Audience Rating: Parental Guidance
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5099990001123
Format: Black & White, PAL
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 12, 1999
Running Time: 88 minutes
Sales Rank: 4580
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1947-12

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Hard to imagine now but long before Richard Attenborough became Lord Dickie, benevolent patriarch of British moviedom, he specialised in playing weaselly little thugs and punks. Brighton Rock, adapted from Graham Greene's classic novel, offered him one of his best early roles as Pinkie, juvenile leader of a seedy gang of racetrack crooks in the Sussex seaside town. When it seems an innocent young waitress may know too much about one of their killings, Pinkie decides to keep her quiet by marrying her. But in Greene's world of guilt-ridden Catholicism and inexorable doom, it was never going to be that easy.

Is the famous twist ending a cop-out? That depends just how much irony you read into it. But the Brighton atmosphere, all tawdry gaiety shot through with a crackling undercurrent of fear, is so vivid you can smell it. Made with a cool, dispassionate eye by the Boulting Brothers (before they turned jokey with the likes of I'm Alright Jack, for instance) and superbly shot by Harry Waxman, this is one of Britain's few great contributions to the noir thriller cycle. Young Dickie, twitchy, vicious and terrified, is a revelation--and don't miss William Hartnell, the original Dr Who, as his cynical sidekick. --Philip Kemp

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Rightly regarded as a genuine classic of British cinema, Brighton Rock has stood the test of time remarkably well to emerge as a tense, original thriller. Although there is much that is old-fashioned here (particularly the less than convincing East End accents), the tale of feuding gangster factions holds up favourably compared to modern-day efforts. In place of the now all-too-familiar violence is a quiet, brooding menace with much of the black and white film shot in the dark shadows of the underworld. Richard Attenborough holds it all together with his remarkable portrayal of young gangster Pinkie, exuding a threatening aura while often saying very little. Not surprisingly, given its base in Graham Greene's famous novel, the film has an exceptionally strong storyline that is matched by the directions and performances. A good lesson in timeless film making.

On the DVD: Brighton Rock on disc sadly is a package with nothing to offer over the standard video release. The black and white footage shows little sign of remastering, nor does the soundtrack. There are no extras whatsoever—this is surely a massive oversight given the classic nature of the film itself. --Phil Udell




Rating: - Fantastic
Tense and fast paced from the start, with superb cinematography, and strong performances, this is not what you expect from a 1947 British film. What you expect is plummy accents and melodramatic performances - and you get some of that from the Ida Arnold character - but the central performances from Richard Attenborough, Carol Marsh and William Hartnell are superb. The film is every bit as good as "The Third Man" with Attenborough probably outclassing Orson Welles. A classic and as good as any British ... Read More

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Rating: - A fine, cold-blooded movie with Richard Attenborough by way of Graham Greene
We make our own sordid hell and then we live in it, and the innocents among us deserve what they get because they can't tell the difference. Not exactly Graham Greene with his Catholic conflicts, but this excellent film written by Greene (and Terence Rattigan) from Greene's novel certainly sets up the issues. Brighton Rock is an excellent movie, scarcely dated, and features one of Richard Attenborough's most effective performances. His Pinkie Brown will wipe away all those avuncular grandfathers and Santas ... Read More

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Rating: - Graham Greene's novel in a very fine screen adaptation.
I first saw "Brighton Rock" on its first release in 1947 and it has been a favourite ever since although I cannot agree with the British Film Institute who in 1999 voted it the fifteenth best British film ever made.

An incredibly young Richard Attenborough brilliantly portrays the vicious Pinkie Brown juvenile leader of a Brighton race track gang in the 1930s, gangs that existed in real life enforcing protection racket payments with cut throat razors.

The gang members are well cast, ... Read More

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Rating: - "What Do All These Athiests Know About Hell" - Pinky Brown
`Brighton Rock' is essentially a tale of a teenage gangster, Pinkie Brown, and his attempts to silence a potential witness, Rose, to a crime. John Boulting (Thunder Rock, 1942; I'm All Right Jack, 1959) directed it in 1947 and was producer by his twin brother Roy. The screenplay was adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same name by Terence Rattigan. There are significant differences at the ending of the film in relation to the novel (the book is more brutal) but I think that it takes nothing away from ... Read More

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Rating: - Like "GoodFellas"-on-sea
"Brighton Rock" still stands the test of time fairly well, largely due to a memorable performance by Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown, a vicious and thoroughly unpleasant gangster in 1930's Brighton. His menacing presence pervades this film from start to finish as his murderous exploits lead him into a relationship with a naive waitress who is a potential witness to a crime he committed and into conflict with rival gangsters and a determined Mrs Marple figure. There are religious overtones to the film, with ... Read More

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