The Last Bus (4 Stars)

This is a glorious road movie about a man who returns home after 70 years.

Tom and Mary Harper lived in Land's End. For those who aren't acquainted with England, it's the southernmost tip of England. They had a baby daughter on Christmas Day 1950, but she didn't even live to be a year old. She died on 24th December 1951. Mary was so depressed that she had to move away, as far as possible. Together they moved to John O'Groats, the northernmost town in Scotland, more than 800 miles away. They lived happily for the next 70 years, though they didn't have any more children.

Tom was diagnosed with cancer and told he only had a few more months to live, but ironically, his wife died first. He decided to return to Land's End to scatter his wife's ashes in the sea. He was short of money, so he had to travel by bus. Old age pensioners in the UK have a free bus pass. He's an old-fashioned person. He doesn't have a mobile phone, and he carries a large paper map to plan his journey, but the people he meets on his journey are more modern. He gets noticed on his travels, so his progress is reported on social media. Wherever he goes people recognise him, and he doesn't know why.

The Scottish and southern English scenery is beautiful. The film is worth seeing if you're planning a road trip through England and Scotland. My only regret is that I couldn't recognise the locations. I hope that the Director's Commentary on the Blu-ray will name the towns that Tom passes through.

I was happy to see that there was a relatively large cinema audience. I didn't think an obscure British film like this would be popular in Germany. I was wrong.

Upside Down (3 Stars)

Admittedly, Kirsten Dunst looks beautiful from any angle, but when she's standing upside down it looks like she's waiting for a kiss from Spider-Man.

She gets her kiss, but not from Spider-Man.

By now you must be wondering what the film's about, so let me quote the introductory narration:

At the dawn of time, from the chaos, came an exception, one of the most mysterious secrets of the universe. It's the only known solar system with double gravity, two twin planets revolving around one sun, but each with its own and opposite gravity. In our world it's possible to fall up and to rise down.

There are three basic laws of double gravity.

• All matter, every single object, is pulled by the gravity of the world that it comes from, and not the other.
• An object's weight can be offset using matter from the opposite world (inverse matter).
• The problem is, after a few hours of contact, matter in contact with inverse matter burns.

These laws are as old as the universe itself. They're unchangeable, and there are no exceptions.

Gravity. They say you can't fight it. Well, I disagree. What if love were stronger than gravity?

By now you must be scratching your head in frustration, trying to understand this crazy premise. Don't bother. It can't be done. Every mental contortion you make to justify these words will create even more questions. Just think of the film as a fairy tale.

As you can see, the worlds, called Up and Down, are very close together. The highest mountain peaks almost touch. They're not close enough to jump, but they're close enough to pull someone in with a rope, which Adam (from Down) does to Eden (from Up). The Biblical names suggest some sort of religious interpretation, but this isn't followed up in the film. In the right of the picture you can see a large building that connects the two worlds.

You've probably guessed by now that the film is a love story. How can a couple come together when gravity is pulling them apart. "What if love were stronger than gravity?"

"Upside Down" is a film laced with CGI effects. Visually, it's spoilt by many scenes being unnaturally bright. I might have rated the film higher if not for one plot point that I consider poor writing. For most of the film Eden is suffering from amnesia. Yuck! Amnesia is the last resort of a bad screenwriter.

Today is the second time I've watched "Upside Down". That's enough.

Success Rate:  - 2.3

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Pierrepoint (5 Stars)

True Stories #3

Name: Albert Pierrepoint

Lived: 30 March 1905 – 10 July 1992

Film dates: 1932 to 1955

Film made in 2005

Albert Pierrepoint wasn't Britain's last hangman, as is sometimes claimed, but he was Britain's most famous and most prolific hangman.

Hanging was the form of execution used in British prisons in the 20th Century. It was a secret job. There was a small list of licensed hangmen which was never released to the public. When a criminal had to be executed, the Home Office contacted two of the men on the list to carry out the execution. One man was the chief executioner, the other was his assistant.

Albert Pierrepoint was following in a family tradition. His father and his uncle had both been hangmen when he applied to be put on the list in 1932. His first execution was in 1933, where he served as the assistant executioner. For the rest of the 1930's he continued as an assistant executioner.

