Now Barabbas (1949)
3.8 of 5 from 47 ratings
2h 0min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
This ground-breaking British film was adapted from a play by politician and writer the Hon. William Douglas-Home, who had been jailed in 1944 for refusing to bomb Le Havre during the Second World War, as civilians would have been killed. He drew on his own experiences of imprisonment to create a realistic presentation of the range of issues faced by Britain's justice system in the 1940s. The prison drama presents a kaleidoscope of criminals from every background. Each reveals the story of how they found themselves behind bars. William Hartnell plays the tough screw who keeps them in line. Four new arrivals include Tufnell, who murdered a man who insulted his reformed prostitute sweetheart; Roberts, a bank clerk caught embezzling money in order to impress his fiancée; Spencer, a shoplifter, who claims to be an RAF pilot; and Richards, a sensitive ballet dancer, who has committed a violent, jealous attack. The established inmates of the block include Paddy, an Irish saboteur; Brown, a bigamist; Anderson, a sailor caught smuggling; Medworth, a doctor convicted of medical negligence; and Smith, a fraudster. The men experience the tensions and strains of prison life, overseen by two prison warders, Jackson and King. The routine is interspersed with appointments with the Governor and prison visits. - Actors:
- Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke, Kathleen Harrison, Ronald Howard, Stephen Murray, William Hartnell, Beatrice Campbell, Richard Burton, Betty Ann Davies, Leslie Dwyer, Alec Clunes, Harry Fowler, Julian D'Albie, Kenneth More, Peter Doughty, Lily Kann, Percy Walsh, David Hannaford, Glyn Lawson, Gerald Case
- Directors:
- Gordon Parry
- Producers:
- Anatole de Grunwald
- Writers:
- William Douglas-Home, Anatole de Grunwald
- Aka:
- Now Barabbas Was a Robber / Which Will You Have?
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
