she frequently speaks her mind, and women of that time were expected to be seen and not heard. Unlike her other sisters, Alice and Vicky, Maggie is very calm and collected when dealing with the ramblings of her father, and also has a good head for business. She almost single-handedly runs her father’s boot shop, and without her the business would almost certainly fall apart. De Banzie’s manner while playing Maggie is very much like that of a strict head teacher, but she has a softer side, as we see later on in the performance. Maggie’s curt manner is performed superbly by de Banzie, as is her stubborn and determined nature. When her father announces that she’s “past marrying age” she seems determined to prove him wrong, and she does: not only does she marry Willie Mossop, but she sets up her own boot making business, which prospers and even starts to rival the great Hobson’s. She reveals her softer side, though, when we see her glowing with pride in the final act, when Willie is successfully “high-handed” with Hobson, Alice and Vicky.
As well as the three main characters (Hobson, Willie and Maggie) there are other minor characters that make the finesse of the adaptation complete, and who are no less important. Daphne Anderson and Prunella Scales are wonderful as Hobson’s snobbish, almost spoilt younger daughters Alice and Vicky. Derek Blomfield plays the part of Freddy Beenstock, husband of Vicky and son of a wealthy businessman. Richard Wattis plays the part of Albert Prosser, husband of Alice and a successful lawyer. Joseph Tomelty, Gibb McLaughlin and Philip Stainton are excellent as drunken comrades of fellow boozer Hobson.
Certain things had to be added to the film adaptation of Hobson’s Choice, and some things had to be removed. In the performance, the part where Hobson is chasing the moon in the puddles has been added, as it is not in the play. The purpose of this little addition was, I think, to emphasise Hobson’s drunkenness. The length of Dr MacFarlane’s part has been shortened substantially, although I can’t understand why, as Dr MacFarlane is one of the best characters (in my opinion). As well as a few additions and subtractions some things have been altered slightly. For example, on Willie and Maggie’s wedding night the performance shows Willie marching boldly into the bedroom, but in the play Maggie has to drag him in by the ear.
Although they are a pretty important feature, a production doesn’t just consist of a bunch of actors, and if one did it wouldn’t be very successful, no matter how good the actors. A variety of other things are needed: music, sets, costumes, special effects, that sort of thing. All of these things are used in Lean’s production. The music, although sounding slightly dated, matches the feel of the film perfectly. On Willie’s wedding night, for example, the music turns into an important piece of the comedy. Just as Willie is about to march into the bedroom music swells up ominously, then suddenly changes into a sort of military piece as Willie strides valiantly into the unknown. The sets represent Victorian Salford: not a particularly lavish place, more adequately described as sombre (bordering on depressing), and are quite realistic. The costumes are realistically Victorian, and those who cannot determine this by eye will be able to guess when Hobson starts complaining about the bustles that Alice and Vicky wear. The special effects in the performance are few, and are nowhere near as impressive as modern SFX, but, considering this performance was filmed in 1954, the effects compliment the rest of the performance perfectly. The part where Hobson is delusional due to his many years of heavy drinking is a perfect example of the effects in Hobson’s Choice, because in that scene Hobson imagines he sees a swarm of mosquitoes attacking him, and then imagines a man-sized rabbit at the foot of his bed.
Overall I think that David Lean’s adaptation of Harold Brighouse’s Hobson’s Choice is a marvel of its time. It sticks to the play almost word for word, and with the small changes that have been made the conversion from book to screen worked perfectly (although I think that Dr MacFarlane’s role in this performance ends much too abruptly). The conflicting personalities of Hobson and Maggie are brought to life marvellously by Laughton and de Banzie, while John Mill’s timid Willie Mossop is stuck hopelessly in the middle. The grim streets of Victorian Salford make for the perfect background of this macabre slice of urban drama, while the comical antics of its residents lighten the atmosphere, making the genre of this performance somewhat enigmatic: comedy or drama? Whatever it is, it is certainly an intelligent piece of work (Hobson’s entrapment by eldest daughter Maggie so that he is forced to award her and her sisters financial settlements is exceptionally clever), and Lean should be congratulated.
Matthew Gibson, B10.