tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post7510655076609046112..comments2024-03-17T15:45:48.283+01:00Comments on Channel Light Vessel: Graham Greene's Brighton: an explorationEmerald Lamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16762568799029928719noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-85382279817728143392024-03-17T15:45:48.283+01:002024-03-17T15:45:48.283+01:00In the 1948 film (whose screenplay Greene wrote) t...In the 1948 film (whose screenplay Greene wrote) the names already are "Prewitt" and "Frank". Maybe Greene later (ca. 1970) decided to align the book with the film in this respect. Just a guess.jcsahnwaldthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536598140736834255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-84609636035390888742024-03-13T22:26:55.460+01:002024-03-13T22:26:55.460+01:00Interesting that you think Greene hated Ida. I fel...Interesting that you think Greene hated Ida. I felt rather the opposite – she's the only likable human being among the main characters of the novel. The others are ruthless criminals (Pinkie and his gang, Colleoni), corrupt and broken (Drewitt aka Prewitt), cynical and lonely (Fred), or stupidly misguided (Rose).<br /><br />Ida isn't without flaws, and she knows it. She has no grand illusions about herself or others. She likes herself the way she is, but she's not conceited or vain. She's not rich, beautiful, educated or successful in any other way, but she's streetwise and honest, she's got a sense of humour, and she doesn't like others to get hurt. Sure, to some extent her investigation into Fred's death is driven by her hedonism, her taste for adventure, but mainly it really bothers her that no one else cares that this "gentleman" (her words) was killed. And she really doesn't want Rose to suffer, she doesn't want her to be mislead by Pinkie in the worst possible ways.<br /><br />To me it's obvious that Ida is the only genuinely good person in the novel, as good as she can be under the circumstances, the only one Greene painted in favourable colours. But that just shows how a novel (or any other work of art) can be perceived in wildly different ways. Interesting.jcsahnwaldthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536598140736834255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-86192981332077792132024-03-13T21:19:25.421+01:002024-03-13T21:19:25.421+01:00And the name of the mob boarding house was origina...And the name of the mob boarding house was originally Billy's, as in my 1960 Penguin copy. I guess it was later changed to Frank's, along with the other changes.jcsahnwaldthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536598140736834255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-10422343283352821012024-03-13T21:14:53.925+01:002024-03-13T21:14:53.925+01:00The lawyer's name was indeed Drewitt. It was c...The lawyer's name was indeed Drewitt. It was changed to Prewitt in later editions, probably around 1970. See e.g. https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/SSE/article/download/498/470jcsahnwaldthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536598140736834255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-20557257388968168212022-12-14T11:53:31.210+01:002022-12-14T11:53:31.210+01:00Thank you for the excellent article. I always imag...Thank you for the excellent article. I always imagined that Nelson Place is referred to by Greene as an area or district rather than a particular street.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-9429136942606185902022-07-24T14:49:57.186+02:002022-07-24T14:49:57.186+02:00I can't believe you have waited two years to p...I can't believe you have waited two years to post this again! Unless you have a rogue edition, you are wrong. It is Prewitt, and Frank's boarding house. Maybe you are confusing Prewitt (the solicitor) with Cubitt (one of Pinkie's mob. If you keep posting this, I'm afraid I'll have to block you. Josephine Gardinerhttps://emeraldlamp.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-46343423431153219162022-06-19T20:11:19.131+02:002022-06-19T20:11:19.131+02:00Yes his name is drewitt in my copy. And the pinkie...Yes his name is drewitt in my copy. And the pinkie mob boarding house is owned by Billy, not frank. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-79984391876123300812019-10-26T13:34:26.384+02:002019-10-26T13:34:26.384+02:00No it's definitely Prewitt in my copy (Penguin...No it's definitely Prewitt in my copy (Penguin) and all others I've seen.Emerald Lamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16762568799029928719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-56437651517793944002019-10-26T02:47:50.930+02:002019-10-26T02:47:50.930+02:00The solicitor's name is Drewitt, not Prewitt.The solicitor's name is Drewitt, not Prewitt.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09813304232417155116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-85673793699777793282016-06-03T13:53:33.659+02:002016-06-03T13:53:33.659+02:00Thanks for commenting - I only just saw your comme...Thanks for commenting - I only just saw your comment, apologies...<br /><br />I've now seen the 2010 film and like you wasn't particularly impressed. Helen Mirren as Ida was a spectacularly bad bit of casting - she is completely wrong for the part, and her interpretation of the character was weird - all steely and businesslike and none of Ida's self-indulgent hedonism. Sam Riley was simply too good-looking and felt too middle-class for Pinkie, and Angela Riseborough also perhaps too pretty as Rose, though I thought she did the best job. Setting it in the 1960s rather than 30s didn't bother me overmuch, but why use Eastbourne as the location? Still plenty of cinematic scope in Brighton! Emerald Lamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16762568799029928719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-47967781597765640802016-01-13T19:13:50.353+01:002016-01-13T19:13:50.353+01:00Very interesting indeed. And the 2010 film is exec...Very interesting indeed. And the 2010 film is execrable. Unbelievable that Helen Mirren is in it - by far the worst film she has ever appeared in.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08417446877877017023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-59295209578779903932015-07-13T15:47:34.575+02:002015-07-13T15:47:34.575+02:00Thank you very much for your kind comments.
Re Po...Thank you very much for your kind comments.<br /><br />Re Polari - I only touched on this in the article, but would definitely be interested to hear more about your work project on it. Emerald Lamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16762568799029928719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-16258145885928033082015-07-07T08:10:59.470+02:002015-07-07T08:10:59.470+02:00I re-read Brighton Rock earlier this year - I'...I re-read Brighton Rock earlier this year - I'd only intended to skim through it, looking at the slang for a work project on Polari (so good to see that mentioned), but i got drawn back in, just as I had aged 14 or so. This is a wonderful tour both of Brighton and a writer's imagination: I liked the odd connections that come up - like the 'Frozen' fairground one - and I particularly liked the way you deal with how a writer's imagination transforms things, but is still rooted in a particular place. Must now explore Brighton properly. Loved it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-67401804839308796792015-06-26T15:58:20.275+02:002015-06-26T15:58:20.275+02:00Many thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed it....Many thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed it. Emerald Lamphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16762568799029928719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749187666531400144.post-70942115887817446592015-06-26T00:29:33.447+02:002015-06-26T00:29:33.447+02:00This is a really interesting article. Fascinating...This is a really interesting article. Fascinating to read and enhanced by the wonderful images. It immediately made me want to re-read Graham Greene's Brighton Rock.Hoopoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00093502318930264334noreply@blogger.com