If anything, this Criterion Collection DVD release of David Lean's unsung comedy opus Hobson's Choice allows for cineastes who only associate the director's output with larger-than-life panoramas to see that the smaller, more intimate of Lean's films are just as punchy as his masterworks. Criterion has done a great job of this for years now, focusing on Lean's Dickens classics (Great Expectations, Oliver Twist) as well as his glorious adaptation of Noel Coward's Brief Encounter and the late-career Summertime, allowing for a marvelous inspection of the filmmaker's irreplacable talents without setting foot in Arabia on on the River Kwai.
Yet where other Lean Criterions veer into dramatic territories, Hobson's Choice allows us an opportunity to watch the director effortlessly flex his muscles in the land of grandiose, play-to-the-back-row comedy, thanks largely in part to one Mr. Charles Laughton. The robust thespian here plays Henry Hobson, an owner of a local boot shop and father to the lovely and sassy young Maggie (Brenda De Banzie). In fairly preditable fashion, we quickly learn that Maggie has different theories about life than her curmudgeonly old man, especially when it comes to her beloved beau, Henry's own boot protege, Will (John Mills). Long story short: Maggie and Henry get in a monster of a fight about loyalties, dreams and responsibilities that really gets the blood pumping into Hobson's Choice ever-escalating comic escapades.
What the film ends up becoming is an astutely goofy treatise on the rollercoaster ride that all of us take on that grand road called 'family'. Lean, never a devout moralist (at least in his films), portrays very little interest in discerning who's right and wrong in the Henry/Maggie conflicts: He simply wants to tap into a kind of in-fighting fisticuffs that most everyone can identify with in order to exploit it for all the comedy it can provide. And the results are quite powerful.
At the end of the day, though, what really impresses about Hobson's Choice (Lean's last film before Summertime and The Bridge on the River Kwai) is its quiet elegance. Even with Laughton's bawdy, over-the-top performance, Lean's usage of camera and editing pace is nothing short of majestic. The commentary track on this DVD (more on that later) gives away some of the rules of the game Lean gleamed from Noel Coward when he put the film together, but both on an experiential and analytical level, Hobson's Choice has a fluidity about it that wows.
David Lean went on to make better, more iconic films after this one, but as a standalone comedy as well as a fascinating benchmark in an incontrivertibly astonishing filmmaking career, Hobson's Choice on Criterion DVD is a marvelous time capsule.
You'll laugh your ass off, too.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The 1.33:1 presentation of Hobson's Choice on this DVD release is exceptional, considering the film's age. First and foremost, the film is as clean as a whistle - this writer tried keeping a stickler's eye on the presence of dirt and grime on the film's transfer print, but this is as clean a British film from the 50s as I've ever seen. Black levels are thorough and consistent, finely detailed textures are crisply presented, and constrast is maintained excellently. Impressive.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
There's nothing to applaud or nitpick on this mono English sound track: It's totally appropriate. Dialogue, music and effects elements all come through in a somewhat compromised fashion, but that's more due to the mono trappings of the film's age than to any technical trappings of DVD. Again, nothing mind-blowing, but I doubt things could get much better.
The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The screen-specific audio commentary here from scholars Alain Silver and James Ursini is a treasure trove for Lean-freaks like myself, but for anyone who doesn't have an encyclopedic interest in the filmmaker's early work, this one might get a bit dry.
Also included here is a thorough documentary entitled The Hollywood Greats: Charles Laughton that looks at the actor's tumultuous life and times, as well as the movie's original trailer.
Final Thoughts
A splendid movie with exceptional video and audio quality on DVD, Hobson's Choice is an easy title to recommend. Extras are few, but for Lean-lovers, they are rich indeed. A classic. Mike says check it out.
