Description
NEW DVD RELEASE
Now Barabbas Was a Robber (1949)
(AKA Now Barabbas Was a Robber)
FULLY RESTORED WITH OPTIONAL SUBTITLES
AVAILABLE ON DVD FOR THE FIRST TIME
Running Time: approx: 2 hours.
A ground-breaking PRISON DRAMA made in 1949.
Full cast: Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke, Dora Bryan, Kathleen Harrison, Ronald Howard, Alec Clunes, Kenneth More, Stephen Murray, William Hartnell, Richard Burton, Beatrice Campbell, Betty Ann Davies, Leslie Dwyer, Harry Fowler, Constance Smith, Julian D’Albie, Glyn Lawson, Lily Kann, Dandy Nichols, Peter Doughty, Percy Walsh, Gerald Case, Victor Fairley and David Hannaford.
Director: Gordon Parry. Produced by: Anatole de Grunwald. Shot at Teddington Studios.
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.
Bonus Feature:
Talking Pictures TV Exclusive Interview with MARTIN CLUNES OBE DL.
Recorded at The Regent Cinema Christchurch, Dorset, after a Talking Pictures TV Film Festival. Martin was interviewed by Caroline Munro and Mike Read, after appearing onstage as a guest to talk about his father. Actor and theatrical manager Alec Clunes appeared in several films, including Saloon Bar and Tomorrow at Ten, as well as Now Barabbas, in which he played the part of Gale.
EXCLUSIVE PRICE £15-00 with Free UK Postage
