Now Barabbas

87 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Now Barabbas, also known as Now Barabbas Was a Robber, is a 1949 British drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke and Kathleen Harrison.^[1] It was based on a 1947 play of the same title by William Douglas Home. The film features one of the earliest screen performances by Richard Burton and was an early role for Kenneth More.

The title refers to Barabbas, a Biblical character who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released.

A set of self-contained stories about a group of men in jail.

From the Renown DVD release text:

"This ground-breaking British film was adapted from a play by politician and writer the Hon. William Douglas-Home, who had been jailed in 1944 for refusing to bomb Le Havre during the Second World War, as civilians would have been killed. He drew on his own experiences of imprisonment to create a realistic presentation of the range of issues faced by Britain’s justice system in the 1940s.

The prison drama presents a kaleidoscope of criminals from every background. Each reveals the story of how they found themselves behind bars. William Hartnell plays the tough screw who keeps them in line. Four new arrivals include Tufnell, who murdered a man who insulted his reformed prostitute sweetheart; Roberts, a bank clerk caught embezzling money in order to impress his fiancée; Spencer, a shoplifter, who claims to be an RAF pilot; and Richards, a sensitive ballet dancer, who has committed a violent, jealous attack. The established inmates of the block include Paddy, an Irish saboteur; Brown, a bigamist; Anderson, a sailor caught smuggling; Medworth, a doctor convicted of medical negligence; and Smith, a fraudster. The men experience the tensions and strains of prison life, overseen by two prison warders, Jackson and King. The routine is interspersed with appointments with the Governor and prison visits."

• Richard Greene as Tufnell
• Cedric Hardwicke as Governor
• Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Brown
• Ronald Howard as Roberts Bank Cashier
• Stephen Murray as chaplain
• William Hartnell as Warder Jackson
• Beatrice Campbell as Kitty
• Richard Burton as Paddy
• Betty Ann Davies as Rosie
• Leslie Dwyer as Brown
• Alec Clunes as Gale
• Percy Walsh as Jones
• Harry Fowler as Smith
• Kenneth More as Spencer
• Julian D'Albie as Medworth
• Dora Bryan as Winnie
• Constance Smith as Jean
• Lily Kann as woman
• David Hannaford as 'Erb Brown
• Dandy Nichols as Mrs Smith

The film was shot at Teddington Studios.

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The characters are finely drawn with true insight into character. The portrayal of the prison chaplain is worth seeing as an example of how necessary tact is and how delicate the problem of religion in times of stress. The warders' flashes of kindness under gruff exteriors make good propaganda for prison officials. All parts are well played and the direction is more than excellent. There is no "sob-stuff", but there is plenty of pathos tinged with real fun. Kathleen Harrison and Leslie Dwyer provide the comic relief and their awful small boy is a gem. The photography is good and the story well knit together. It is essentially an interesting film whether from a social or entertainment point of view."^[2]

• Now Barabbas at IMDb
• Now Barabbas then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets