Hobson's Choice (1954)

 David Lean's "Hobson's Choice"

Going into David Lean's 1954 film "Hobson's Choice," I was expected some droll, silly comedy. What I got was something completely unexpected. I certainly do consider the film a comedy, by all means. However, a layered comedy was not on my radar.

The film stars Charles Laughton as an autocratic proprietor of a moderately upmarket boot shop in 1880 Salford. He is authoritarian in nature, disallowing his daughters to marry for fear of losing free labor and forking over a settlement fee. However, his eldest daughter Maggie, devises a plan to set forth on her own. She marries Will Mossop, a lowly, educated boot maker. The two of them leave the restraints of her father and set up their own competing boot shop, eventually surpassing him.

The film's charm is perhaps its most admirable quality. I was completely won over by the simple, but loving nature of Will Mossop and the headstrong fortitude of Maggie. Their paring left me completely giddy. Beyond the comedic elements present throughout, the likeability of these two characters and the innocence and unwavering of their affections for one another kept me fully invested. 

Thematically, "Hobson's Choice" is a good-natured evaluation of capitalism. It is harsh on its criticisms through Mr. Hobson, who uses his economic and entrepreneurial power to subjugate everyone around him. Whereas, Will and Maggie represent the ability to elevate yourself through the entrepreneurial spirit. They start from nothing but Will's ability to make shoes and Maggie's ability to sell them. 

Through Maggie and Will's hard work, dedication, and individuality away from Mr. Hobson's control, they are able to rise through the economic ranks and become fruitful. Their ability to self-actualize creates the necessary antidote to his patriarchal and economic control over them. Will must overcome his position as an uneducated laborer. Through Maggie's guidance, he is able to educate himself and use his skills to start his own enterprise. Maggie, through her intelligent maneuvering against her father, allows her to rebel against the patriarchal restraints and drag her father kicking and screaming into a new modernity.

This viewpoint of economics is also demonstrated through the architecture of the film. Particularly, in the shoe shop. Each floor indicates a different class. The cellar, where Will slaves away all day, is the labor class. The shop is the market, where all the economic exchanges occurs. The level above them, where Mr. Hobson resides, represents the owners of capital and their high positions in this economic structure. Even when Will and Maggie move out and start their own shop, they must move into a basement below a street, signifying their lower position in their new market. Eventually, they are able to buy Mr. Hobson's shop, shifting them away from the lowly basement, back into the new stratosphere of economic stability. 

"Hobson's Choice" took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting something so charming and layered. Its unique depiction of a class and economic strain in a capitalist society is demonstrated in a drama amongst family members. To boot, Maggie and Will are very easy to root for and their determination to get out from under the boot of Mr. Hobson makes them worthwhile and lovable.