The film skips to 1941, when Albert is already married and living in Lancashire. He works as a grocery delivery man, and his wife knows nothing about his secondary job. All that she knows is that he goes away on special business at irregular intervals. This wasn't so unusual in the war years, so she accepted his absence. It wasn't until the end of the war that she discovered his notebook in which he kept a list of everyone he had hanged.

Albert Pierrepoint hanged at least 435 people in his career. The exact number is unclear, because of the secrecy involved. It's estimated that it was closer to 600 people. How could a man kill so many people and remain sane? He says that he did it by separating his personal self from his job. Outside the prison cell he was Albert Pierrepoint, but as soon as he walked through the door to collect the prisoner he became the Executioner. He never troubled himself with questions about whether a person might be innocent. The courts had decided a person was guilty, and it was the Executioner's job to do what the court wanted.

Albert managed to keep his identity secret until 1945. This changed when he was sent to Germany to execute Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. On his return the press hounded him. His neighbours and friends treated him as a hero, but the praise wasn't welcome. He would rather have remained anonymous. In later years he became a target for those protesting against capital punishment.

Eventually Albert resigned from the list. It wasn't because of doubts about the correctness of his job, as many of his opponents claimed. It was a matter of money. He received payment in cash after every execution. If there was a last minute reprieve, he received nothing, not even reimbursement of his travel expenses. He protested against this, and when nothing was changed he resigned.

The film shows about a dozen executions, half of them at the Nuremberg Trials. Out of curiosity, I looked up the names of the people mentioned, and they're all famous criminals, even if they aren't described in the film itself. For instance, Ruth Ellis, shown in the first photo in this post, was the last woman to be hanged in Britain. (The last man hanged in Britain was Peter Allen in 1964, nine years after Pierrepoint's retirement).

There are some historical inaccuracies that have been introduced for the sake of dramatization. The biggest change is the Nuremberg Trials. The film gives the impression that Pierrepoint was the only executioner. He actually had to share the task with an American executioner.

This is a deeply moving film with excellent acting by Timothy Spall.

Ginger & Rosa (4½ Stars)

I bought this film when I was in England at Christmas, and it's been lying on my shelf ever since. To be honest, I don't remember why I bought it. It doesn't look like my sort of film. The sticker says it's part of an HMV "Five Blu-rays for £30" sale, so it's possible I picked it up in desperation as the fifth film. I didn't even intend to watch it today, and may have left it on the shelf for another six months. I wanted to watch "Picasso Trigger". I recently bought all 12 films in the Andy Sidaris collection from Amazon, and I'm slowly working my way through them in order, but today something terrible happened. I opened the case, and there was no disc inside. The disc was sealed in foil, so it was probably a packing error. That's never happened to me before, in my 17 years of buying films on DVD and Blu-ray. And I've bought a lot! I was too lazy to go down to the cellar to pick another film from my to-watch list, so I grabbed the nearest film: "Ginger & Rosa".

I was amazed, from the first minutes onwards. Somehow it touched a nerve. It's a family drama and (to a lesser extent) a coming-of-age drama.

Two women, Natalie and Anoushka, meet on 6th August 1945. They're both in labour, lying in beds next to one another, and they hold hands to comfort one another. They both have baby girls. Natalie's daughter is called Africa, although she's later given the nickname Ginger. Anoushka's daughter is called Rosa. The two mothers become close friends, and the daughters also grow up as friends.

The girls are separated at the age of 11 when they have to go to different schools. Ginger passed the 11+ exam and went to a grammar school. Rosa failed the exam and went to a secondary modern school. Nevertheless, they still spend as much time as possible together.

Fast forward to 1962, shortly after their 17th birthdays. Anoushka is a single mother, after her husband walked out for unstated reasons. Natalie's marriage is on the rocks, because she suspects that her husband Roland, a university lecturer, is having affairs with younger students. Nevertheless, Ginger is closest to her father. Natalie tries to control Ginger's life, preparing her for marriage and a future as a housewife, whereas Roland recognises Ginger's intelligence and encourages her to be a free thinker.

All this is happening against the background of the Cold War. Ginger and Rosa visit CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) meetings. Ginger is convinced that something needs to be done, including illegal protests, while Rosa says that nuclear war is inevitable, so they should just enjoy the short time they have left.

Roland leaves home. A few weeks later Ginger goes to live with him. She soon discovers that Rosa is having an affair with her father, which drives her to the verge of a mental breakdown.

This is a film with incredible emotional depth. Maybe it touched me because I can relate to being alienated from a daughter to whom I used to be close. I don't know. Timothy Spall delivers a stunning performance as Ginger's godfather and close friend of both parents.

Christina Hendricks is convincing as Natalie, apart from the fact that she's too attractive. Why would any man with a gorgeous wife like her run around after young girls? In my opinion, she's one of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses.

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Sweeney Todd (4½ Stars)

If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I would have said that Johnny Depp was my favourite actor. He made some fantastic films in the 1990's and 2000's. I was irritated by his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates Of The Caribbean films. The films themselves were quite good, I just don't think that he's funny. He has a lot of talent without acting like a buffoon. He's better as a serious actor, or at least he used to be. In his recent serious roles he tends to shuffle around and mumble. There's no passion in his acting. Sweeney Todd was probably his last great role. He's dramatic and awe-inspiring in his madness.

I haven't read the 19th Century stories on which the film is based, but the musical as presented is full of pathos and tragedy. Benjamin Barker, who changes his name to Sweeney Todd to avoid detection, doesn't start out as a bad man. He's a loving husband and father who's mistreated by an evil judge who abuses his position. He sings a tail of woe:

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit,
And the vermin of the world inhabit it,
And its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit,
And it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole sit a privileged few
Making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo
Turning beauty into filth and greed. I too
Have sailed the world and seen its wonders
For the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru,
But there's no place like London.

Maybe I wouldn't call London the worst place on Earth, but it's certainly a place of evil. Those who are rich trample on those who're poor, believing there's a natural order that gives them the right to do so.

The film's imagery backs up the evil character of London. People walk the streets in suits and top hats. They're the fine gentlemen. Benjamin's friend Anthony is a young sailor who dresses in scruffy clothing. Nobody thinks of him as a gentleman. That's something I recognised years ago. Being a gentleman isn't about being kind to others, it's about how you dress. If you dress well, you're seen as one of the elite. It's assumed that you know how to behave. A gentleman doesn't start a fight on the streets; he beats up poor people in the back yards and alleyways where nobody can see him.

Benjamin Barker himself isn't a gentleman. He's a tradesman, a barber. He returns to London after 15 years at sea, sentenced to banishment for a crime he didn't commit. He wants revenge on the judge who did him harm. Nobody can blame him for that. This wish for revenge is strengthened when he finds out that his daughter Johanna has been adopted by the judge. I still have sympathy with him.

The problem is that the hatred in his heart grows. It starts off with him believing that the judge deserves to die, but it progresses to the point when he looks out of his window at the gentlemen in the street and says that they all deserve to die. Maybe they do deserve to die, but what right does he have to judge them?

The real monster in the film is Mrs. Lovett, played by Helena Bonham Carter. Sweeney Todd's excuse for killing is revenge. Mrs. Lovett's excuse for killing is love. She loves Sweeney Todd and dreams of marrying him. She keeps him happy by supporting him in his quest for revenge. When his lust for killing grows out of hand she doesn't hold him back, she supports him, thinking that if she shares his passion for killing he'll love her too. She's the one who helps him dispose of the bodies. Mrs. Lovett doesn't kill a single person, but she's more than an accessory to the crime, she's a motivator.

The two are a perfect pair in their path of destruction. Are they insane? I'm always slow to call anyone mad, because insanity can be used as an excuse for evil. A lack of morality doesn't mean you're mad, it just means you're a bad person. I would call Sweeney Todd insane, driven mad by the pain of losing his wife and his daughter. He could have been cured if he'd had an understanding lover at his side. Mrs. Lovett isn't mad, she's just cold-hearted and evil. Whatever a court of law might say, she's the real criminal.

Success Rate:  + 1.1

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This excellent film is only available on DVD in America and England. You can buy it on Blu-ray from Germany. I did.

The Party (5 Stars)

This is a short film made in 2017. I say "short film" in the technical sense. A full length film is considered to last at least 70 minutes excluding the final credits. This film lasts just under 66 minutes. In the early days of cinema the line between short films and full length films was set lower, but today it's 70 minutes. Some organisations have their own definition, for instance to compete as a short film for the Best Short Film Oscar the maximum length is 40 minutes including the final credits.

The film is almost a Kammerspiel. All the action takes place in one house, though not in one room. Maybe the film is meant to take place in real time. That isn't 100% clear when cuts are made from scenes in one room to another, but even if the film doesn't take place in real time it's certainly not much longer than 66 minutes.

I watched the film today because it stars Bruno Ganz. He isn't the main character, but in a Kammerspiel all the actors appear in almost every scene together.

Janet has just been appointed the health minister for the opposition party. She and her husband Bill have invited six friends to a celebration party, though only five arrive.

Bill is Janet's husband, a former university professor who's given up his career to support his wife. Reading between the lines, he greatly regrets giving up the job he loved.

April is Janet's best friend, a political activist who has a leaning towards anarchy.

Gottfried is April's husband. He describes himself as a Life Coach, which involves self-healing. He doesn't trust western medicine.

Martha is a university professor who was once Bill's student and lover.

Jenny is a young woman who was once Martha's student, but is now Martha's wife. She's undergone artificial insemination and is now pregnant with triplets.

Marianne is Janet's personal secretary. She sends a message that she'll arrive late because she's busy. Even though we don't see her she's an important character and is a constant topic of conversation.

Tom is Marianne's husband, a successful investment banker. He arrives at the house noticeably nervous and repeatedly disappears into the bathroom to snort cocaine.

The film's strength is in the character relationships. There are conflicts of different types between them. As the shadow health minister Janet supports the NHS, but her husband has been seeing a private doctor behind her back. Gottfried claims that people only become sick when a doctor tells them they're sick. Martha doesn't support any political party, but she politely congratulates Janet on her promotion. There are other conflicts which develop as the film progresses.

This is an intelligent film without being difficult to understand. I recommend that you sit and watch it with a friend, then discuss it afterwards.

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The Party (4 Stars)

Don't let the splash of colour in the poster fool you. The film is in black and white.

Janet has just been appointed the health minister in the UK's shadow cabinet. It's never stated which party that is. It's probably the Labour Party, but it doesn't matter. I assume that the director Sally Potter, who also wrote the script, wants the film to remain relevant to viewers whenever they watch it. Today the Labour Party is the opposition party, five years from now it might be the Conservative Party. What's important isn't Janet's political party but the party at her house which she's holding to celebrate her promotion.

One party, seven people.

Janet is the centre of attention.

Bill is Janet's husband, a retired university professor. He says that he's given up his own career to support his wife's political career, suggesting that he retired early.

Alice is Janet's best friend, a political activist with left wing views.

Gottfried is Alice's husband. He describes himself as a Life Coach. He encourages people to be happy and enjoy life by reciting pseudo-mystical slogans which none of the other party guests take seriously.

Martha is a university professor who was once Bill's student.

Jenny is a young woman who was once Martha's student, but is now Martha's wife.

Tom is a successful investment banker, the husband of Janet's personal secretary Marianne. Tom and Marianne were invited as a couple, but he arrives at the party without her.

Once the guests arrive the party can begin. There are multiple intrigues. I'm afraid to say anything about them because I don't want to give away any spoilers.

The film's strength isn't in what happens, it's in the conversations. All seven of the actors put on first class performances. There are subtle hints of a battle of the sexes, although the topic isn't overplayed. Bill is certainly the most intelligent person in the room, but he's chosen to live in the shadow of his wife. Jenny is a man-hater who claims that all men are rapists, but her wife Martha insists that not all men are completely evil.

Usually Germany shows films later than in England, anything between two weeks and three months, but this is an exception. "The Party" is a British film, but the German release date is two months before it will be shown in England. I strongly recommend that my English friends go to see it in the cinema in September.

---

Click here to listen to "Party über alles", recorded by Sturmgeist. If you understand German you'll enjoy the irony of the song. If not, just tap your feet and enjoy the beat.

Party eins, Party zwei,
Party drei, Party Sturm,
Party vier, Party fünf,
Party sechs, Party Geist,
Party sieben, Party acht,
Party neun, Party Sturm,
Party zehn, Party elf,
Party zwölf, Party Geist.

Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.
Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.

Party Fritz, Party Helga,
Party schnell, Party Sturm,
Party ich, Party du,
Party ach, Party Geist,
Party hier, Party jetzt,
Party hard, Party Sturm,
Party ihn, Party sie,
Party geil, Party Geist.

Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.
Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.

Party eins, Party zwei,
Party drei, Party Sturm,
Party Fritz, Party Helga,
Party schnell, Party Geist,
Party frech, Party frisch,
Party stark, Party Sturm,
Party hübsch, Party Deutsch,
Party geil, Party Geist,

Party frech, Party frisch,
Party stark, Party Sturm,
Party Ordnung, Party muss
Party sein, Party Geist,
Party hübsch, Party Deutsch,
Party Sex, Party Sturm,
Party Thor, Party Fricka,
Party Siegfried, Party Geist.

Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.
Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.

Party eins, Party zwei,
Party drei, Party Sturm,
Party vier, Party fünf,
Party sechs, Party Geist,
Party sieben, Party acht,
Party neun, Party Sturm,
Party zehn, Party elf,
Party zwölf, Party Geist.

Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.
Party, Party über alles,
Party Sturm, Party Geist.

Sweeney Todd (4½ Stars)

This is my second film for today starring Alan Rickman. In it he proves that he isn't just an actor, he can sing as well. That's not something that can be taken for granted. Have you ever heard Pierce Brosnan try to sing, for instance in "Mamma Mia"? It's embarrassing. Then there's Alyson Hannigan. When a musical episode was written for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" parts had to be re-written because she wasn't able to perform all her songs. I don't understand this, because the few lines she does sing in the broadcast episode are adequate. She's not as bad as Pierce Brosnan, and nowhere near as bad as Richard Gere.

Of course, Alan Rickman's singing is over-shadowed by Johnny Depp, who is a magnificent singer. If he had never become an actor he could have embarked on a singing career. Another first class singer is Anthony Head. Those are the only two actors I can think of who are excellent singers. Most others are okay, but they're not good enough to give up their acting.

I enjoy this musical, especially because of the dark humour, but it doesn't live up to other musicals in my collection. I prefer "Tommy", "The Wall" and "Evita".

Alan Rickman plays an evil character in the film, Judge Turpin. I've heard it said that only the best actors can play bad men. That's certainly the case here. It takes an actor of Alan Rickman's stature to portray the nuances of the evil judge. We almost feel sympathy for him, because however bad he is all he wants is to be loved. Almost. We still cheer when Johnny Depp slashes his throat.

Mr. Turner (4 Stars)

Painting is silent poetry.

Normally I wouldn't have gone to see this film in the cinema. It's a film about a 19th Century painter, hardly a subject that interests me. If it were at least a controversial painter like Vincent Van Gogh I might have been tempted. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of William Turner's paintings, boring landscapes (though I learnt from the film that he painted the sea more than land). Boring to me at least. People who know more about art probably think differently.

But then a couple of things changed my mind. I read that "Mr. Turner" is one of the favourites to win the Best Film Oscar next year. Added to this a friend of mine told me it's the best film he's seen this year, so I had to give it a chance.

I had problems with the film from the start. Since William Turner was a relatively wealthy person, the film has the atmosphere of a costume drama. All the men wear smart suits and top hats. Then I began to dislike William Turner when I saw that he was a cheater, keeping two mistresses in different towns who knew nothing of one another. He also visited brothels, although in the one scene that we see he merely made the prostitute pose for him rather than having sex with her.

But as the film continued, snaking through the years of his life, I was won over by Timothy Spall's masterful acting. I don't think the film deserves to be voted best film at the next Academy Awards, but it certainly deserves a prize for its cinematography. The outdoor scenes are in soft colours that imitate his artwork. It's interesting to see that he was criticised for his excessive number of paintings of ships at sea. For some reason he was particularly fond of painting shipwrecks.

During his life William Turner only sold a small number of paintings. In his Will he decreed that all of his paintings should be left to the "British nation". It was his wish that everyone should be allowed to see all of his paintings on display in one place for free. Due to the sheer volume of his work -- over 19,000 paintings and sketches -- it hasn't been possible to present them in a single display, but they are in the hands of British museums and art galleries, in particular the Tate Gallery and the National Gallery.

