Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Robert Hamer
Starring: Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Alec Guinness
Language: English
Duration: 106 min.
Rating: 8.8
Summary:
A distant poor relative of the Duke of D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.
Kind Hearts and Coronets is a film directed by Robert Hamer, based loosely on a novel by Roy Horniman. Its title comes from a line in the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem Lady Clara Vere de Vere.

The story is set in Edwardian England, where Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price), a distant relative to the Duke of D'Ascoyne, schemes to avenge his poor mother, who was disowned by her aristocratic family when she married a poor Italian singer for love.

It features a young and then unknown, Alec Guinness, in a simply masterful display of range. Blazing a trail for many a future comedian by appearing as eight separate members of the ill fated D'Ascoyne family, of varying ages from young to elderly, and in one case even female. Guinness plays them all with such perfection, each with their own distinct inflection and mannerisms, and enough subtle disdain so that the audience doesn't mind when they are killed off; and if you didn't see his name in the opening credits, there is a good chance you wouldn't even notice they were all the same actor.

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

As great as Guinness is, this is not his film. The star here is Price, as the cold and calculating murderer, Mazzini. A smart and extremely charming young man who has a pleasant demeanor, even as he awaits his execution (the film is told mostly in flashback, as he writes his memoirs in his cell). He's such a nice guy, that it almost makes us overlook that he's a serial killer. While the lovely Joan Greenwood, appears as Mazzini's childhood sweetheart Sibella, no stranger to nefarious schemes herself. It's a pleasure to listen to Greenwood's silky sexy smooth voice—a voice I could listen to forever—as she charms and seduces her way through the film.

What makes it all so effective is the dry and sarcastic way the humor is presented. There's never any of the obvious or blatant, OK this is where you laugh, moments that a lot of comedies rely on. Just well timed and delivered cutting dialog and voiceover, that might even be more hilarious today than when they were written.

A comedy made how they should all be made; pitch black and full of dry intelligent wit. Kind Hearts and Coronets, possibly the most well known and distinctive production from the famed Ealing Studios, brings together a brilliant combination of visual splendor, tour de force acting, and satirical writing to earn its place among the greatest comedies of all time.
Bonjour Tristesse
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

14 comments:

Lesya said...

I didn't like as much as you did, but I don't have a sense of humor. I thought it was a solid film though.

Michaël Parent said...

It's been a while I've wanted to see this film. Reading that you liked it that much makes me want to see it sson!

Max Covill said...

Always heard amazing things about this film. I might look into now that you've given it such a high rating as well.

SJHoneywell said...

I love this film. It's one of the few films I can think of that I really enjoy in which I dislike most of the characters.


You're right that Guinness isn't the star of this film, but for me, he's the reason to watch it.

d_4 said...

Haven't even heard of this, it sounds pretty enjoyable. On the list it goes.

Jack Deth said...

Hi, Bonjour and company:

Excellent choice for discussion!

Alec Guinness could pull off multiple characters far more easily than Peter Sellers ever could later. And 'Kind Heats and Coronets' is one of his and Ealing's best!

Close to the epitome of dry British wit set amongst sumptuous surroundings and excellent period piece accessories.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I suppose this does require a certain macabre sense of humor to really appreciate. Thanks for stopping by Lesya!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yep it's a must see especially for Guinness' performance.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Please do. It's been on my list for years, I don't know why I waited so long.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah, except for the mother, they are all pretty much despicable characters.

PS. I still don't think British films count as Foreign, but I'm glad you gave me a reason to finally watch this gem.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I found it quite enjoyable, but it depends on your tastes for humor.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah Sellers, and Eddie Murphy and everyone else. And I probably would not have enjoyed it as much without all the great locations and surroundings. Really an all around great film.

Chip Lary said...

I liked this film, and laughed several times, but it didn't quite make it into "great" territory for me. I did like the ending, though, because I was thinking "what about the ...?" and then the character realizes the same thing.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

That ending is brilliant. Wraps everything up nicely without being too much of a pat ending.

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