Hobson's Choice (1954)

Hobson's Choice

Medium: Film
Director: David Lean
Country: United Kingdom
Released: 1954
First Consumed: April 9,2012
Format: Hulu Streaming (via PS3)
Rating: 8/10

I believe Hobson's Choice was one of David Lean's only comedies. That's a shame, as based on the film, he had quite a knack for it. Or maybe it's not such a shame. His dramas and epics are all fantastic. Maybe Hobson's Choice (and Blithe Spirit, which I've not seen) is just a nice change of pace of the master.

The great Charles Laughton inhabits the titular role of a domineering and drunken patriarch who tries to marry off his younger daughters and force the eldest (Brenda De Banzie) into running his boot store while he gets plastered down at the pub. Banzie's inherited some of her father's more bossy and controlling traits but has them balanced with a real intelligence and cunning. Watching her dismantle her father's plans, and then his business is the real joy of watching Hobson's Choice.

Well, that and Charles Laughton. He's not just the buffoon the above poster makes him out to be.