Introduction

                               Welcome to Stuart Fernie’s Blog

Please scroll down or find on the right links to articles, pages of reflections on films and books, and occasional pieces of short fiction.

Articles include discussion of the influence of existentialism in society today, anxiety, professional criteria and essential attributes in teaching, professionalism versus careerism, thoughts on the meaning of "success" and "worth", "Hobson's Choice", "Quai des Orfèvres", "Le Corbeau", "The Wages of Fear", advice and questions to assist in the writing of essays about films, thoughts on Proportion and Self-respect, "The Offence", "Trainspotting", "Three Days of the Condor", "Spotlight", "Good Night and Good Luck", "The Count of Monte Cristo" (French version, 2024), "Midnight Express", Jason Bourne, Advocating Arts and Humanities, "Heaven's Gate", "Civil War", "The Ghost and Mrs Muir", "Ad Astra", Duality in 19th century literature, "Living", "Hell in the Pacific", "Point Blank", "Vera Cruz", "Dr Strange in the Multiverse", my interpretation of "Il faut cultiver notre jardin", "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources", "Drive my car", "The Batman", the place of acting in society, thoughts about religion and fate, "The Banshees of Inisherin", "Full Metal Jacket", "The Bishop's Wife", "Moliere", "Les Fleurs du Mal", "Soylent Green", "Bad Day at Black Rock", "The First Great Train Robbery", The Dreyfus Affair, "Persona", "The Seventh Seal", "A Clockwork Orange", "Night Moves", "Lonely are the Brave", "In the heat of the night", "The League of Gentlemen" (1960), thoughts on the nature of film noir, "Star Trek", "Seven Days in May", "Dead Poets Society", "Good Will Hunting", "Callan", "The Hill", "Cool Hand Luke", "The Hustler", "Road to Perdition", "The Verdict", "Three Colour Trilogy", "Jojo Rabbit", "Jeremiah Johnson", "Collateral", "Joker", "Barry Lyndon", "The Bridge at Remagen", "Le Mans '66 (Ford v Ferrari)", Charles Foster Kane ("Citizen Kane"), "The Deer Hunter", "Highlander", "No Country for Old Men", "Gattaca", "The Adventures of Robin Hood"(1938), "Apocalypse Now", "Spartacus", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Long Good Friday", "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", "The Third Man", "Finding Forrester", "The Outlaw Josey Wales", "Untouchable" (2011),"Unforgiven", "The Manchurian Candidate", "The Wild Bunch", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", "Papillon" (1973), "Public Eye", "Existentialism in society today", "Seven Samurai", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Don Quixote", "We're No Angels", "The African Queen", "Babette's Feast", "War for the Planet of the Apes", "Dunkirk", “Dances With Wolves”, “Inherit The Wind” and “The Prisoner”. 

A link to my YouTube channel with video presentations of a number of my pages.

After I retired from teaching, I thought I’d write my memoirs, “What have I done?”, and present them online. Please find links to these memoirs, some French support pages and reflections on "Les Misérables" below.

I can be contacted through the comments sections or at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk

Other blogs available:

French Support Pages

Discussion of “Les Misérables”

Tales of teaching – memoirs of a former French teacher

All intellectual property rights reserved

Characters and themes in David Lean’s “Hobson’s Choice”

 

Reflections on “Hobson’s Choice”

Directed by David Lean

Screenplay by David Lean, Norman Spencer and Wynard Browne

Based on the play by Harold Brighouse

Starring Charles Laughton, John Mills and Brenda de Banzie

 

“Hobson’s Choice” is a deceptively simple tale which manages to say a great deal about the historical place of women in society (contrasting with their true value) and the nature of successful relationships in terms of marriage and business. It is a light-hearted drama or affectionate satire which mocks and gently derides the capitalist and patriarchal Victorian society of the late 1800s, or indeed any society in which figures of authority exploit or abuse their staff or families, yet are dependent on their efforts for their own wealth and success.

