Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

source: Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

Anyone who has read Mr Pierrepoint's book, seen his TV interviews or heard his radio interviews will know this film totally misrepresents his life, character and work. If you want to make fiction go ahead but don't pretend it's autobiography. There is zero evidence that Mr Pierrepoint was ever troubled or disturbed by his work, he viewed himself as a public servant who's duty was to perform his duties diligently and efficiently. The makers of this film chose to misuse Mr Pierrepoint as a vehicle for their own opinions knowing Mr Pierrepoint can not object. If you want to know the true story read Mr Pierrepoint's excellent autobiography, there are also interviews with him to be found online.

The film suggests that Albert Pierrepoint (AP) was offered an execution shortly after he completed training, but was disappointed that he was only offered the position of assistant. In fact, AP served 9 years as an assistant before being offered a position as No 1 (Autobiography, "Executioner Pierrepoint") Although, in his autobiography, AP mentions "Sid Collins" nervousness, it is clear that Collins carried out the execution himself, giving AP half of the executioners fee in return for calculating the length of drop, contrary to the impression given in the film that Collins "flunked it", handing over responsibility for the entire hanging to AP. Although it may be irrelevant, all contemporary references to the hanged poisoner Dorothea Waddingham refer to her extreme ugliness, in contrast to the benign characterisation made of her in the film.

A wonderful, understated movie. Very British in style and with excellent acting. Timothy Spall gives a wonderful serious performance as the thorough dedicated unquestioning professional whose value system is entirely interwoven with the mechanics of his arcane job. He never questions the rights and wrongs of his task: other people have decided whether his victims live or die-- he merely executes their verdicts with as much dignity and professionalism as he can. There is no vengeance or remorse for his victims. He will not engage in debates or recriminations about either those whose guilt was famously in doubt, or those whose crimes were breathtaking in their depravity. All deserve a speedy painless death and a decent burial. The highlight of the film is when he has to confront in the condemned cell a regular at his bar whom he knows only by nickname and does not realise his identity until he has to 'size him up' for the drop. This scene is beautifully and believably acted and is extremely convincing. The incident is very true and is portrayed almost exactly as Pierrepoint described it in his memoirs. With capital punishment now discontinued in most civilised countries we are unlikely to see the likes of Pierrepoint again. He is portrayed as a man of his time. Loyal, obedient, trusting of his place in society and determined to uphold the status quo as he sees it. Which includes dispatching those who, rightly or wrongly, fell on the wrong side of it. The moment of crisis in the film forces him to confront the fact that the line between guilt and innocents is sometimes a thin one indeed.

Pierrepoint is one of those films you go to see having no idea what to expect, which makes the film's masterful performances and brilliantly dark style all the more intriguing to watch. The performances of Spall and Stevenson are undoubtedly the best part of this film. Spall's portrayal of his character's struggle to remain detached from his work after losing his anonymity is definitely his strongest performance to date and Stevenson conveys the dynamics of their marriage beautifully. These performances make the film entirely believable throughout, particularly in the grizzly execution scenes. These scenes are shot in a brutally uncompromising way, a style which seems to reflect the nature of capital punishment itself. The film manages to convey its anti capital punishment message effectively and in a rather more restrained way than other recent "issue films". Where films such as Crash and Brokeback Mountain are inclined to blare out their loud and rather unsubtle themes, Pierrepoint takes a quieter, more objective viewpoint, leaving the audience to make up their own minds. I have consequently heard this film criticised for not taking a strong enough stand against capital punishment. However, this objective and uncoloured account of the executions seems to appropriately reflect the cold and indifferent mood that dominates the first half of the film. In short, Pierrepoint is a brilliantly performed, wonderfully dark film that is probably one of the best things to come out of British cinema in the last decade.

Other writers have outlined what this film is about - Albert Pierrepoint, Britain's last hangman - so I shan't repeat a synopsis. The subject matter of the film is very dark, but what humanises it are the great performances from Juliet Stevenson and especially Tim Spall. The 8 is for the quality of the acting and the film is well worth seeking out for this alone. I've not seen many reviews of the film so I hope you will forgive me if I post details of one: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=4&subID=471 You can also view a clip alongside the review Hope this helps

I saw this film at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. Between 1933 and 1955, Albert Pierrepoint was Britain's Chief Executioner, responsible for more than 600 hangings. Timothy Spall gives a devastating performance as a decent man engaged in the loneliest of professions. The title is somewhat misleading. Hangings were carried out until 1964, but Pierrepoint was the last man to hold the official office of Chief Executioner. As the film begins, Pierrepoint is proud to be offered a job as a hangman, following in his father's and uncle's footsteps. Since he's only needed every few months, he maintains his job as a grocer's deliveryman and keeps his moonlighting a secret from his friends and even his wife (Juliet Stevenson). He is very good at his new profession, and is determined to complete each job as quickly and humanely as possible. It's a bit odd seeing him trying to shave seconds off the time required for each execution, much like a professional athlete trying for a world record. That is, until you realize that his desire is for the prisoner to have as little time as possible to be afraid. After each execution, it falls to Pierrepoint to cut down the body and prepare it for burial, and it's touching to see the tenderness he displays. After the execution of one woman, he tells his assistant, "She's paid the price, now she's innocent." Pierrepoint's reputation grows and after the war, he's flown to Germany by the British Army and placed in charge of executing scores of Nazi war criminals. As a result, his secret is leaked to the press, who now broadcast his identity as the finest hangman in the land. With his earnings from these jobs, he and his wife decide to open a pub(!), which does a booming business, thanks in part to his notoriety. But the job begins to take a terrible toll. Even after he tells his wife about his second profession, she doesn't want to hear about it. Nobody really wants to hear about it. When protesters start demonstrating against capital punishment, Pierrepoint finds himself the target of their ire. Doubts begin to creep in to destroy his previously unshakable faith in what he does. By the mid-1950s, Albert Pierrepoint resigns his position (ostensibly over unpaid fees) and completely reverses his own position on capital punishment, though he initially keeps his opinions to himself. In his 1974 autobiography, however, he finally confesses that the whole experience had left a bitter aftertaste for him and that he felt that capital punishment had "achieved nothing but revenge." Though this is a fairly standard biopic and "issue film," the performances of Juliet Stevenson and especially Timothy Spall are remarkable. Pierrepoint's determination to remain detached takes a terrible toll on his life and is bound to fail eventually. The obvious conclusion is that killing corrodes our humanity, whether the killer is a murderer or an executioner on the state's payroll.

