If this has been available for awhile, then I’m posting old news, but I had to share that Amazon is selling a five-DVD set of Ealing Studios Alec Guinness movies for $63. They are five of his (arguably) best films, too: The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit, Kind Hearts And Coronets, The Captain’s Paradise, and my own favorite, The Ladykillers.
We bought it and so far have watched The Captain’s Paradise, – anyone who wants to get an eyeful of Yvonne de Carlo as a young woman should watch this gem – and The Ladykillers. I love the black humor in this last film, and the fact that for once Alec Guinness is upstaged. He almost plays second fiddle to Margaret Johnson’s wonderful Mrs. Wilberforce. Supporting cast members include Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom, too. This is an absolutely topnotch film, and I can’t wait until the Coen Brothers’ remake is out.
In addition, Mr. Pug added to the collection the DVD of The Horse’s Mouth, a wonderful comedy about an old bastard of a painter, Gulley Jimson, played by AG. Guinness wrote the screenplay for this movie, a task that folks said couldn’t be done as apparently the book is large and complex. I never see this film mentioned by Americans, yet it’s possibly Guinness’s best role. Highly recommended!
Woohoo! The Lavender Hill Mob tonight!
Here’s a link to check out the collection, if anyone’s interested. It’s a good deal for a Xmas gift.
Are you really telling me you want to see a Holkywood remake of a classic British film???
It’s a great film (one I’m going to buy on DVD), are the others you’ve mentioned similar or do they show their age and are good as corny old films? I’m sure they were on TV not long ago (over here, at least), but I missed most of them. I did catch Ladykillers and found it oddly hilarious!
Holkywood! My dear sir, the Coen Brothers do not do Holkywood films.
When I first heard of the Coen Brothers doing a remake of The Ladykillers, I’ll admit it sounded iffy to me, too. But the more I think of it, the better it sounds. The story involves crime, very black humor, and an uncomfortable, planned murder not going at all the way it was planned – pure Coen Brothers! Add Tom Hanks as the Professor, Marlon Wayans as one of the crooks, and Irma P. Hall as the landlady, and it’s sounding even better.
Seriously, I love that book-- the only thing I have against it is that it’s harder, in retrospect, not to feel ambivalent about the lightness of the Guinness adaptation.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the movie, and I think it’s one of his best performances ever – it’s just that all the horror and pathos has been swept under the rug in favour of farce.
I haven’t seen The Captain’s Paradise but have enjoyed the others a lot. Kind Hearts and Coronets is one of the three or four best comedies I have ever seen. Alec Guinness’s range is amazing even in these films and even more so if you consider his famous Lean roles.
How is the transfer on these DVD's btw? It's a pity they don't seem to have too many extras.
CyberPundit, the quality of the transfers seems very good, although my ability to judge these things may not be high. Yes, there are not too many extras, although the director of The Horse’s Mouth appeared on that DVD to discuss that film at length. We liked that a lot, as he talked about AG’s volunteering to write the screenplay and related a lot of anecdotes about the actors in the film.
I had not seen The Lavender Hill Mob in many years, and had forgotten what a finely crafted film it was. AG played a few more memorable characters in other films, but this film is just a jewel. Stanley Holloway was terrific, and it was fun to see a little ten second cameo of a young Audrey Hepburn, too.
Every time The Ladykillers comes on the box I expect it to be in B/W and it never is!
What I love about it is that Guinness is shamelessly playing Alistair Sim playing the “Professor”, and though Guinness doesn’t have the height for Sim’s lugubrious physicality - it’s still one of Sim’s best performances!
