The Last Hangman
Tags: dramatic

Plot synopsis:
Albert Pierrepoint trains to be a prison executioner, as his father had been before him. Pierrepoint views his job with seriousness and dedication, applying science and logic to each hanging. He can swiftly determine the proper length for the gallows rope, depending on the height, weight, and physical condition of the condemned. While not a cruel or cold-hearted man by any means, Pierrepoint simply views execution as any other job, and is not as visibly emotionally affected by it as some of his co-workers.As Albert's talent for the field begins to be noticed by the British government, he and his wife Annie are excited for the new opportunities awaiting him. He is eventually told that he is the best executioner in Britain, and that he will be England's proof of their swift, efficient, and humane execution system. Pierrepoint is sent to Germany to hang 47 Nazi war criminals after the Belsen trials in 1945. While he is staggered by the number of deaths he must conduct, he carries out his duties. Pierrepoint's inner values begin to emerge in his work when one of the bodies is left without a coffin. Pierrepoint angrily demands the coffin, saying that the man had paid the ultimate price and should now be treated with dignity.Albert slowly begins to find his work emotionally draining. He becomes a local celebrity, with many neighbours applauding him for "stringing up" criminals, and others criticizing him for enforcing capital punishment. He and Annie purchase a nearby pub, which draws in good business due to Albert's fame.Pierrepoint receives a shock one morning when he must execute a friend of his, James Corbitt, who is known to Albert as "Tish." Corbitt is a meek-looking man, but had murdered his ex-lover in a jealous rage. Though Pierrepoint knows he must perform his job, he breaks his usual stoic demeanor and speaks kindly and calmly to Tish, who meets his fate in an almost content state. His last words are 'Thank you, Albert," and he smiles as the hood is put over his head.Pierrepoint goes to his pub that night and expresses his anguish to his wife. Annie is uncomfortable hearing Albert's inner turmoil, as their rule regarding his occupation had always been "never talk about it." Albert breaks down and confesses the guilt and misery he felt as he watched his friend hang by his own hand. He considers resigning from his profession altogether.Pierrepoint later executes Ruth Ellis, a young, pretty woman accused of killing her lover. Angry mobs outside the prison protest the execution, and Pierrepoint's car is spat on and shaken as he drives home. After conducting over 600 executions and setting the fastest ever hanging record (7.5 seconds), Albert Pierrepoint officially resigns.

Review: A Dirty Job. Albert Pierrepoint was Britain's most prolific executioner, overseeing the hanging of more than 600 condemned men and women including Derek Bentley, Ruth Ellis and Lord Haw Haw. Adrian Shergold's film starring Timothy Spall in the title role is a dark period piece exploring the stark relationship between compassion and work ethic.Pierrepoint approaches his grisly duties with pride, professionalism and a stoical detachment  a third generation hangman, he is well accustomed to checking his personal life at the prison gate while he gets on with the job at hand.But duty and morality are constantly battling in the back of his mind - a struggle neatly illustrated when he is seconded to Germany after the War and tasked with dispatching Nazi war criminals.
His clinical work here is deliberately and uncomfortably linked to the crimes of the Nazis who gassed their Holocaust victims with the same brutal precision.Back in England, as liberalism begins to take hold and high-profile executions enrage a population bubbling with discontent, Pierrepoint's reputation in the eyes of the public slides swiftly and irretrievably from British war hero to callous murderer  a bewildering descent perfectly captured by Spall's mesmerising performance.
Juliet Stevenson is not bad either as Pierrepoint's loyal wife gradually embittered by years of turning the other cheek at her husband's double life.The film celebrates dignity and humanity but is laced with a uniquely British attitude evocative of Vera Drake and The Remains of the Day. Like these earlier social dramas, Pierrepoint culminates memorably in a momentary quivering of its previously resolute stiff upper lip..
Along the way, Albert is seen with Field Marshal Montgomery, who personally recommended Pierrepoint to carry out the Nuremburg executions, as well as other familiar people such as Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis, all of whose cases fed the argument for the abolition of capital punishment.
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.
Eddie Marsan's portrayal as 'Tish' was casting at it's best.A supporting cast of physically interesting character actors blended with superb lighting and set design, make a highly enjoyable and thought provoking film about the rights and wrongs of capital punishment.The fact that the makers of 'The Last Hangman' managed to cram a fascinating life-long career into 90 minutes must serve as a tribute to their skill and craftsmanship..
Following his father Henry and uncle, Thomas, into the family 'trade', Pierrepoint became the number one hangman in Britain and his career brought him into contact with many notorious criminals including "Lord Haw-Haw" ("Germany Calling"), real name William Joyce; John George Haigh, the famous "acid bath murderer"; Derek Bentley, still a controversial case and the subject of the 1991 film LET HIM HAVE IT; Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and again the subject of a movie, DANCE WITH A STRANGER (1985); gangster, Antonio "Babe" Mancini; Theodore Schurch, the last person to be executed for treason in Britain.
