I was surprised to see in the background at one point a hyperboloid cooling tower (the kind we often associate with nuclear power plants, although not limited to that), surely an anachronism in the period during which Hobson's Choice takes place. Frequently these make an appearance in the hazy backgrounds of "kitchen sink realism" films; I just saw A Taste of Honey and noticed a few. The tower in Hobson's Choice appears during the scene outside the church when Maggie is marshaling her wedding party. I don't view this as a blunder, but it's conspicuous enough that I wonder why Lean, an otherwise fastidious filmmaker with an obsession for period detail in his Dickens' adaptations, would let it slip when it could have been easily blocked. At the same time, there are brief glimpses of industrial squalor and poverty in this film that, while they don't undermine the broad humor and geniality, are certainly pointed in a film about class relations.
I have to say, too, that Armond White's essay was serviceable and eloquent, if not terribly informative. Certainly equal to the average essay found in Criterion booklets, if not all of them. It was a pleasant surprise, and it makes me all the more baleful when it comes to the flimsy review format that seems to bring out the reactive worst in any writer.
And I love this movie. What beautiful photography, dialogue, and staging! I just saw Madeleine, was sorely disappointed, so it was refreshing to have Lean's reputation (in my mind) restored with this overlooked marvel.