Now Barabbas Was a Robber [Now Barabbas] *** (1949, Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke, Ronald Howard, Stephen Murray, William Hartnell, Kathleen Harrison, Leslie Dwyer, Richard Burton, Kenneth More, Alec Clunes) – Classic Movie Review 13,004

Now Barabbas Was a Robber [Now Barabbas](1949).

The conscientious 1949 British drama film Now Barabbas tells a series of stories about men in jail, and stars a vintage cast, including Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke, Ronald Howard, Stephen Murray, William Hartnell, Richard Burton and Kenneth More.

Director Gordon Parry’s conscientious 1949 British drama film Now Barabbas Was a Robber [Now Barabbas] tells a series of stories about a group of men in jail, and stars a fine collection of eye-catching actors of the day, including Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke, Ronald Howard, Stephen Murray, William Hartnell, Kathleen Harrison, Leslie Dwyer, Richard Burton, Kenneth More, and Alec Clunes.

The screenplay by Anatole de Grunwald is based on the 1947 stage play Now Barabbas by playwright William Douglas Home.

Intriguingly, and crucially, William Douglas Home based his play on his own brief experience in prison. It comments realistically on the state of the 40s British prison system and issues arising from Britain’s justice system, as well as providing providing entertainment through personal dramas.

William Douglas Home makes a decent job of jangling the emotional nerves with the quite well-written characters, who include a man sentenced to hang, an Irish nationalist, a bigamist, and a robbing bank clerk. And there is a rather special, vintage Brit cast to flesh the characters out and keep us entertained.

Cedric Hardwicke gives a stalwart performance as the humane prison Governor, who has to deal with a variety of prisoners of different backgrounds, in this interesting collection of experiences, which, while it now perhaps merely maintains a level of interest to keep you watching, must certainly have seemed more important, more significant at the time. However, it is entertaining and, as a social document of the era, it is fascinating, so it is possible to have mixed feelings about the film.

It provides early roles for future stars Richard Burton (as an Irish saboteur called Paddy) and Kenneth More (as a shoplifter called Spencer, who claims to be an RAF pilot), neither particularly outstanding. Richard Greene is top billed as Tufnell, one of four new arrivals in the prison, who murdered a man who insulted his sweetheart, a former prostitute.

William Hartnell notably plays the tough Warder Jackson, Stephen Murray is convincingly sincere as the prison chaplain, and Ronald Howard impresses as Roberts, a bank cashier who was caught embezzling money. Whether Kathleen Harrison and Leslie Dwyer’s comedy relief as Mrs Brown and Mr Brown is amusing of not is a matter of taste, and affections for the players,

Also in the cast are Betty Ann Davies, Beatrice Campbell, Harry Fowler, Dora Bryan, Constance Smith, Lily Kahn, Julian D’Albie, David Hunnaford, Peter Doughty, Percy Walsh, Glyn Lawson, Gerald Case, Victor Farley, and Dandy Nichols.

William Douglas Home was charged at a Field General Court Martial on 4 October 1944 that, when on active wartime service, he disobeyed a lawful command given by his superior officer. His defence was that he was being required to take part in an event that was morally indefensible: bombing civilians at Le Havre during the Second World War. He was convicted and sentenced to be cashiered and to serve one year’s imprisonment with hard labour. He served eight months, first in Wormwood Scrubs, then in Wakefield Prison.

Within two months of his release, he wrote two plays which were successful in London in 1947. The first, Now Barabbas, was based on his experience in prison and in the second he used family members for some of the characters. His eldest brother was Sir Alec Douglas-Home, UK Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964.

He wrote around 50 plays, mostly comedies in an upper class setting.

Now Barabbas [Now Barabbas was a Robber] is directed by Gordon Parry, runs 87 minutes, is made by Anatole de Grunwald Productions and Warner Brothers-First National Productions, is released by Warner Bros, is written by Gordon Parry and Anatole de Grunwald, is shot in black and white by Otto Heller, is produced by Anatole de Grunwald, and is scored by George Melachrino.

It is filmed at Warner Brothers First National Studios, Teddington Studios, Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK.

Release date: May 24, 1949 (UK).

The cast are Richard Greene as Tufnell, Cedric Hardwicke as Governor, Kathleen Harrison as Mrs Brown, Ronald Howard as Roberts Bank Cashier, Stephen Murray as chaplain, William Hartnell as Warder Jackson, Beatrice Campbell as Kitty, Richard Burton as Paddy, Betty Ann Davies as Rosie, Leslie Dwyer as Brown, Alec Clunes as Gale, Percy Walsh as Jones, Harry Fowler as Smith, Kenneth More as Spencer, Julian D’Albie as Medworth, Dora Bryan as Winnie, Constance Smith as Jean, Lily Kann as woman, David Hannaford as ‘Erb Brown, and Dandy Nichols as Mrs Smith.

The story of the biblical character Barabbas, who was chosen over Jesus to be pardoned and released by the crowd in Jerusalem, is told in the 1961 film Barabbas.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,004

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