Evans was played harrowingly by John Hurt in the 1971 movie 10 RILLINGTON PLACE, with Richard Attenborough as a chilling Christie (according to John Hurt on the DVD commentary for 10 RILLINGTON PLACE, Pierrepoint himself actually offered his services, under an assumed name, as technical adviser for the hanging scene in that film as the actual method was covered by the Official Secrets Act and, ever the professional, Pierrepoint wanted it re-creating accurately, and nor would he have wished his work to be misrepresented).Pierrepoint's body of work (if you'll forgive the expression) was greatly affected by World War II, and he worked all over Europe including Germany, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Austria.
I saw this DVD twice and read all the other user comments of this recent film before I considered I was ready to write my opinion on IMDb.com.Capital punishment in the UK was abolished in 1965 and since then it has remained a controversial topic on which MPs have been given a free vote in the House (no whips office involved) and it has consistently been voted down by MPs ever since.The arguments for capital punishment range from "an eye for an eye"; why must the State keep killers alive at the public expense; as an example to other malefactors; to provide revenge for the bereaved families of the murder victim.I suppose the most controversial case cited for reimposing the death penalty stemmed from the Moors Murderers case from 1966, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley who died in custody.Even though they could not judicially be hanged, no Home Secretary since then has considered it politic to release or commute their sentence because of the expected public and media fury.Of course today in Britain killers are routinely sentenced "to life imprisonment" which depending on the circumstances, does not necessarily mean the killer's whole life.Against this argument is the Christian doctrine of forgiveness and whether the State is executing an innocent man e.g.Timothy Evans (hanged by Pierrepont) instead of John Reginald Halliday Christie for the murder of Evans' baby daughter.Albert Pierrepoint was certainly not "The Last Hangman" in the UK as I believe he resigned shortly after executing Ruth Ellis in 1955 after a continuous career as Chief hangman stretching from 1933 and as I said above.
killers were hanged in the UK right up to 1964.In his 1974 auto- biography he turned against capital punishment with distaste as he considered it was merely the State exacting revenge and solved nothing.Considering he executed 608 murderers we must respect his opinions.I suspect those that advocate execution would not like to do the act personally as long as there is someone else to do it and bear the crushing guilt on their conscience.Juliet Stevenson gives a marvellously understated performance as Anne Pierrepoint, Albert's wife and provides the home life and comfort to her husband.She is also the business brains in the marriage.We see the chilling, technical efficiency and speed which convinced the Allied powers in 1946 that a British hangman was the best for dispatching the many Nazi war criminals sentenced to death at Nuremburg.Albert was informed by the brigadier that the first batch to be hanged in a day was 13 with many more to come.Albert did not want to know what evil the condemned had done and tried to ensure he kept himself personally and professionally detached when performing his duties for the State.He even had a sense of compassion for the condemned by trying to complete the hanging in less time than his father's average of 13 seconds to reduce the fear and suffering in them.In one notable case he was done in 7 1/2 seconds.Likewise at Nuremburg he decided to hang the condemned female Belsen guards first with the youngest going first as she would be the most frightened.To my knowledge this is the first film which accurately shows the technical method of hanging that was used in British prisons.It was ignorance by film producers of this that made their films unconvincing when showing a hanging scene as hangmen were advised to keep their methods entirely secret from the public.All credit must go to Timothy Spall in the central pivotal role and the whole production team in evoking capital punishment in a Britain between 1932- 1955..
The other great element of a quality film is that it can be interpreted in many different ways by its viewers.It shouldn't be explained as a portrayal of a man who hanged people although that is exactly what he did, what made him famous and what he will be remembered for.For me Pierrepoint is more about working life.
In the period of time that this story is set your job was something you took pride in not something you exploited to get better money and benefits while doing as little effort as possible.It is impossible to be completely accurate when making a biographical film as you are condensing a persons lifetime into a couple of hours of screen time so therefore the director, writers, editor and producers need to shorten, edit and take a certain amount of artistic license.Fortunately I knew nothing about Albert Pierrepoint before I watched this film so I didn't know what had been left in and left out of this account of his life, since then I talked to my father who knew many things about the man as he had lived and worked in London just after hanging was abolished and had seen Pierrepoint interviewed.
Movie: "The Last Hangman".Plot Outline: The life and times of Albert Pierrepoint - Britain's most prolific hangman.Always feel comfortable picking films from the United Kingdom.
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.
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.
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.
Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter), Eddie Marsan, and Juliet Stevenson star in a film about a man (Spall) who follows in his father's footsteps to become the best hangman in England.What strikes you first is the detachment with which he does his job.
The performances by Juliet Stevenson (as Pierrepoint's supportive but troubled wife) and Marsden (as his pub mate, "Tish") are also noteworthy.Throughout his more than two decades long "successful career",Pierrepont goes about his job with a high sense of professional detachment.
He is just focused on "their height, weight and physical condition" so that he can put an end to their lives in the quickest and most efficient manner; a thorough professional who takes immense pride in being the undoubted No. 1 in his vocation in the entire country.But then one day something happens which shakes his soul and makes him seriously contemplates the correctness of capital punishment and his key role in its implementation.It is indeed a very dark and gloomy film with several "trying" moments.
