Hobson's Choice

Set in the 1890s, this adaptation of Harold Brighouse's working class comedy, a favourite rep company standby since it was first performed in 1916, sees Laughton's tyrannical Lancashire bootmaker brought to heel when his plain-speaking daughter (de Banzie) marries his downtrodden, simple-minded employee (Mills) and sets up a competitive business. It could so easily have been a load of old cobblers; but Lean's sharp direction and impeccable performances all round transform a slight comedy into a timeless delight.