Daybreak (1948)
Directed by Compton Bennett
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Crime Drama, Melodrama |
Release Date - May 18, 1948 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 75 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Linda Rasmussen
Daybreak a dark, depressing melodrama, tells the story of Eddie (Eric Portman) an unemployed hangman who marries Frankie (Ann Todd) after meeting her in a bar. The couple live on a barge and one day Portman returns home unexpectedly to finds Frankie in the arms of handsome longshoreman Olaf (Maxwell Reed). A fight ensues, and Eddie is knocked overboard and disappears. Frankie, guilt-ridden, commits suicide, and Olaf is arrested for the murder and sentenced to death as the story concludes in a surprising plot twist. The film, rather long and somewhat labored, is difficult to watch because of its unrelentingly depressing viewpoint, but the performances of Eric Portman and Ann Todd add interest and flavor to an otherwise slow drama.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
arrest, bar [pub], confession [criminal], conflict, couple, death, death-penalty, employment, execution, extramarital-affair, false-accusation, handsome, home, homosexual, houseboat, husband, killing, longshoreman, love, love-triangle, meeting, murder, overboard, sentence [penal system], suicide, surprise, town, wedding, wife