That's why, like his father and uncle before him, Pierrepoint has trained to become one of England's premier executioners, a man who approaches his grim job with the utmost professionalism, priding himself on using scientific precision to make his hangings the quickest and most "humane" in all the world.
- a certain amount of "gallow's humor," the movie makes no moral judgment on Pierrepoint as a person (at least until he does so himself); for much of the film, he is simply a man doing his job to the best of his capabilities, primarily concerned with making the exit from this world as speedy and painless a one for the men and women on the other end of the rope as is humanly possible.
But then, without making a fuss of it or in any way grinding its tonal gears, the movie, in its final half-hour, turns into an emotionally devastating plea against continuing the practice of state-approved killing (which England did, in fact, do in 1965), as seen through the eyes of one man who got to experience it up-close-and-personal.As Pierrepoint, Timothy Spall delivers a performance that can only be termed a masterpiece of internalized understatement, while Juliet Stevenson is his perfect match as the subtly avaricious wife who is both supportive of what he is doing and secretly repelled by it at one and the same time.On every level possible, this is a truly extraordinary work..
A job that needs a cold blood to takes ahead exactly 608 human beings hanged between 1933 until 1955, what a number, seven and half seconds to hang was his record as discribed in the movie, Albert Pierrepoint make history as lone guy who survives even with so many deaths in their shoulders, how he could lives in such condition, a hard question to answer, Timothy Spall made as far as remember the best performance ever as this famous executioner, on disturbing atmosphere in all hanging and after when he was in charge to clean the bodies in respectful way, a movie to never forget about a man who complied his duty or was a cold murder??Resume:First watch: 2011 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5.
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning A biography of Albert Pierrepoint (Timothy Spall) Britain's last hangman, who tried to give the people he was called on to kill as much dignity as he could during and after their execution and who eventually resigned from his job feeling he and society had achieved nothing but revenge.
This film is about the career of Albert Pierrepoint, one of Britain's last executioners; progressing from gloomy, umber anonymity in the '40s, through unwelcomed celebrity as the Allies' hand of justice at the Belsen war-crimes trials, to uneasy focus of some anti-capital-punishment vitriol in the late '50s.
It also features another fine performance from one of Britain's most under-rated actors but somehow, it didn't engage with me as much as "The Reader" did and struggled to avoid the stench and stigma of being a glorified TV movie.Timothy Spall plays Albert Pierrepoint, a Lancashire grocery deliveryman who leads a double life as one of a number of executioners still operating in the UK.
Timothy Spall, one of Britains best currently working character actors (he can be seen in films varied between Harry Potter and the Sheltering Sky), is probably one of the only outstanding reasons to see Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman, and probably not until it likely will air on PBS some weekday night.
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.
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.
However, given his professional expertise, that end is much quicker and more comfortable than other executioners and methods.So, after 13 years in the job - merely half way through his career, which saw him hang an incredible 608 people (including the innocent Timothy Evans, and also Ruth Ellis, amongst others) - Pierrepoint is called upon to be the official British hangman at the Nuremberg Tribunals in the aftermath of World War Two. This is where he has to dispatch truly monstrous and evil people; extermination camp guards and the like.
His 1st job is supposed to be as an assistant to a hangman but the man he is supposed to be assisting loses his nerve and Albert steps in to take his place and hang the man.Albert is even chosen by Field Marshal Montgomery to go to Germany and execute the war criminals after the Belsen Trials.Albert's most difficult moment is definitely having to hang his friend known only to him as Tish.This is a very hard film to watch but well worth the effort.Timothy Spall is excellent as Albert and the film looks visually brilliant..
Timothy Spall does a brilliant job acting as Albert Pierrepoint a man who delivered groceries but was also one of Englands part time hangmen.
He looks nothing like the man himself, but acts so well that you are gripped and taken along by every emotion.Apparently over his time Pierrepoint executed 608 people, including Nazi war criminals and he famously hanged Ruth Ellis, the last women hanged in England.There are parts of the movie where they take liberties with the facts, but it doesn't detract from the over all feeling that this story conveys.
This film takes us back to the days of capital punishment an era Britain should return to as quickly as possible, in those days you could walk the streets without fear of being mugged or murdered whilst you sleep.The film is well acted and showed the strains and stresses of being an executioner, personally its a job for a person for 5 years no longer .The hangman's fee is never discussed but when people are reprieved it seems he did not get payment all the time for travelling to the prison of execution.Timothy Spall holds the film to gether very well, he tried to shun publicity , which he achieved until he hung the Nazi war criminals, his dignity shines through treating all prisoners with respect regardless of his or her crime.As normal the wife has ambition for her husband and they buy a pub ,the locals buy him drinks after every hanging, he has to hang one of his friends, although i feel this is somewhat exaggerated for the story of the film.Sadly there are few last words spoken, i would of liked one prisoner to say can you keep your trap shut..
This 2005 film stars 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet' actor Timothy Spall as Britain's most efficient and prolific hangman, Albert Pierrepoint.Grocery man Albert, married to Annie (Juliet Stevenson), lives a fairly normal life, except his Father and Uncle are hangmen.