Seeing the great British comedy Hobson’s Choice labelled as “a David Lean film” is peculiar, since we’ve become so culturally conditioned to thinking of the esteemed filmmaker as one who made enormous historical epics, where their visual scope was only matched by their length and ability to venture deep into particular periods in history. Taken on the sole virtue that Lean was an artist profoundly fascinated with the past, it shouldn’t be all that surprising that even his most intimate films tend to have some degree of history embedded in them. This can be seen particularly in Hobson’s Choice, his masterful adaptation of the 1916 stageplay by Harold Brighouse, which tells the story of an elderly, drunken bootmaker who finds himself in a difficult position – he enjoys his freedom to visit any of Lancashire’s numerous pubs without worry of his shop falling into disrepair, because his daughters run it well, but he also cherishes his relatively successful business too much to allow them to get too much power, which only leads them to rebel. Faced with two conflicting sensations, Hobson has to decide whether to sacrifice his success or go against his sexist morals that have guided so much of his life. Lean, in collaboration with a terrific cast of actors, brings this story to the screen with precision and a sense of incredible artistry that shows that, despite working in a relatively smaller medium, Lean was still an astonishing visual stylist and could extract any emotion from even the most lacklustre material, turning a cheap early 20th-century play into one of the finest films of the 1950s, and a resounding triumph for British cinematic comedy, which is even more reason to celebrate this film, as the genre was at its peak during this era.

At the surface, Hobson’s Choice may not appear to be much – a quick glance will lead you to believe that it is nothing but one of the many witty comedies produced around this time in Britain, where legendary actors interacted with more exciting upstarts (who would go on to become legends in their own right later on), driven by a strong script and an insatiable ability to derive humour from absolutely any situation. This is all very much accurate, but it’s in the intricate details that we see what an achievement Lean’s film actually is. This is a character-driven comedy that looks deep into a range of issues, centring them all through the story of a crotchety businessman who represents a particular archetype, the overly masculine older patriarch who can’t look beyond his own morals in the construction of his worldview, while being constantly provoked by his three daughters who not only have the youth Hobson has craved, but the business sense and logic that years of alcoholism has eroded in his mind. It’s a fascinating character study that can best be described as a comedic version of King Lear, focusing on a stubborn and vaguely sinister protagonist fiercely defending his honour and reputation, while being challenged by his daughters, who are not only much more aware of how the world functions, but have an intelligence that he lacks, allowing them to constantly outsmart their father in an effort to get their way. Far from a mindless comedy-of-manners, and a precise and often unsettling satire of gender roles in a time before such conversations were made, Hobson’s Choice is a fascinating film. Lean plumbs all the emotional depths to find the earnest and genuinely insightful humour that underpins an otherwise complex story, turning it all into an unforgettable work of theatrical cinema.

Going into Hobson’s Choice, one wouldn’t be blamed for thinking Lean was making a very simple and delightful comedy, and for the most part the film is exactly what it is advertised as being, at least at first. It’s a wonderfully funny, effervescent comedy about a man trying to reign in his seemingly rebellious daughters, not realizing that he is in fact the one acting out of pocket. However, as the film goes on, we see what a brutal deconstruction of masculinity Lean has made. Henry Hobson represents the most dangerous kind of person – he may not be intentionally against women, but he’s the kind of bigot whose outdated views aren’t driven by hate for any other person, but rather unhinged ignorance, and a refusal to look beyond his own position at the top. Hobson’s Choice is far from a cutting-edge film, and it functions as a relatively traditional comedy – but considering the director at the helm was an artist who often infused his films with some deeper meaning, it’s not surprising that there is a degree of social commentary embedded in the story. It may not become too focused on exploring the intricate nature of the relationship between the main character, his daughters and the various men they have chosen as their partners in a way that lends itself to a very deep and insightful evisceration of toxic masculinity that is brimming with complex discussions, but as a satire, the film is exceptional and manages to elevate a relatively straightforward story into a near-masterpiece. It’s par for the course for Lean to turn the most simple stories into stunning artistic achievements (his earlier work in adapting the works of Noël Coward and Charles Dickens), and turns Hobson’s Choice into a terrific comedy with a lot of insightful depth.

Considering how unlikable the character of Henry Hobson is in theory, there was always going to be a concerted effort to humanize him, without actually changing any of his character quirks. This resulted in the casting of Charles Laughton in the part, which is an oddly perfect match for the character. Laughton is quite simply one of the finest actors in the history of film, with his incredible talents only being matched by his tendency to exhibit a workhorse-level of dedication to his craft. Regardless of the role, he always delivered – and while the protagonist of Hobson’s Choice may not be an enormous challenge for the actor, he still turned in a very impressive performance that speaks to his gifts in front of the camera. He brings out the charm in a character who should be nothing but despicable, and grapples the line between eccentric and deplorable with a genuine amount of complexity. He’s joined by Brenda De Banzie, who plays his daughter, and excels so much in the part, she comes very close to eclipsing her legendary co-star. De Banzie is an actress whose name is often not known by the general public, but whose presence is always appreciated in film. She can be both stern and vulnerable, and whether in a small role or being the de facto lead of a film like Hobson’s Choice, she’s always very good. She is the emotional hinge on which this film depends to succeed, her performance intricate, honest and always very funny. She goes toe-to-toe with Laughton and matches him on a profoundly deep level, making this film not only a wonderful comedy, but one of the best pieces of character-driven drama of its era. These performances may seem simple in theory, but through putting this story into practice, we can see how deep the effort went into creating this film, not merely as a diverting comedy, but as one that is vivid with life and energy, almost all of which comes on behalf of the actors tasked with bringing these characters to life.

Hobson’s Choice is a film that may not be as well-known as other British comedies from this era, and seems to be a slightly unheralded entry into the career of a director known for his impeccable level of talent, which is certainly present here. However, this slight underestimation of the film has allowed it to become something of a minor cult classic, a small but unforgettable comedy with a serious amount of depth, which is only helped along by Lean’s impeccable ability to find the comedy in the most dramatic situations, and vice versa. The director puts in a lot of effort to telling this story in such a way that it doesn’t only entertain, but inform as well, and while it doesn’t always come across as the most straightforward, especially in the later moments where it becomes quite conceptual and requires us to keep up with the breakneck speed of the narrative, there is always something that grips us and transports us into this world. On the surface, it just seems like the story of a grumpy old drunk and his daughters, and in many ways that is exactly what this film is about. However, if we peer below the veneer and look carefully, we can see an achingly funny and often heartfelt comedy about changing mentalities, and the process of realizing the value of change in a radically changing world. The working-class sensibilities of this film are not accidental – Hobson’s Choice is almost entirely about capitalism and the search for wealth. However, it doesn’t ignore the human element, and gradually proves itself to be an incredible achievement that is worth every moment, and a comedy that deserves to take its place as one of the finest of this era, both for what it says, and the manner in which it executes some bold ideas.