The Last Hangman Review Mike Reynolds It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. The clock strikes nine and the hangman goes to work, getting rid of criminals the old fashioned way. At the end of the day he puts on his cap and heads home to his wife like any other man. But what goes on in the head of an ordinary person who's job it is to kill? This is the question asked by Adrian Shergold, the director of The Last Hangman. The film follows the true story of the rise of Britain's most prolific executioner, Albert Pierrepoint, and his struggle to be a lead a normal life. Pierrepoint is played by Timothy Spall, most noted for his great supporting roles in Vanilla Sky and The Last Samurai. Spall shines in this film, becoming both a calculating, intense killer and a jolly pub mate. As the film progresses, he literally transforms as his burden becomes greater. Juliet Stevenson plays Annie, Albert's arguably supportive wife. She portrays the guilt and paranoia of an English housewife painfully well. Through her, we see the full story of the couple's social and moral difficulties. Pierrepoint's only real drive is that of any honest, hard working man. He just wants to be good at what he does. This keeps the audience in a emotionally conflicting state. The viewer desperately wants Albert to resign from his chilling career, while cheering on his incredible success. The film is very nice to look at. What a feat. One can only imagine the difficulty of shooting a period piece independently. It was very interesting seeing the gritty grey streets of a wartime London recorded on 16. It seemed to give it a charming modern context, though there were jarring out of focus shots here and there. One memorable scene is brilliantly spliced with actual footage of a capital punishment protest. Aside from the physical shooting of the film, there were strong symbolic devices at use. In order to hang someone efficiently, Pierrepoint would calculate the prisoner's height and weight. To do this he would look through a small peephole in the heavy cell door. Whenever anyone is shown through a crack, or a hole, it's a hint of grizzly foreshadowing. The method of passing time was artfully portrayed as well. Pierrepoint kept a logbook of all the people who he killed, their names written in perfect script. The stack of logbooks got bigger and bigger as years went by. Films like The Last Hangman are important because they challenge our choices. This story makes us think of what we're responsible for in our lives and careers. Is the success worth the death of your inner self? That decision is up to us. Because the saddest thing about Albert Pierrepoint is that he applied for the job.

What a striking film. Realistic with every sentiment being portrayed by this fabulous cast. Personally I can watch this type film again and again. Not the brutality of capital punishment but " to the bone " British drama that no other film industry country can touch. A chilling round of applause goes to Timothy Spall. What a versatile actor from ultimate comedy to this role as Albert Pierrepoint. The intense portrayal of Pierrepoints wife played by Juliet Stevenson was played so classically. There was a great moment in this film when Pierrepiont hanged his friend "Tish" played by Eddie marsan. The strong powerful bond between these to guys came bouncing through the screen. I really enjoyed this film and I only discovered it by chance in the weekly section of the video library. I love British Drama.

PIERREPOINT: THE LAST HANGMAN is one of those films that emerges from the cracks in the theater 'failures' only to find its poignant message when released on DVD. Granted, the idea of a story based on England's most famous executioner doesn't immediately catch the interest of the general audience, but for those fortunate enough to either rent or buy this DVD, the rewards are plentiful. It is a little masterpiece of writing, acting, directing and production values. Albert Pierrepoint was the third man in his family to 'ascend' to the list of executioners (capital punishment in England at the time was by hanging), and when he is accepted to the list in 1932 he begins what became the longest and most prolific career of British executioners. He took enormous pride in his work, assuring his peers as well as his 'victims' that every aspect of his job was done with obsessive professionalism: his timing of his duties was the shortest on record, meaning that from the moment he opened the door to the condemned prisoner's room through the hooding and noose placement and tripping of the platform and subsequent death of the 'criminal', he spared suffering as much as was feasible. He was supported by a wife who kept the secret of her husband's anonymous role and it was only when the Pierrepoint's pride in his job became known that downfall of their lives is threatened. At times adored by the public for his assignment to hand the Nazi criminals and the famous murderers and eventually the target of the anti capital punishment activists, Pierrepoint's professionalism sustained him until a final tragic assignment changed his view of his job. Timothy Spall is splendid as Pierrepoint, capturing all of the nuances of the simple, honest man's pride as well as his Achilles' heel. Juliet Stevenson turns in yet another understated and completely realized role as Pierrepoint's wife. Director Adrian Shergold, using a script written by Bob Mills and Jeff Pope, paces the film sensitively, drawing on the atrocious duties involved in the job of executioner (they actually had to prepare the bodies of the dead victims for the morticians!) along with the moments of pub frivolity to allow the audience to understand the true person Timothy Spall absorbs in his portrayal of Pierrepoint. The sets and lighting and cinematography could not be better. This is a film to view and absorb and appreciate the superior quality of acting of Spall and Stevenson. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp