Classsic Gangsterism
So much has already been said of this film its pointless to type out the story but this is absolutely without shadow of a doubt the finest British gangster film ever made and one of the greatest British films ever made. Richard Attenborough was very almost typecast as hoodlums and gangsters (the hundred pound window, London belongs to me, boys in brown, dancing with crime) his performance here is not uncagney like (via public enemy) phycotic seething brooding filled with rage fear hate and despair. He seems to bear a grudge against religious and authoritative figures he also appears to be homosexual in one scene he goes berserk to find fellow gang members and their girlfriends drinking and acting flirtatious and promiscuous he even threatens to kill when a fellow gangster says his wife is going to make a man of him on their wedding night and then the next morning after their wedding night he hasn't slept with his wife. his best friend tells her "not to worry hes just busy hes got stuff on his mind" she tells pinkies best friend "i don't want to be on his mind ever i just want be with him" implying she hasn't 'BEEN' with him in fact by the end of the film I'm not sure he has slept with her at all. You can fill in the blanks why does a 17 year old lad wind up this vicious and angry where are his parents what lead him to the place where he is now why the hatred toward religion ? even his nick name pinky brown... you have to wonder ... the relationships hes forged with other members of the gang are quite interesting also the former leader seems to have been somewhat of a father figure to pinky and hes trying to forge that same relationship with Dallow (william hartnel) who is clearly the brains of the outfit and would be the leader of the mob if he wasn't scared of pinky as everyone is he knows fine well what pinky is capable of he gets a good indication in the first few minutes of the film. Pinky isn't used of people standing up to him and not fearing him he doesn't like the fact the town is now increasingly ran by colleani he hates it and the rest of the mob know if it wasn't for pinkies murderous reputation they'd be finished. Pinkies relationship with women also worth noting the only time he shows his wife anything but hostility is when hes hurt and wants mothering.1947 Was the year england took America's crown albeit briefly as the worlds finest producer of gangster films as this They Made Me A Fugitive and Black Memory stormed onto British screens, we had previously had a few films that dealt with small scale gangsters (the man from Chicago) and young hoodlums (bad boy) but we had always been weary of the kind of film America had been producing in fact the British censors blocked an attempt to produce a screen version of the play The Blue Cafe which dealt with organised crime in London's seedy Soho district and No Orchids For Mss Blandish was filmed in America complete with fake American accents but here finally in 1947 we were treat to a reflection of our own homegrown gangsters on screen no there's no ring of tommy gun fire but believe me the violence and sheer darkness of these films are just as gripping intense and shocking.
To those who question attenboroughs legitimacy as a 17 year old saying hes unbelievable i say that its a cultural difference here people leave school at 16 (at the earliest) they can leave home get a job and start a family in fact i know people doing that right now and back then people were leaving school at 14 so yes attenboroughs performance is actually a lot more believable than you'd give it credit for.
Flat out Masterpiece !!!
score 10/10
yourstruly2010 7 July 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2277724/35344
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