Brighton Rock (novel)

First American edition cover, artist George Salter

Brighton Rock is a novel by Graham Greene, published in 1938, and later made into films, a 1947 film and a 2011 film. The novel is a murder thriller set in 1930s Brighton. The title is a reference to a confectionery traditionally sold at seaside resorts, used as a metaphor for human character. The novel ties into Greene's earlier 'entertainment' A Gun for Sale, Raven's murder of mob boss Kite, mentioned in A Gun For Sale, allows Pinkie to take over his mob and thus sets the events of the novel in motion.

Plot summary

Charles "Fred" Hale comes to Brighton on assignment to anonymously distribute cards for a newspaper competition (this is a variant of "Lobby Lud" in which the name of the person to be spotted is "Kolley Kibber"). The antihero of the novel, Pinkie Brown, is a teenage sociopath and up-and-coming gangster. Hale had betrayed the former leader of the gang Pinkie now controls, by writing an article in the Daily Messenger about a slot machine racket for which the gang were responsible. Ida Arnold, a plump, kind-hearted and decent woman, is drawn into the action by a chance meeting with the terrified Hale after he has been threatened by Pinkie's gang. After being chased through the streets and lanes of Brighton, Hale accidentally meets Ida again on the Palace Pier, but eventually Pinkie murders Hale. Pinkie's subsequent attempts to cover his tracks and remove evidence of Hale's Brighton visit lead to a chain of fresh crimes and to an ill-fated marriage to a waitress called Rose who unknowingly has the power to destroy his alibi. Ida decides to pursue Pinkie relentlessly, because she believes it is the right thing to do, and also to protect Rose from the deeply disturbed teenage gangster she has married.

Although ostensibly an underworld thriller, the book is also a challenge to Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the nature of sin and the basis of morality. Pinkie and Rose are Catholics, as was Greene, and their beliefs are contrasted with Ida's strong but non-religious moral sensibility.

Main Characters

Pinkie: The anti-hero of the story, merciless to his victims, simultaneously obsessed and repulsed by sex and human connection. He is the leader of 'the mob' despite being the youngest at 17.

Dallow: Pinkie's second in command - the only member of the mob Pinkie feels he can confide in.

Cubitt Another mob member who lives at 'Billy's' with Pinkie and Dallow. He leaves the gang when Pinkie reveals that he (Pinkie) killed Spicer.

Spicer: An aging mob member resident at Billy's . From the beginning he expresses discomfort with the gang's increasing violence. Pinkie's mistrust of him leads to him being murdered by Pinkie for fear of him being 'milky' and leaking incriminating information to Ida Arnold or the Police.

Rose: A poor, modest, and naive girl who becomes Pinkie's girlfriend and wife. She is also a Roman Catholic like Pinkie and falls in love with him despite his advances on her being purely to keep her from giving incriminating evidence. Pinkie is usually repulsed by her but later has the occasional feeling of tenderness towards her.

Ida Arnold: Ida takes up the role of the detective, hunting down Pinkie to bring justice to Hale. Although this is her original motive, when she finds out that Pinkie is marrying Rose she does so to save the girl. Ida represents the force of justice in this novel, and in contrast to Pinkie and Rose is on the side of 'Right and Wrong'. She acquires information from Cubitt once he is cast out of the gang which significantly aids her investigation.

Adaptations

1944 play

Richard Attenborough and Dulcie Gray starred in the original theatrical production at the Garrick Theatre in 1944. Gray's performance as the luckless waitress Rose led to her being offered a contract with Gainsborough Pictures. However, she was passed over for the role of Rose in the 1947 film version of Brighton Rock, in favour of Carol Marsh.

1947 film

Greene and Terence Rattigan wrote the screenplay for a 1947 film adaptation, produced and directed by John and Roy Boulting, with assistant director Gerald Mitchell. The film starred Richard Attenborough as Pinkie, Carol Marsh as Rose, William Hartnell as Dallow, and Hermione Baddeley as Ida. The climax of the film takes place at the West Pier, which differs from the novel, the end of which takes place in the nearby town of Peacehaven. In the United States, the film was released under the title Young Scarface.

1997 radio

Ken Whitmore adapted Graham Greene's story for a 1997 BBC Radio dramatisation directed by John Yorke and starring Steven Mackintosh as Pinkie, Maurice Denham and Kenneth Cranham.

2004 musical

Film composer John Barry and lyricist Don Black wrote together a musical version based on Greene's novel. The show opened in London's Almeida Theatre on 20 September and ran until 13 October 2004. However, poor reviews meant it failed to get a West End transfer.

2010 film

Rowan Joffe directed a film adaptation which was released in 2010, starring Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough as 'Pinkie' and Rose respectively. It also starred Helen Mirren as Ida Arnold. Location filming for the Pier scenes took place in Eastbourne in October 2009, with Eastbourne Pier standing for Brighton's Palace Pier. Filming of the scenes involving the Regency Cafe took place in Page Street, Westminster, on December 6, 2009. A chronological departure from Greene's novel is the film setting, early 1960s England and not the 1930s as in the original. The film was featured at the 54th London Film Festival in October 2010 in the coveted surprise film slot.

References in other works

• Brighton Rock plays an important role in the storyline of protagonist Tom Henderson in the novel King Dork, by Frank Portman.
• Brighton Rock is the favourite film of the incompetent Inspector Steine (who played a big part in it) in the BBC Radio series Inspector Steine.
• The song "Now My Heart Is Full" by Morrissey references four of Brighton Rock's characters in its refrain ("Dallow, Spicer, Pinkie, Cubitt").
• A song on Queen's Sheer Heart Attack bears the same title as the novel.
• A two day rock concert entitled New Brighton Rock was staged in the seaside resort of New Brighton, Merseyside in May 1984, and later broadcast by Granada Television.
• In the first episode of Foyle's War, The German Lady, Andrew Foyle is seen reading Brighton Rock at his father's house just before leaving for military training. Detective Foyle later recommends the book to Paul Milner.

External links

• Brighton Rock, online text at the Internet Archive website