Welcome to Movie Shortens. Follow us today to a 2005 British film called: Pierrepoint. Before we
start, be aware: there are spoilers! The film is set in the 1930s.
In the opening scene, we are in Pentonville Prison in London. A man approaches and
warns those in front of him that what goes on inside this prison must remain confidential.
The prison staff explains how a prisoner is executed to the film's protagonist,
Alber Pierrepoint. The convict passes through a corridor to arrive at
a room where he will stay for up to 3 weeks. The prisoner sleeps and eats in this room until his
execution time comes. Albert Pierrepoint trains to become a prison executioner. They explain
everything to him. For example, the stronger a person, the shorter the rope must be. In fact, the
type of rope and its length is chosen according to the person's height, weight, and lifestyle.
During this period of his life, Pierrepoint is in love with a woman named Annie,
who works in a pastry shop. Every time he passes there, he tries to invite her on a date,
but her boss gets in the way. They are alone for a moment
and arrange to meet one evening after work. Pierrepoint tells his mother about Annie,
but she thinks mixing personal life with a hangman's work will do nothing but harm.
That night, Pierrepoint discovers that he has been hired to work as an executioner's assistant
in prison. The next day, he shows up at the prison to help the executioner.
The two analyze the prisoner, take measurements, and choose the rope. Pierrepoint takes on the job
with seriousness and dedication. Applying logic, he says that the length of rope
they chose isn’t correct. On the other hand, the executioner says it doesn't matter much
since the prisoner will die anyway. The next day, they show up at the
prisoner's room to execute him, and Pierrepoint notices that the executioner
is trembling. They go inside, and the prisoner stands up, terrified to ask for mercy.
The executioner freezes and doesn’t know what to do. At that point, Pierrepoint takes charge
and does the executioner's job, although he is a mere assistant. He takes the prisoner to
the execution chamber, puts a white bag over his head, and finishes the job without hesitation.
Afterward, the executioner refuses to take the money for the job,
and it seems just that he quit this job. In the evening, Pierrepoint returns home
and marks in his journal the name of the first prisoner he has executed.
Over the next few months, he begins to hang out more and more with Annie,
and eventually, they move in together. He tries to hide his work from her, but I think
she realizes that he is an executioner. Even when Pierrepoint is traveling for work,
Annie doesn’t dare to inspect his personal journal. At work, her boss asks her about
Pierrepoint and his numerous business trips, but Annie pretends to be clueless.
In the next scene, Pierrepoint analyzes a new prisoner sentenced to death. He can identify
the rope and its perfect length within seconds. Still, Pierrepoint is not a cruel
or cold-hearted man. Being an executioner is like any other job to him. He has no remorse
and doesn't care why the prisoner was sentenced to death; he just does his job. Soon Pierrepoint
becomes the fastest hangman in England, managing to execute a person in 14 seconds.
He takes his job so seriously that he is committed to executing people in a fraction of a second
without causing them pain and suffering. He also takes it upon himself to personally
wash the victims and secure them in a coffin. According to his belief, executed people have
repaid their mistakes with death. So, they deserve to be buried with all respect.
Pierrepoint passes through the bar near his home to break away from work.
There he meets several of his acquaintances, including his friend Tish. Here we discover
that Pierrepoint isn’t just a good hangman but is also a talented singer. At the bar,
Tish meets a girl named Jessie. Tish is head over heels in love,
but she is preparing a warm place for him in the friendzone. Nevertheless, as Pierrepoint is on
his way home, he sees them having fun. The next day Pierrepoint sees his next
victim. His new assistant helps him get everything ready for execution day.
Pierrepoint reveals that he wants to break the record and finish the whole thing in 13 seconds.
He wants to bring everything to perfection, so he practices with sandbags filled with sand.
His wife, Annie, can no longer stand the temptation and peeks into his journal.
She sees all those names and realizes what Pierrepoint does for a living.
At 9 a.m. sharp, everyone is ready for execution. Even the prisoner doesn't offer any resistance
and doesn't say a single word. Pierrepoint doesn’t waste a moment and quickly leads the man
to the execution chamber. In the end, it turns out that it took him only 7.30 seconds.
Afterward, Pierrepoint congratulates his assistant and confidently states that this is
a record that no one will be able to break. He and Annie spend time together at the movies
in their spare time. After the film, the two meet Tish and Jessie. invites them for a drink,
but Annie declines. Jessie is a married woman who cheats on her husband with
Tish. This is frowned upon, so Annie refuses to be seen in Tish's company.
That night, Pierrepoint decides to tell Annie what his real job is,
but she reveals that she knows already. Albert's talent in this field began to be
noticed by the British government. Pierrepoint is called to London by the field marshal himself
to offer him a new job. He and his wife Annie are as
enthusiastic as ever. Pierrepoint is told that he is the best executioner in Britain
since he has led England to have a quick, efficient and humane execution system.
Pierrepoint is sent to Germany to handle Nazi war criminals after the Belsen trials
in 1945. Arriving in Berlin, Pierrepoint learns that he must execute 47 people.
