Directed by: RowanJoffe

Certificate: 15

Running time: 111minsRelease date: 4February2011

Synopsis:It is1964andseventeen–year-oldPinkieBrown is fully immersed in theviolenceandcorruption of Brighton’s gangs. He brutally murders a rival, Fred Hale, as an act ofvengeancebutquickly realises thathemayhave lefta trail that leaveshimextremelyvulnerable.Anervouswaitress,Rose,couldruineverythingforPinkieandhemustdecidehowbesttokeepherquiet.

These Study Notes are suitable for students of Media, Film and English and related subjects at GCSE, A Level and equivalent.

Brighton RockStudy Notes

©OptimumReleasing

1

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

Before ViewingBrighton Rock isanewadaptationofa1938novelbyGrahamGreene.Thenovelhaspreviously been adapted for the screen in the classic 1947 version directed by JohnBoulting.Thedirector,RowanJoffemayhavebeendrawntothenovelbecauseofwhatiswidelyrecognisedasGreene’scinematicwritingstyle.

z Whatwouldyourattitudebetowardswatchinga1947blackandwhitefilm?Towhatextentdoyouagreethatfilmsneedtobere-made(ornovelsre-adapted)iftheirstoriesaregoingtoliveonforyoungaudiences?z Whatdoyouthinkismeantbya‘cinematicwritingstyle’?Lookatthenovelandseeifyoucanidentifysomeexamplesofthisstyle.

After Viewing

A New Time Period

Thefilmsetstheactionin1964ratherthanthelate1930s,whenthenovelwaswritten.1964sawmanyinstancesofviolencebetweengangsofmodsandrockers.Thisviolenceformsabackdroptothemainnarrativeinthefilm.

z WhydoyouthinkJoffedecidedtochangethesettingofthefilminthisway?z Dothe‘modsandrockers’scenessimplyadornthefilmorcouldyouarguethattheycontributesubstantiallytotheimpactofthefilmanditsideas?z JoffehassaidthathetriedtowriteatreatmentthatsetthestoryincontemporaryBritain.Whydoyouthinkhediscoveredthatthissimplydidnotwork?z Lookcarefullyatpromotionalpostersforthefilmontheinternet.Towhatextentisitpossibletoidentifythefilm’stimeperiodfromtheposters?Whatdoyouthinkthistellsusaboutthemarketingstrategy,particularlyasfarasyoungpeopleareconcerned?

Setting and Production Design

PeterBradshawinTheGuardiandescribesthesettingas‘A tatty, cosmically temporary day-trippers’ and dirty-weekenders’ sort of place, whose promised pleasures always turn out to be fleeting and disappointing like a pier, giving way to desperate ennui in the face of death, lapping eternally like Brighton’s deeply uninviting sea.’¹

2

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

3

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

z Howimportantdoyouthinkthesettingandproductiondesignareintermsofthefilm’soverallimpact?CouldthefilmworkequallywellinalargecitylikeLondon?z Pinkie’s violentmurder of FredHale is intercutwith shots of deckchairs andchildrenbouncingontrampolines.Howdoesthisjuxtapositionfitwiththeoverall

representationofBrightonandthefilm’sideasofinnocenceandcorruption?z Compare thedesignof thehotel and thedark anddingy roomsoccupiedbyPinkie’sgang.Howarethesescenesshotdifferently?Whatdoesthiscontrastsayaboutthecompetingclaimsofthetwogangsandthecontrastbetweentheoldworldandthenew?

Rose

Joffehasarguedthat1964wasaparticularlyimportantyearinwhatissometimesreferredtoas‘the invention of the teenager’.Thiswasatimewhenyoungpeopleswepttheoldworldasideastheyembracednew-foundsexualfreedoms.AsColleonisaysinthefilm‘Brighton’sonthemove…She’snotwhatsheusedtobe’.

z InwhatwaysdoesthecharacterofRoseembodythismovefromtheoldworldtothemodernworld?z Howisshetransformedasthefilmdevelops?z Whatroledoescostumeandmake-uphaveinemphasisingherblossomingsexuality?

Joffesuggests that in the1947filmversionRosewasaverypassivecharacter;Joffeaimed tocreateamore roundedanddevelopedRose inhisversionof thefilm.Writeacharacter sketch forRosewhichJoffemighthaveprepared forhisactress,AndreaRiseborough,inwhichyououtlinesomeofthemotivationsandfeelingsatworkinherrelationshipwithPinkie.

The Ending

Thefilmhasbeencriticisedinsomequartersforimitatingtheclosingshotsofthe1947filmratherthanremainingtruetothenovel.²Attheendofthenovel,RoseisonherwaytolistentoPinkie’srecordingandtoface‘theworsthorrorofall’.Thereisnoreprieve.Therecordgettingstuckonthewords‘Iloveyou’isnotinthenovelandwasintroducedbyGreene(whowrotethescreenplay)aftersomepressurefromthecensor.

z Whatdidyoufeeltheendingsignified?Inparticular,whatdoyouunderstandbythecameramovingfromtherecordplayertothecrossonthewall?z WhydoyouthinkJoffepreferredtoend likethis, ratherthan,as inthenovel,withRosebleaklyfacing‘theworsthorrorofall’?

4

©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

1. Peter Bradshaw’s review of Brighton Rock, available athttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/feb/03/brighton-rock-review

2. Andrew M Brown ‘The mystery of what happened to Brighton Rock’s harrowing ending’, available athttp://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewmcfbrown/100073571/the-mystery-of-what-happened-to-brighton-rocks-harrowing-ending/

Written by Adam Robbins