The main character, bootmaker Henry Hobson, displays a haughty disregard for his employees whose skills and efforts are requisite to and underpin his business, and this attitude extends to the exploitation of his three daughters on whom he depends for the successful running of his commercial interests but whose lives, careers and loves are sacrificed to the maintenance of his own position and comfort. Henry is somewhat selfish and self-indulgent, and refuses to recognise the essential contribution made by oldest daughter Maggie to the success of his business, except in the company of friends to whom he confides that she is too useful to lose.

His two younger daughters are keen to marry and have families of their own, principally to escape the family home, but Maggie, insulted by her father’s dismissal of her marriage prospects at the ripe old age of thirty, is driven not just to choose a partner in life but also to teach her father a lesson in commerce and in parenting.

Apart from presenting a decidedly feminist approach, playwright Brighouse and director Lean also use this tale to explore the dawn of self-respect and self-worth in the working classes whose skilled labour played an essential part in the success of middle-class businesses. Will Mossop, Hobson’s highly talented but taken for granted bootmaker is taught self-esteem, the value of merited respect and eventually love by Maggie who sees his potential as a business and life partner. It appears that marriage may be viewed not just as an idealistic union of love-crossed individuals, but perhaps as a commercial partnership or means of escape from social expectation to build one’s own life. As is so often the case in stories of this nature, Will evolves as a result of Maggie’s tutelage and interest – he requires her steady and intelligent vision to help him fulfil his potential, but the consequences are mutually beneficial and their relationship develops into a true, equal and loving partnership.

Given Henry’s apparent slide into alcoholism and his attitudes, it struck me that he couldn’t have built a successful business with such an outlook, and then I remembered his wife died some years before. Could it be that his wife directed him in the same way that Maggie will guide Will, and after her death Henry became a little lost? His dependence on Maggie may reflect a similar dependence on his wife, though, as with Maggie, he would never have admitted it. That would also explain where Maggie gets her strength and determination from. Of course, the two younger sisters don’t show the same characteristics but maybe that’s because Maggie was older and had more time with her mother.

The film is made very much in the style of gentle British social comedies of the time (the 1950s) and is vaguely reminiscent of the style of Molière, the 17^th century French comic playwright who more or less invented comedic drama, specialising in making serious points but using comedy rather than melodrama to make them. Instead of inviting anger and indignation at the situations of the “victims”, Brighouse and Lean make the antagonist the butt of humour and mockery while also gently pointing out Will’s foibles, evolution and fulfilment in the hands of the feminist and intelligent Maggie.

Presenting the drama in this way has the effect of “battling from within” as the audience is invited to recognise character strengths and weaknesses in a familiar and engaging way rather than through dramatic extremes of unfamiliar and exaggerated conflict and are therefore more likely to find it persuasive and appealing. Essentially, comedy undermines while drama attacks.

The comic tone of the piece is set from the very start with Malcolm Arnold’s oh-so-catchy and comical theme tune – the audience knows instantly what tone to expect and this is confirmed by Laughton’s playing for laughs. We are being invited to relax and enjoy Brighouse and Lean’s pertinent observations on society without tension, anxiety or melodrama.

That said, the film makes serious points about the role of women in the structure of society and in inspiring people (usually men) to achieve their potential. Maggie is the backbone of her father’s business but, in keeping with the position of women in society at that time, she received little or no recognition for it. Her strength, determination and love inspire Will to achieve far more than he would ever have done without her influence, yet she would never have done so well without Will, either. She is the spirit while he is the practical, and together they make a whole, yet her attitude seems to soften as Will becomes more assertive and independent. Perhaps respect and affection are augmented by pride as she sees the results of her labours.

As a result of Maggie’s cunning intervention, Henry is left with no real choice and is forced to provide financial settlements for his younger daughters’ marriages, and to recognise the value of Will’s contribution to his business. With Will, he forms what amounts to a commercial union between capitalist management and skilled workforce, with each element receiving recognition for the value of their input. Perhaps Brighouse saw this formula as something business ventures across the country could aspire to…

Sharply and knowingly directed by David Lean, “Hobson’s Choice” is beautifully acted by all involved but particular credit must go to Charles Laughton who manages to maintain audience sympathy for the very character who is also the target of derision, and John Mills who conveys innocence, vulnerability and nascent self-respect with consummate ease and charm.

 

My thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.

Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)

 

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