“The bravest Woman I ever hanged”: Il caso Ruth Ellis tra cronaca storica, dibattito giurisprudenziale e trasfigurazione cinematografica

Abstract

On 13 June 1955, Ruth Ellis was executed for the murder of her lover, David Blakeley. She was the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and her controversial case had a major impact on the death penalty debate. Additionally, the case gained huge public and media attention. Ruth was blonde, seductive and photogenic. In short, she was the perfect prototype of the modern dark lady. Her character was clearly destined to captivate cinematic imagination. This paper aims to examine the different ways in which British cinema has appropriated the complex legacy – both legal and mythical – of the Ruth Ellis case. Three feature films will be specifically analysed: Yield to the Night (1956) by J. Lee Thompson, Dance with a Stranger (1985) by Mike Newell and Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman (2005) by Adrian Shergold.

Keywords

• albert pierrepoint
• british cinema
• capital punishment
• dark lady
• ruth ellis