Upside Down (3½ Stars)

What if love were stronger than gravity?

The film takes place in a dual planetary system. Two planets orbit the same sun, side by side, in close proximity to one another. Each has its own gravitational system. Matter is attracted by the gravity of the planet it comes from, even if it's taken to the other planet. The planet Up is oppulent, while the people of Down live in squalor. Even though people from Up occasionally visit Down, because it's considered quaint, people from Down are forbidden to visit Up, and social contact is punishable by death.

Adam is a boy from Down, Eden is a girl from Up. They meet by accident while they're climbing mountains that almost touch each other. They fall in love, but they're separated after an accident in which Eden falls back to her own planet. Ten years later they're both working for Transworld, an interplanetary company with a building that connects the two planets. Adam illegally enters her half of the building to rekindle their relationship.

Despite being portrayed as a science fiction film, this is a fairy tale, rich in allegory. It can be interpreted in many different ways, from class divisions to racism. The fairy tale aspect is the film's greatest weakness. From the beginning it's predictable that there will be a happy ending. There's never any doubt that love is stronger than gravity.

Sweeney Todd (4½ Stars)

I'm afraid that I slipped up here. This should have been my Five Star Month. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (to give it its full title) isn't quite as good as I remembered it, so I had to deduct half a star. While it's enjoyable, as are all films made by Tim Burton, it doesn't quite live up to the other musicals I've watched this month, "Evita" and "Tommy". The film loses some of its quality by not being sung 100%. The spoken interludes deduct from the film's power. Nevertheless, Tim Burton portrays London with a bizarre gothic beauty. I would still recommend that my viewers watch the film.

The story is allegedly based on the life of a real criminal, though many people doubt that Sweeney Todd really existed. Johnny Depp stars as Benjamin Barker, a barber who is sentenced to 15 years in Australia by a judge on a false charge, because the judge wanted his wife. After his sentence he returns to London using the fake name Sweeney Todd, and he once more works in his old barber's shop. More than anything else he wants revenge on the judge, especially when he finds out that the judge is holding his daughter Johanna as a prisoner in his house.

Sweeney allies himself with Mrs. Lovett, his landlady and the owner of the pie shop below where he works. After he kills another barber who threatens to expose him as Benjamin Barker Mrs. Lovett suggests that he should give her the body as meat for her pies. Over the next few weeks he kills many of his customers to help her business. Helena Bonham Carter is deliciously evil as his accomplice.  The viewer can feel some sympathy for Sweeney himself, but Mrs. Lovett has no redeeming qualities.

This is a good film, a very good film. But it doesn't quite deserve the full five stars. Watch it and decide for yourself.

Click here to view the somewhat overlong trailer.

Pierrepoint (5 Stars)

This is a moving drama of unimaginable depth. I admit that I sat crying during some of the final scenes.

Albert Pierrepoint is the most prolific executioner in British history. Between 1933 and 1955 he hanged 608 criminals. He chose the job of hangman because it had been his father's trade, and he wanted to "continue in the family business". The film shows him as having the utmost respect for his victims. Whatever they'd done, by dying they paid for their crimes, and by executing them he was making them innocent. He was not just serving society, he was serving his victims. Not only did he hang his victims, he also washed the corpse and laid it in the coffin.

Pierrepoint remained anonymous in his early years. Even his closest friends did not know his occupation. Since hanging was a free-lance job, payment only made per hanging, he had a regular job delivering groceries. He achieved celebrity status after the war, when he was sent to Germany where he hanged 202 war criminals. Until then he had maintained a strict separation between his work and his social life, which was disrupted when his friends began to praise him for his work. The turning point for him came in 1950 when he had to hang a close friend.

In 1955 he resigned over a disagreement about payment in the case of last-minute reprieves. If he travelled to an execution and the prisoner was pardoned, he received no payment, not even to cover his travel expenses. After his retirement opponents of the death penalty claimed that he had crossed over to their way of thinking, but despite a few statements quoted out of context he never regretted his career choice.

The American release of this film incorrectly calls it "Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman". Albert Pierrepoint resigned in 1955, but executions were carried out by other executioners until 1964.