Daybreak (1948 film)
Encyclopedia
Daybreak is a 1948 British film noir
drama film, directed by Compton Bennett
and starring Eric Portman
, Ann Todd
and Maxwell Reed
. A sombre, bleak film, Daybreak was filmed in 1946, but ran into trouble with the BBFC
, resulting in a delay of almost two years before its release. The version finally approved for release excised approximately six minutes of original footage, resulting in some jerky cuts where scenes have been removed and leaving noticeable plot lacunae which are considered to detract somewhat from an otherwise well-regarded film.
's shop and leads an apparently everyday life. However, under an assumed name he has a secret second identity known to no-one but his assistant Ron (Bill Owen) – he is also one of England's public hangmen
, called on periodically to travel to prisons around the country to perform judicial executions.
One evening during a rainstorm, Eddie goes into a public house
for a drink and meets the bedraggled Frankie (Todd), an aimless, world-beaten drifter. (There are suggestions that Frankie may be, or have been in the past, a prostitute; it is surmised that some of the deleted footage may have made this more explicit.) The pair fall in love and are soon married, although Frankie's vagueness about her past hangs unspoken over the relationship. Eddie's father dies, leaving him the family barge
business on the River Thames
. He hands over the barber's shop to Ron and takes over the business, setting up home with Frankie on one of the barges.
Eddie hires a Scandinavia
n seaman Olaf (Reed) to work for him, and soon the arrogant Olaf has Frankie in his sights. Despite herself she is attracted to him, but tries to deny her feelings. Meanwhile Eddie is called away for reasons he cannot explain, and Frankie increasingly finds herself struggling to rebuff Olaf's advances during Eddie's absences. When he is next called away, she begs him either not to go or to take her with him, but as neither is an option for Eddie, she pleads with elderly bargeman Bill Shackle (Edward Rigby
) to stay with her while Eddie is gone. Shackle is unable to grant her request due to other commitments.
Eddie returns unexpectedly early, and discovers Frankie and Olaf in an apparently compromising situation. A fight ensues between the two men, during which Eddie is knocked overboard and fails to resurface. The police are called by a witness to events, and Olaf is arrested for murder as it is presumed that Eddie's body has been carried away on the tide. In despair, Frankie commits suicide
by shooting herself. However, Eddie has managed to swim to shore and takes refuge with Ron.
Olaf is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. With nobody but Ron aware that Eddie and the alleged murder victim are one and the same, Eddie is summoned to carry out Olaf's execution, and relishes the prospect of being able to avenge Frankie's death. When the time comes however, he is unable to go through with it and confesses his identity at the last moment. He returns to the barber's shop and prepares to end his own life.
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
drama film, directed by Compton Bennett
Compton Bennett
Herbert William "Bob" Compton Bennett , better known as Compton Bennett, was an English film director, writer and producer. He is perhaps best known for directing the 1945 film The Seventh Veil and the 1950 version of the film King Solomon's Mines, an adaptation of an Allan Quatermain...
and starring Eric Portman
Eric Portman
Eric Portman was a distinguished English stage and film actor...
, Ann Todd
Ann Todd
Dorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
and Maxwell Reed
Maxwell Reed
Maxwell Reed was a British actor who became a matinee idol during the 1950s with the Rank Organisation in Britain....
. A sombre, bleak film, Daybreak was filmed in 1946, but ran into trouble with the BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
, resulting in a delay of almost two years before its release. The version finally approved for release excised approximately six minutes of original footage, resulting in some jerky cuts where scenes have been removed and leaving noticeable plot lacunae which are considered to detract somewhat from an otherwise well-regarded film.
Plot
Eddie (Portman) owns a London barberBarber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
's shop and leads an apparently everyday life. However, under an assumed name he has a secret second identity known to no-one but his assistant Ron (Bill Owen) – he is also one of England's public hangmen
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
, called on periodically to travel to prisons around the country to perform judicial executions.
One evening during a rainstorm, Eddie goes into a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
for a drink and meets the bedraggled Frankie (Todd), an aimless, world-beaten drifter. (There are suggestions that Frankie may be, or have been in the past, a prostitute; it is surmised that some of the deleted footage may have made this more explicit.) The pair fall in love and are soon married, although Frankie's vagueness about her past hangs unspoken over the relationship. Eddie's father dies, leaving him the family barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
business on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. He hands over the barber's shop to Ron and takes over the business, setting up home with Frankie on one of the barges.
Eddie hires a Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n seaman Olaf (Reed) to work for him, and soon the arrogant Olaf has Frankie in his sights. Despite herself she is attracted to him, but tries to deny her feelings. Meanwhile Eddie is called away for reasons he cannot explain, and Frankie increasingly finds herself struggling to rebuff Olaf's advances during Eddie's absences. When he is next called away, she begs him either not to go or to take her with him, but as neither is an option for Eddie, she pleads with elderly bargeman Bill Shackle (Edward Rigby
Edward Rigby
Edward Rigby was a British character actor.-Early life:Rigby was the son of Jamaican-born Dr. William Harriot Coke and his wife Liverpool-born Mary Elizabeth of 17 High Street, Ashford. He was educated at Haileybury, and Wye Agricultural College...
) to stay with her while Eddie is gone. Shackle is unable to grant her request due to other commitments.
Eddie returns unexpectedly early, and discovers Frankie and Olaf in an apparently compromising situation. A fight ensues between the two men, during which Eddie is knocked overboard and fails to resurface. The police are called by a witness to events, and Olaf is arrested for murder as it is presumed that Eddie's body has been carried away on the tide. In despair, Frankie commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by shooting herself. However, Eddie has managed to swim to shore and takes refuge with Ron.
Olaf is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. With nobody but Ron aware that Eddie and the alleged murder victim are one and the same, Eddie is summoned to carry out Olaf's execution, and relishes the prospect of being able to avenge Frankie's death. When the time comes however, he is unable to go through with it and confesses his identity at the last moment. He returns to the barber's shop and prepares to end his own life.
Cast
- Eric PortmanEric PortmanEric Portman was a distinguished English stage and film actor...
as Eddie - Ann ToddAnn ToddDorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
as Frankie - Maxwell ReedMaxwell ReedMaxwell Reed was a British actor who became a matinee idol during the 1950s with the Rank Organisation in Britain....
as Olaf - Bill Owen as Ron
- Edward RigbyEdward RigbyEdward Rigby was a British character actor.-Early life:Rigby was the son of Jamaican-born Dr. William Harriot Coke and his wife Liverpool-born Mary Elizabeth of 17 High Street, Ashford. He was educated at Haileybury, and Wye Agricultural College...
as Bill Shackle - Jane HyltonJane HyltonJane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
as Doris - Eliot MakehamEliot MakehamEliot Makeham , sometimes credited as Eliott Makeham or Elliot Makeham, was an English film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Harold Elliott Makeham in 1882, in London, England....
as Mr. Bigley - Margaret Withers as Mrs. Bigley
- John TurnbullJohn Turnbull (actor)-Selected filmography:* The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss * The Wickham Mystery * Rodney Steps In * The Midshipmaid * The Medicine Man * The Man Outside * The Iron Stair...
as Superintendent - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Inspector - Milton RosmerMilton RosmerMilton Rosmer was a British actor, film director and screenwriter. He was born in Southport, Lancashire on 4 November 1881. He made his screen debut in the 1916 film The Mystery of a Hansom Cab and continued to act in film and television until 1956...
as Governor
External links
- Daybreak (1948) at BritMovie