Although bewildered by the number of deaths he must conduct,
he doesn’t hesitate to get to work. He begins by analyzing prisoners.
The lieutenant sets out to tell the story of each of the prisoners, but Pirrepoint
points out that he only needs to know their weight, height, and physical strength.
He decides to start with the individuals, first handling them at the youngest age,
as they are the most frightened. During executions, the lieutenant recognizes
that it is easier to push the trigger in war than to stand next to a person about to be
executed. To speed up the time, Pierrepoint decides to do two executions simultaneously.
Pierrepoint's inner values begin to emerge when one of the bodies is left without a coffin.
Pierrepoint angrily demands the coffin, stating that the man has paid the highest price by dying
and must be treated with dignity. After finishing his work in Berlin, Pierrepoint
finally returns home. A journalist was waiting for him at the entrance and asked him questions about
his work. His wife Annie told him that they talked about him on the radio and his work in Berlin.
As a result, Pierrepoint is now recognized on the street by most people. People
congregate with him and see him as a true hero.\Pierrepoint meets his friend Tish
and asks him about his relationship with Jessie. Tish reveals that he has broken up with her.
Despite Pierrepoint becoming a celebrity, he doesn’t feel comfortable knowing that
everyone else is aware of him as an executioner. Therefore, he thinks he should end his career.
Annie was ready for this and suggested buying a pub with their savings.
Pierrepoint is skeptical since they know nothing about pubs. On the other side, Annie is convinced
that everyone would like to drink in the pub of the man who executed war criminals.
Finally, they buy the pub, but Pierrepoint still continues to do his work.
At 9 o'clock, he shows up at the prisoner's cell and mercilessly executes a young man.
One day while driving around, people were protesting against the death sentence.
They notice him in the car and insult him. During the day, Annie takes care of the pub, and
Pierrepoint comes in the evening. Annie was right. Many people are there to see Pierrepoint. In fact,
he is cheered. In the crowd, he notices Tish standing quietly in a corner. A few moments later,
he stands up and sings a sad song about love. Pierrepoint wants to lift his spirits and
suggests they sing together, but Tish notices Jessie entering with a man.
Tish approaches them, but the man tells him to move away. Tish tries to kiss her,
but the man next to her starts to beat him. Pierrepoint strives to calm things down by getting
Jessie out of the pub, but she doesn't let him touch her, saying he has blood on his hands.
At the end of the evening, Pierrepoint told him to try to forget about Jessie
and move on. Tish is fascinated with Pierrepoint's character.
He is not swayed by the thoughts of others, and he does his job with a cool head.
That same night, Annie tells him that they have debts to pay. Although Pierrepoint works hard,
unfortunately, not all prisons pay for executions. So, they hope to get by with the pub's profits.
The following day, a desperate lady approaches Pierrepoint and begs for mercy for her son. He
says there is nothing he can do and locks himself in the basement. Pierrepoint takes
up smoking a cigarette and begins to tremble. He receives a paper with the prisoner's name,
which is Tish's full name. He still hopes it is just a coincidence.
After all, there are many people with the same name as you, aren't there?
Pierrepoint arrives at the prison, and from inside, you can hear the crowds of people
protesting outside. His assistant doesn’t understand why since the
prisoner killed his lover in a hotel. One of his superiors reveals to him
that the prisoner knows him; in fact, he claims to be his friend. Pierrepoint, on the other hand,
says he doesn’t know anyone by his name. They pass by his cell and hear him singing.
Pierrepoint recognizes this voice, approaches the door, and gives a peek.
He is petrified when he sees Tish's face. He becomes more nervous than usual, not eating
and sleeping at night. The next morning, at 9 a.m., Pierrepoint is visibly agitated.
Precisely like the executioner at the beginning of the film, remember?
He enters the cell and ties on Tish, trying to keep him calm.
He takes him to the execution room and finishes the job.
Tish's last words are "Thank you, Albert," and he smiles when the hood is put over his head.
This time, Pierrepoint is about to shed a tear. Sometime later,
he is still in a state of shock. He came home late that night because
he had stopped drinking at a pub. Annie knows exactly who he had to execute today,
but she avoids the conversation. Pierrepoint tries to express his
anguish to his wife. Annie does not feel comfortable listening to her inner anger,
as their rule about her occupation has always been to never talk about it.
Pierrepoint breaks down and confesses the guilt and unhappiness he felt at seeing his friend
killed by his own hand. That night, Pierrepoint dreams of Tish
in the form of a scarecrow. He removes the white bag from his head and begins to embrace him.
Later, Pierrepoint justice Ruth Ellis, a beautiful young woman
accused of murdering her lover. When she is brought into the execution chamber, the woman
smiles before he puts the sack over her head. Angry crowds outside the prison protest the
execution, and Pierrepoint's car is pelted with spit and shocks on the way home. He considers
resigning from his profession altogether. Finally, after conducting over 335 executions
and setting the record for the fastest hanging ever, Albert Pierrepoint officially resigns.
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