Brighton Rock

Although the movie was true to the novel (It should be because Graham Greene co-wrote the screenplay), the film version was limited to filming standards and audiences in 1947. However the movie made the plot clearer and compressed the story into a few days, while the books timeline was longer and included additional elements that added to the story. The acting and filmography were well done for the times and focused on the plotline and a more ambiguous ending. The drama is consistent with many of the darker-toned movies of the post-World-War II era. Richard Attenboroughs performance made the film believable, but it appears that Carol Marsh, who played Rose, felt traumatized by the production efforts for undisclosed reasons. If you are a Graham Greene follower or a fan of Film Noir movies, then this is a good bet. The filming seems to reflect well the 1930s context of the authors novel setting. In todays world, the movie is a bit too dated, unless you have memories of or interest in the time period.

The new version of this film was much much better. This is too old fashioned a production. Hammy and cornball compared to the new film version. Julian Wasser

Brighton Rock, (1947) is a classic 92-minute black and white film noir adaptation of outstanding British author Graham Greenes classic, early career, downbeat novel of the same name,

Classic British Noir. Attenborough is Britains answer to Richard Widmark in this. Since he typically played a nice guy later in life, it has tremendous impact.

My favourite movie, I watch it over and over and over ~ its a film noir, that does not fail!!!

Great classic

Attenborough is truly scary in this story. Unemotional thug who abhors feelings of any kind. Carol Marsh is absolutely outstanding as the naive waitress.

Excellent example of the noire genre. Close to the original book, although the book captures much more of each characters inner conflict. Still, this abbreviated film form is more accessible for those too busy or lazy to read the book.

Complex, disturbing noir character study/thriller about a 17 year old baby-faced gang leader named `Pinky, played by the director-to-be Richard Attenborough in an astonishing performance. Based on a Graham Greene novel, and co-written by Green and Terrence Rattigan (The Browning Version, The Winslow Boy), Pinky is a tremendously complex character, a sociopath to be sure, but one with a heart still beating somewhere deep down inside. Tortured by his Catholic upbringing, and repressed sexually, he vents his teen angst in violence that becomes increasingly uncontrollable, while finding his heart touched in spite of himself by a girl he marries ostensibly just to keep her from giving evidence against him. This is a tough picture, no Hollywood softened edges here. And arguably one of the better gangster films ever made.

This is a terrific film, and you cant get it on disk in the US. Read about it on allmovie.com.