At certain points in our lives we come face to face with an unknown person upon whom we rely totally for our wellbeing. This person may care about us or not. A fact of life is that on these occasions when death is close we want to feel safe, to feel we will be taken care of.
Timothy Spall's portrayal of Albert Pierrepoint, Britain's most prolific hangman, in the film bearing his name deserves rich recognition. The film is a very British one and wonderfully evocative of the generation before, a time when people coped more discreetly and did their business with dignity. A cause to be proud for the film makers and actors.
Albert Pierrepoint lived into old age and died in a nursing home in 1992. In his autobiography in 1974 he said this about his work:
"I have come to the conclusion that executions solve nothing, and are only an antiquated relic of a primitive desire for revenge which takes the easy way and hands over the responsibility for revenge to other people...The trouble with the death penalty has always been that nobody wanted it for everybody, but everybody differed about who should get off."
