Brighton Rock
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GB, 1947 d John Boulting, p Roy Boulting
"John and Roy were two of the most original and courageous of British film-makers. They fought passionately for creative freedom and rejected any finance which sought to deny it. They cared deeply about the content of their films which epitomized their own convictions. They gave me my first opportunities as an actor in the cinema, in Brighton Rock and The Guinea Pig. I owe them an incalculable personal debt. I loved them both and I continue to miss them."
Lord Attenborough CBE Actor, Brighton Rock
"I first met the Boulting Brothers when I was studying drama in 1940. I was 16, cast as a schoolboy, in a very small speaking part in the film Pastor Hall.
"I talked to Roy and told him that I really wanted to be a director and not an actor. Roy told me my best bet was to get into the cutting room. I did.
"In late 1946 I met John and Roy again. They needed an editor on the film they were shooting, Brighton Rock, and they offered me the job. John was directing and Roy was producing.
"For an early scene where Pinky has to stop the gang moaning about the death of their leader Kite and the gang gradually accept the dead man's wishes that Pinky should become the new leader. John gave me very strict instructions on how to edit this scene. I put it altogether as John had said. Roy saw the cut sequence and suggested that we put it all back together as rushes and start again. I broke the scene down, painstakingly re-instated each shot and Roy and I looked at the material with fresh eyes. Roy showed me how to use the best of reactions to build up the tension. It was brilliant lesson in how to get the most drama out of the shot film. From then on I looked at every foot of film to look at the reactions and even the looks on faces before the director called 'action'.
"That was where I learned about proper feature film editing, a lesson I carried on once I started directing both films and television."
Peter Graham Scott Editor, Brighton Rock
