Brighton Rock Walk

For devotees of the 1947 film version, starring a young ‘Dickie’ Attenborough as Pinkie, we have our own fascinating Brighton Rock Walk, hosted by tour guide Julian Clapp, which visits many of the scenes from the original film.
The walk lasts 90 minutes and begins at the pier, where the infamous ghost train scene was shot and where Pinkie tries to persuade Rose to commit suicide. Next stop is the Sea Life Centre where the Prince’s Ballroom used to be and where many of the film ‘extras’ where cast.
Close by is Dr. Brighton’s, widely believed to be the place where Greene based the pub; however, the Cricketers would probably contest this.
Just around the corner is the Town Hall. The basement once housed the old Police Station, which features a number of times in the film; although they were studio shots rather than the real thing.
The walk would not be complete without a visit to Brighton’s famous Lanes, where some of the chase scenes took place, particularly when Fred is trying to flee from Pinkie’s gang.
Other places of interest include the old Savoy Cinema, Sherry’s Dance Hall, Brighton Station, the Grand Hotel and finally the West Pier.
Guided tours can be booked all year round by contacting Brighton City Walks guide Julian Clapp at www.brightoncitywalks.com, or call 07941 256 148.

Brighton Rock – Movie

Sixty three years after the first screen adaptation, Graham Greene’s classic 1930s underworld thriller returns to the screen. No longer set in the murky pre-war years, but updated to the earlier 1960s when gangs of mods and rockers clashed along Brighton’s seafront. Rob Marks finds out more…

No doubt many devotees of Greene, and of the highly esteemed 1947 film version, will balk at the idea of a remake of this classic British film noir. That was exactly the reaction from screenwriter and director Rowan Joffe when first approached with the idea. However, after some consideration he reasoned that if Brighton Rock is a great work of literature, like Shakespeare, it deserves more than one interpretation. He also felt that there was nothing in the book that compelled the story to be firmly set in 1939.

Although the movie is set in Brighton, many of the scenes were actually shot in neighbouring Eastbourne which provided a more authentic look and feel for the sixties. Eastbourne Pier stands in for Brighton Pier as the latter was felt by the production team to be too modernised. However Brighton’s Lanes are easily identifiable in the film, and you can also spot the Old Music Library on Church Street which is now the popular Cote Restaurant.

The film centres around one of the great all time movie villains, Pinkie Brown (played by Sam Riley) a sociopathic youth who overthrows a generation of elderly gangsters. Therefore, it seemed quite fitting to update the tale to the early 1960s when youth was challenging the conventional ways of an older pre-war order.

Fred Hale (Sean Harris) visits Brighton to distribute cards for a newspaper competition. Hale betrayed the leader of the gang Pinkie now controls. Ida Arnold (Helen Mirren), a kind-hearted moral woman, becomes embroiled into the proceedings after meeting the terrified Hale who is subsequently murdered by Pinkie. Now desperate to cover his tracks Pinkie has an ill-fated marriage to an innocent waitress, Rose (Andrea Riseborough) who has the knowledge to destroy his alibi. Ida becomes deeply concerned for Rose’s safety and relentlessly pursues the amoral Pinkie in this classic tale of good versus evil.

Brighton Rock is, essentially, an underworld thriller. On a deeper level it poses a challenge to Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the nature of sin and the basis of morality through several of its characters.

Brighton Rock is on general release at cinemas across the UK from 4 February.